Already a benefactor to the Women’s Resource Centre (WRC), HSBC Bank Bermuda Ltd., has extended its support by donating $22,000 to help them overcome the additional challenges the Covid-19 pandemic has created.
The donation includes provision for grocery store vouchers to vulnerable members, financial support for the WRC’s operational costs, vouchers for other essential items needed by the women currently participating in the WRC’s Transformational Support Programme and the purchase and donation of five new laptops for families to access online learning opportunities. These laptops will be owned by the WRC and loaned out by them, to their members, on a needs basis.
The Transformational Support Programme is an education, life skills and employability training course for selected members of the WRC, which began in 2019 and has been fully funded for three years by HSBC.
Elaine Butterfield, Executive Director of the WRC tells us they have been a place of refuge and support for women in difficult situations, and their families, for over 30 years, but never before have they faced a challenge like this one. Many of their members are unemployed, uneducated and some are homeless. All of them are single mothers. All they want is to be financially independent and able to take care of themselves and their families.
Those who are participating in our Transformational Support Services Programme have been working so hard to support each other, learn new life and employment skills and generally turn their lives around for the better. This additional support from HSBC has provided a much-needed lifeline and will make a huge difference to their lives as they try to work or find work, feed their families and support their children’s learning while the schools are closed.
Butterfield says that the fact that people care this much about these women is a huge morale boost to all at WRC, and it is her hope that HSBC’s generosity and support will help get them through the worst of this situation.
This donation to the WRC is part of a larger support package of $180,000 which the bank is donating to community organisations that provide support to Bermuda’s most at-risk groups or individuals, including seniors, children, single-parent homes, vulnerable individuals and the food insecure.
“The WRC provides a vital resource for women in need, particularly those who want to find a path out of their current situation and into full time employment and financial independence,” says Yolanda Outerbridge, Head of HR at HSBC and executive sponsor overseeing the Transformational Support Services Programme.
“We have been proud to work with them to help achieve this and we believe it is just as important to extend our support at a time when many are facing even more difficult challenges, which can be directly attributed to the current global pandemic. We hope this donation will help to alleviate some of those challenges.
“Our staff have really enjoyed working with the women on the Transformational Support Services Programme. Our experienced Wealth and Personal Bankers have delivered 3 financial seminars to an estimated 30 women to assist with debt management and budgeting. We look forward to continuing to reconnect with these women once again through these sessions as well as building a mentorship programme with them.”
For more information about the Women’s Resource Centre or their Transformational Support Services Programme, please contact them at wrc@wrcbermuda.com or 295 3882.
