标签： Barbados

Ahead of the 2026 academic term, Barbados’ One Family Programme has rolled out its annual Back-to-School initiative, pulling together more than $400,000 in donated educational materials to lift up approximately 2,000 children from low-income, vulnerable households across the island. A collaboration between the Ministry of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs-led programme, local retailer Pages Bookstore, and a network of community and private sector partners, the drive will distribute textbooks, stationery, and essential school supplies to students from the programme’s 1,000 registered at-risk families. Details of the effort were shared during a press briefing hosted Friday at the ministry’s Warrens Office Complex headquarters, where programme leaders outlined the scope of the work and highlighted the power of cross-sector partnership to address equity gaps in education. Nicole Daniel, Social Development Project Manager for the One Family Programme, explained that the initiative is tailored to the 2,000 school-aged children living in the programme’s beneficiary households, a group that makes up a third of the roughly 6,000 total people supported by the scheme. The student population breaks down across three key education levels: 950 children currently enrolled in primary school, 150 recent graduates of the Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examination preparing to transition to secondary education, and roughly 1,000 students already attending secondary school. Daniel opened the briefing to pull back the curtain on the months of behind-the-scenes coordination that goes into preparing the distribution, emphasizing that every item delivered to families comes through donations from committed partners and sponsors. She extended special recognition to the volunteers that have supported the effort, including members of the Kiwanis Club of Pride of Barbados, noting that the initiative itself is a demonstration of how collective action can create meaningful change for vulnerable communities. “This just shows how good and how key and how critical partnership is in this programme,” Daniel said, urging more individuals and local organizations to continue contributing to the ongoing effort to support families across the island. Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Adrian Forde echoed Daniel’s emphasis on collaboration and investment in equitable education. Confirming the total value of donated supplies exceeds $400,000, Forde stressed that investing in accessible education is one of the most impactful ways to uplift Barbados’ young people. “Education is priceless,” Forde said. “The opportunity to have that education must be a right. It is not a privilege; it is a right.” While the 2026 initiative is on track to support 2,000 children ahead of the new school year, Forde shared a vision for expanding the programme to reach even more vulnerable students in future cycles. That expansion, he noted, depends entirely on growing the network of cross-sector partners invested in the mission. “We can only do it if there are partnerships created,” he said. Forde thanked the non-governmental organizations, local businesses, and individual supporters that have already contributed to the 2026 drive, and issued a call for additional private sector entities to join the effort. Framing the work around the programme’s core mission of collective care, Forded added: “We are one big family here with one single focus, one drive, and that is to develop the best citizens in Barbados.”

After two years of maintaining his innocence in a string of commercial retail thefts, 53-year-old Fredrick Alfred Haynes has publicly owned up to his crimes in a Barbados courtroom, marking a turning point in both his legal case and his personal battle with drug addiction.

Residing at Drayton Close in the Christ Church community of Enterprise, Haynes entered guilty pleas to three separate grand larceny charges when his case was called before Acting Chief Magistrate Douglas Frederick at the No. 1 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court this Friday. In exchange for his honesty and documented efforts to rebuild his life, the magistrate granted Haynes a nine-month peace bond, a lenient sentence that allows him to avoid immediate jail time so long as he abides by the court’s terms. A breach of the bond will trigger an automatic three-month custodial sentence.

The details of the thefts, laid out in court, date back to April 2024. On April 9, Haynes stole assorted goods including cooking spray, luncheon meat, chicken wings, chicken nuggets and hamburgers with a total value of $110.25 from ANSR Investments Limited, which operates the Esso Worthing service station. Court records show that just nine days later, on April 18, Haynes committed two additional thefts: he took $19.50 worth of corned beef and sausages from Lewis Drug Mart, then walked out of Massy Stores with $105.62 worth of chicken sticks, chicken nuggets, wieners and deodorant.

The case had been scheduled to go to trial on Friday, and prosecutor Sergeant Victoria Leacock informed the court that proceedings could not proceed as planned because key witness testimony was unavailable. She requested an adjournment to reschedule the trial, but Haynes surprised the court by announcing he wished to end the procedural delay and plead guilty immediately.

Court investigators outlined how the crimes were uncovered: after ANSR Investments’ managing director received an alert about missing inventory on April 9, the company reviewed on-site security footage, identified Haynes as the perpetrator, and filed an official police report. Haynes was later taken into police custody in connection with the two other retail thefts, and while detained, he voluntarily confessed to the Esso service station theft as well—though he would later reverse that admission before Friday’s hearing.

Haynes, who has 32 prior criminal convictions on his record, offered the court a raw, honest account of his circumstances when given the chance to speak. “At that time of my life, I was addicted to crack cocaine,” he told the court. “I am very remorseful. I am working now and looking after my son. I made the choice to get clean because I did not want him to see me prickle.”

Responding to Haynes’ candor and commitment to recovery, Acting Chief Magistrate Frederick noted that the defendant had chosen to unburden his conscience by taking responsibility for his actions. “You are in a different place than you were,” the magistrate said. “I will give you a chance to stay on the straight and narrow.”

The outcome of the case highlights the criminal justice system’s willingness to offer second chances to offenders who have taken tangible steps to overcome addiction and reintegrate into the community, balancing accountability for past crimes with support for sustained recovery.

On a sunlit Friday in Ellerton, St. George, the walls of the Ellerton Community Centre echoed with laughter, rhythmic footwork, and cheers as young participants of Barbados’ National Summer Camp Programme capped off weeks of learning and growth with a dynamic cultural showcase. The end-of-program event was far more than a simple closing ceremony; it was a public celebration of the new skills, confidence, and cultural connection young campers had built throughout their time at the immersive cultural camp.

From high-energy folk dancing and graceful gymnastics routines to bold stilt walking performances and displays of handcrafted creative art, the showcase highlighted the breadth of activities the camp offered, all rooted in authentic Barbadian cultural heritage. Camp director Kahlyka Catwell shared that watching the children transform over the course of the program had been one of the most rewarding parts of her role. She noted that many older participants arrived hesitant, many saying they had only joined because their parents encouraged or required them to attend. But by the final day, every camper had embraced the experience and left with positive memories. “I was very proud of my kids, ‘cause normally, you know, the big ones that say, ‘Oh, I don’t want to do nothing. I don’t want to do nothing. My parents forced me. I don’t want to be here.’ By the end of the day, they had a good time. And I’m very proud of them,” Catwell said.

Catwell explained that the cultural immersion program was designed to introduce children to a wide range of traditional Barbadian activities and creative arts. Beyond performance disciplines like dancing, gymnastics, and stilt walking, campers got hands-on with a variety of crafts including painting, sand art, papier-mâché projects, and the traditional Bajan “shaggy bear” activity. Performances at the showcase were set to tracks from some of Barbados’ most iconic local artists, and iconic cultural figure Mother Sally was featured as a centerpiece of the event’s cultural programming. Between 25 and 40 children aged 6 to 12 took part in the core camp program, supported by a team of five dedicated counsellors and three specialized skill facilitators.

For 9-year-old participant Kelianna Mason, who tried her hand at dancing, gymnastics, and stilt walking over the camp, the experience exceeded every expectation. Introduced to the program by her sister and grandmother, Mason said stilt walking quickly became her favorite activity, sparked by a long-held curiosity about the traditional practice. “I wanted to go to stilt walking ‘cause I seen people on stilts before. I wanted to know how to do it,” she explained. Mason encouraged other young people to join future iterations of the program, noting that it offers the chance to build new friendships and create personalized crafts to take home. “You should go to this camp because you will make new friends. You will have a bunch of activities to do of your choice and crafts to make that you can keep,” she said.

Ten-year-old Oliya Thorne, another multi-skilled participant who also competed dancing, gymnastics, and stilt walking, returned to the camp for a second year after enjoying her first experience in 2023. Thorne, who lives in the Ellerton area, said this year’s program helped her grow significantly in confidence, especially under the guidance of stilt walking coach Michael Trotman. “Last year I didn’t have all of my courage, but now this year with Mike as my coach, I have more courage,” she said. Thorne added that the program prioritizes safety alongside skill-building, explaining that campers learned critical techniques like how to fall safely to avoid injury while practicing on stilts. “Yesterday we actually learned how to fall. We wanted to fall if we got on stilts. So, yesterday was the day we actually got to fall. We actually got to fall safely,” she shared.

First-year stilt walker Jakari Cadogan echoed that the early stages of learning the skill came with challenges, but consistent practice helped him master the basics and perform confidently on showcase day. “When I first went on stilts it was hard and it was easy, but all you want to do is keep on marching left, right, left, right. That’s what you want to do,” he explained. Cadogan added that the experience has boosted his overall confidence, and he plans to continue practicing stilt walking after the camp ends. The celebration was expanded to include campers from the nearby Ellerton Primary School summer camp, who kicked off the showcase with an energetic cheerleading routine that got the crowd cheering.

All cultural and skill activities throughout the program were led by a team of experienced local facilitators: gymnastics lead Michael Taitt, dance instructor Geraldine Lynch, and stilt walking coach Michael Trotman, who worked one-on-one with campers to help them build skills at their own pace.