Republic adds $8.8M more for its Power to Make a Difference

The programme was divided into three separate areas — "The Power to Care," which seeks to make a difference in the areas of poverty alleviation and health —"The Power to Learn and Achieve," which focuses on youth education, sport and culture and — "the Power to Succeed" that seeks to encourage business development. The respective divide for those areas in the 2005/2006 programme is $3.3 million, $3.8 million and $1.7 million.

Delivering the feature address at the event was Claudio Providas, Deputy Resident Representative — United National Development Programme, who expressed his pleasure with the bank’s programme and congratulated them in their quest to play a critical role in alleviating poverty for those in need.

He said the corporate world was now realising that they ought not to rest on their laurels, stating that it is their corporate social responsibility to the country. "But there are still a lot of imbalances that this country faces despite its wealth. It is time to look at alternative strategies to alleviate poverty and so reduce the crime in the country. Programmes like this one must impact positively in that reduction of crime," Providas said.

In his address, the bank’s managing director, David Dulal-Whiteway, said the third phase is the bank’s committment to national augmentation and to lend greater emphasis to the issues of crime and homelessness. He added, "We are privileged to be able to make a difference in the lives of the people we serve and the communities in which they live.

We have entered an age that superseded corporate responsibility; we have to be conscientious in our strategy, planning and over-all effect on society." Among those receiving cheques were Sr Helen Scott of the St Dominic’s Children’s Home ($75,000), Brian Jones of the Morvant/Laventille community ($200,000), Pundit Hardeo Persad of the SWAHA Children’s Home ($400,000), Teasley Taitt on behalf of the Bishop Anstey East and Trinity College East schools ($500,000), David O’Brian of the Immortelle Children’s Centre for Special Education ($700,000), Sandra Dieffenthaller of the Soroptimist Home for Senior Citizens ($100,000), Dr Edmund Chamely of the Court Shamrock Centre for Socially Displaced Persons ($1,000,000), Fr Tom Lawson of the Dominic’s Pastoral Centre ($1,000,000) and Fr Matthew d’Hereaux and Leela Ramdeen of the Walk Tall Programme ($2,000,000).

Among the projects to be undertaken are the construction of a building to facilitate the rehabilitation of ex-prisoners in San Fernando, construction of a pastoral centre in Diego Martin for the development of young people in the area and for provision of free medical and legal clinics for persons in need, the expansion of an auditorium to accommodate a proper theatre and an exhibition hall in East Trinidad, the renovation of a building to accommodate 100 special needs children, the construction of a halfway home for abused children in Penal, and the completion and outfitting of a training centre to provide 200 young persons of the Morvant/Laventille community with much-needed life skills to assist them to become more employable.

The morning was punctuated with the powerful renditions of "Stand up for Love" and "Grown Up Christmas Wish" by Jean-Marc Tardieu and Anneisha Skerritt, who were featured in a video presentation with the Republic Bank Love Movement Youth Choir — "The Difference We’ve Made — as they sang the bank’s jingle.