The Shelter & WAND Partner to Expand Safehouse
September 21st, 2022
The Shelter for Battered Women and Children’s Chairman, Colin Mitchell, announced that a new wing will be added to the safehouse that will increase occupancy by 100%, thanks to a landmark partnership with the Women In Action for the Needy and Destitute (WAND) Foundation. At the Foundation’s fundraiser at The Trinidad and Tobago Yacht Club, Mitchell thanked WAND for the commitment to fund the building which is carded to start construction in 2023 in Trinidad.
“Now more than ever we see a growing need to help women and children at risk, those in urgent need of a safe-haven away from their abusers, where we provide free of charge a safe environment for them to live, benefit from counselling, enjoy healthy meals, access legal aid, gain skillset training and for their children to attend school. We are deeply thankful to the WAND Foundation for ensuring that we can do more, help more of those fleeing domestic abuse and give our residents a chance to begin a better life,” Mitchell added.
Founded by Diana Mahabir in 1987, The Shelter’s safehouse was renovated, a learning centre developed and the staff complement enhanced over two years ago under Chairman Scott Hamilton. Mitchell explained that a recent evaluation, made possible under a grant from the United Nation’s Spotlight Initiative, led to an assessment of the operational capacity of the non-profit. This assessment confirmed that the safehouse’s staff and operations could facilitate an expansion of the residential intake. The new building would make this possible.
“WAND is happy to be partnering and funding the expansion of The Shelter, which currently can accommodate about 20 ladies and children. We see the urgent need and so we will be working with The Shelter to double the present intake. We at WAND are professional women with caring attitudes and the resolve to enhance and strengthen opportunities for lifestyle changes of those less fortunate, being mindful of their particular stated needs,” President Mona Khan explained. She went on to state that since 1998, the Foundation’s goals have included enabling those in need to become self-reliant by the development of human resources through skills-training programmes, as well as assisting projects which improve the quality of life of the destitute and the living conditions of those suffering from severe poverty, thereby offering an opportunity for them to enrich and enhance their lives.
To learn more about The Shelter visit: www.trinidadshelter
