Barbados Professional Women

Barbados Professional Women

What is BPW BARBADOS?

BPW (The Business & Professional Women’s Club of Barbados) is a non-partisan, non-sectarian women’s organization which is affiliated to the International Federation of Business and Professional Clubs.  BPW clubs exists in 80 countries on 5 continents.

BPW has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and participatory status with the Council of Europe.  Its members include influential women leaders, entrepreneurs, business owners, executives, professionals and young career women.

The AIM:  Develop Professional and Leadership Potential for Women at All Levels

The Ambition:  Equal Participation of Women and Men in Power and Decision-Making Roles

In BPW Barbados

BPW Barbados was established in 1966 by Mrs. Maude Bayley, past President of the Canadian Federation of Business & Professional Women.  The club is a member of BPW International and the National Organization of Women which is the umbrella organization for all women’s organizations in Barbados.

The Objectives of the Club:

  • To organize business and professional women to use their combined abilities for the attainment for the following objectives
  • To work for equal opportunities and status of women in economic, civil and political life of Barbados and the removal of discrimination;
  • To encourage women and girls to acquire occupational training and advance education and use their occupational capabilities and intelligence to the advantage of others as well as themselves;
  • To collect and present the views of business and professional women to national and international organizations and agencies.
  • To network with other women’s organizations in the furtherance of these objectives
  • To support members in their business or professional and to assist them in their personal and professional growth.

Programmes:

  • Promoting legal, judicial and penal reform
  • Drafting Domestic Violence Legislation
  • Advocating for non-national husbands afforded the same right as non-national wives
  • Improving Minimum wages
  • Film Censorship Board
  • Public Education & Awareness Building
  • Discussions in the media
  • Rallies, Workshops, Seminars,
  • Booklet – Women, Domestic Violence and the Law
  • Education & Training
  • Advocacy in women’s issues
  • Seminars for unemployed women
  • Self–development seminar – Educate to Eradicate Poverty and Abuse which started  in 1997

BPW Barbados operates a 24 hour Crisis Centre hotline which started in 1986 as a response to outrage of rapes and murders.  It provides confidential counseling and referrals for victims of violence and general counseling issues. It also serves as:

  • An information centre
  • The primary contact for potential shelter residents
  • A support base for ex-residents and repeat callers
  • A medium for receiving phone-based counseling for a myriad of problems
  • An avenue for setting up face-to-face counseling
    • The medium for contact with The Royal Barbados Police Force and the social agencies

BPW Barbados operates the lone shelter for survivors of all forms of gender base violence.

The Shelter’s vision is a community without domestic violence so that every home is a safe haven for the family it shelters. The Shelter’s mission is to help adult and child victims and survivors of domestic violence through safety, intervention, and support; to educate the public about domestic violence; and to advocate for social change against domestic violence

Contact Details:

 

The president: Nalita Gajhadar :

Telephone: 1246 310 2105

Email: nalitag@caribsurf.com

Treasurer: Marlene Hewitt

Telephone 1246 310 2219

Email: Mehewitt@hotmail.com

Immediate past president: Mary Thompson

Telephone: 124 6429 3704

Email: maryt@caribsurf.com

Shelter Coordinator: Marva Browne

Telephone: 1246 423 6461

Email brownes@caribsurf.com

Website: www.bpwbarbados.org