YWCA celebrates renovation project completion
They are known for providing a positive outlet to the young and the not so young and today the Young Women’s Christian Association is toasting the completion of an ambitious renovation project. The project involved reinforcing, remodeling and refurbishing the interior of the building located at the corner of St. Thomas Street and Freetown Road. The price tag for the project was some three hundred and ninety-five thousand dollars and with assistance from various sponsors including the Atlantic Group of Companies, Benny’s, the Habet Group, and the Japanese Government, the outcome is a success. General Secretary of the YWCA, Sonia Lenares, says the assistance from these organizations and businesses was welcomed.
Sonia Lenares, General Secretary, YWCA
“It was unsafe to have programs here and we seek the assistance of the Japanese Government and they were able to give us funding in the amount of one hundred and seventy-one thousand dollars to do this renovation. It’s a women and youth project to help women from the rural communities to empower themselves and we needed extra space for them and we also want to do training there that they can come to the Y and stay in a safe environment. With the new expansion portion of our building, it will provide rooms for training in cosmetology and sewing, we can accommodate more students. It will provide classroom space for students to sit the Primary School Examination or the remedial because many of our students who come can’t read and write so we have a special program for them. Presently these classes are housed upstairs. Of late because we needed to provide classroom space, we discontinued the hostel system, but now we will refurbish that and if you go upstairs you can see we’ve set up a room so that you can see what it will look like. It will also be a means of income generation for the Y. So if people come they will pay a small fee.”
The newly renovated auditorium and dorms will be available, in the near future, for rental to the public.
