Scotiabank donates to women’s causes

During brief handing over ceremonies today, Scotiabank contributed some much needed money to two organisations that promote women’s well-being. According to the bank’s Country Manager, Pat Andrews, earlier this year his staff petitioned the institution’s head office in Toronto for the funds. This morning, Andrews had the honour of handing over the cheques for two thousand nine hundred and fifty, and three thousand dollars respectively to officials from the Young Women’s Christian Association and the Youth Enhancement Services.

Pat Andrews, Country Manager, Scotia Bank
“We were able to get enough funds to be able to give both of these organizations some money to help them move their programs forward.”

Janelle Chanona
”This has been going on for a couple of years now, right.”

Pat Andrews
“It has been going on for a couple of years. We got involved with it for the first time last year, and this year and I can promise you that going forward we will continue pushing and assisting the women in Belize.”

Greta Jenkins, Advocacy Coordinator, YES
“We are raising awareness against sexual abuse and exploitation, warning signs, where to go to report it, and when it happens what you need to do and stuff like that.”

Janelle Chanona
“And this is all age groups?”

Greta Jenkins
“We start from the age of thirteen.”

Sonia Linares, Executive Director, Y.W.C.A.
“This money will go direct to the Helping Early Leavers Program. That is a program that we have for young women and we provide them with an education. Many of them are students who were in school and for some reason or the other had to leave school – the high school – and a few of them were in primary school and they were unable to attend high school because of some financial problems. So this fund will allow us to continue to provide them with a continuing education where we provide many of them with skills training so that they can, after they leave, they will be able to get a job and a few of them with the educational opportunities so that they can attend high school. So this fund is of great benefit to the Y.W.C.A. at this time.”

Janelle Chanona
“You’ve had a good success rate with the people that leave your program?”

Sonia Linares
“Oh yes, over the years we have had many, many success rate. For those who attend the P.S.E. program and went on to high and for those who went to the skills program and were able to get a job, many of them started their own small business and have been productive citizens of Belize.”

According to the bank, the contributions are part of its observance of International Women’s Day on Thursday.