On Sunday, March 18, 2012, the Department of Community Development, Family & Humanitarian Affairs and Women’s Desk will be officially launching the "Network and Support Group for Women" at the A.C. Wathey Legislative Hall 6PM. According to Aida Boyrard, Head of Community Development, Family & Humanitarian Affairs, this new venture will be catering to the needs of women and families.
Stakeholders are pooled together in a core group, each with its own support group, addressing the different areas of concern according to the objectives of their organization. Simultaneously networking amongst a larger number of organizations and the core group will take place to ensure that mutual support is given to the core group as well as other stakeholders.
Women’s Desk, which will be the central point, will have as its core group the following organizations: Business and Professional Women (BPW), Prominent Women, VOICES, Strong Women’s Connection, Cancer Foundation and Repairers of Broken Walls. This core group will each target a specific group and offer support. For example, Prominent Women is a support group offering assistance to married women, and Repairers of Broken Walls is a support group for teenagers. The core group is where the focus will be, while they will be networking with existing support groups, such as Turning Point, AIDS Foundation and others.
Minister of Public Health Social Development & Labor, Cornelius de Weever stated that "this is the time for us all to synchronize our efforts and work together in the interest of women and in the spirit of International women’s day- Connecting girls, inspiring futures."
Boyrard further stated that in responding to every day experiences at Women’s Desk and the various Community Helpdesks that were recently opened, they underscored the need to have support groups for women, supporting and addressing the different challenging issues that they are faced with on a daily basis.