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Minister of Social Care, Christopher Sinckler, presenting a cheque to??Dillon Hercules from Focus On U. Focus On U was one of eight NGOs receiving financial assistance from Government.????

Eight non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that received financial assistance today from Government, totalling some half-million dollars from the Poverty Alleviation Bureau, will have to follow strict criteria to ensure that the best standards are followed.

This was disclosed today by Minister of Social Care, Christopher Sinckler, during a ceremony at which these organisations were presented with their cheques.

Stating that they would be expected to present reports in a timely fashion, and good accounting practices had to be in place, he said ???any good community group should have a treasurer that should present accounts that are reasonably well organised and can stand up to scrutiny???.

Ladepoo Salankey from the Israel Lovell Foundation receiving a cheque from Minister of Social Care, Christopher Sinckler.?? The Foundation was??one of eight NGOs receiving financial assistance from Government.??

Mr. Sinckler, in acknowledging that this was the first occasion that the Ministry was publicly presenting the NGOs with funding, explained:?? ???The Government believes that when public resources are being given, especially in communities around us, there is no need to hide it.?? It is a good thing and people need to know???They may not necessarily know how much, but they certainly need to know the groups who are receiving the resources and what they are doing.???

He added: ???At the end of the day, these are public resources and we all need to be accountable to the public; … so a process of transparency shall be brought and will be brought to these exercises.?????

Mr. Sinckler also told members of the NGOs that they should provide value for money and there should be efficiency and further development of the programmes they offered, because by doing so, they would ???recommend themselves automatically for follow-up assistance???.

The NGOs presented with cheques were: the Black Rock Artistic Movement, Calvary Moravian Church, Focus on U, Loving Arms Foundation, Pinelands Creative Workshop, Special Olympics Barbados and the St. John Community Care Organisation.??

emcclean@barbados.gov.bb

 

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