With social contributions for those who have been marginalized as a hallmark of their vision, the Women in Action for the Needy and Destitute (WAND) Foundation, in collaboration with The University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT), the Ministry of Community Development, the offices of various Members of Parliament and FLOW will equip an additional fourteen (14) community centres throughout Trinidad and Tobago with networked computer equipment and Internet access. These latest donations are made possible through funds contributed by the Price Philanthropic Foundation out of California, USA and are a continuation of an initial donation of eight computers by the High Commission of Canada to WAND to assist the St. Francois Valley Road Community Centre in Morvant. As part of the University’s community outreach, UTT has been helping to setup and network the computers and will provide relevant training and objective measurement of the educational gains made in support of this initiative.

The Computer Handover and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the Upper El Dorado Community Centre, the first of the fourteen (14) community centres to benefit from this phase of the project, took place on November 15^th, 2016. Delivering the Keynote Address at the ceremony was Mrs. Sharon Rowley, Attorney-at-Law and wife of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Mrs. Rowley spoke of the attributes of empowering communities through education and the need for persons to exercise some measure of computer skills when transitioning to the world of work.

Also speaking at the ceremony was Mr. Dev Manohar-Maharaj, Vice President, Information Technology at UTT, who lauded this community outreach initiative and indicated that it was an important first step in UTT’s plans to provide more online and blended learning opportunities for nationals throughout Trinidad and Tobago. Mr. Maharaj pledged the support of UTT’s students who will be asked to assist in teaching customized Computer Literacy programmes at community centres in their proximity as a means of giving back to society. Additional speakers on the day included: WAND President, Jan Bocas-Ryan; Member of Parliament for Tunapuna and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Esmond Forde; and Mrs. Monica Ferguson, President of the Upper El Dorado Village Council.

Mr. Forde and Mrs. Rowley assisted Mrs. Bocas-Ryan to cut the ribbon to inaugurate the computer room at this location. The event was well attended by stakeholders of WAND, community members and special guests including members of the Diplomatic Corp.