The Maria Holder Memorial Trust registered Charity No. 766 under the Charities Act of Barbados, is a Charity creating longevity and was founded by Christopher Holder and Chesterfield Brewster in memory of Christopher’s Mother, Maria Holder. Maria had made Barbados her home from 1978 until her sudden and untimely death in February 2004. It is the wish of Christopher and Chesterfield to ensure that her vision is fulfilled through this Charity bearing her name.
The Trust works with Government and registered NGO’s and Charities in Barbados and other Caribbean Countries (Antigua & Barbuda, BVI, Dominica, Grenada, and St Vincent & Grenadines) to implement projects that have a direct impact on the lives of vulnerable people. The Trust works in the areas of Education; Health; Poverty Alleviation; Culture and; Disaster Relief and its target groups are children; youth; the elderly and; those in vulnerable or difficult circumstances. The Trust is always happy to consider innovative projects or new approaches to helping those most in need.
As part of an important strategic area of The Maria Holder Memorial Trust’s work, these communities will have access to quality Early Childhood Education facilities. It will be done through a project to refurbish and rebuild six Primary Schools that suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Maria in 2017, to bring the schools back to an acceptable standard for teaching and learning and to provide extra space for Preschool children. The project is being done in two phases. The first phase is now complete and targeted four schools: the Belles; Concord; Warner and; Trafalgar Primary Schools for refurbishment, along with a new Pre-Kindergarten Unit at Trafalgar.
Refurbishment includes new windows and doors; repairs to kitchens and roofs; painting; fencing and the upgrading of bathrooms. The second phase will include the building of new Pre-Kindergarten Units at Belles, Concord, Warner, and Roseau. “The strategic goal of this project is to assist with providing quality access to early childhood education in Dominica. The project was already being planned before Hurricane Maria but had to be substantially changed and the funding increased to include refurbishment after the storm.
“The project is expected to create access to approximately sixty (60) early childhood education places for children aged 3 to 5 in Dominica to meet the Government’s commitment to providing universal access to early childhood education.” Consultant/ Adviser to The Maria Holder Memorial Trust, Ms. Jane Armstrong indicated. The Maria Holder Memorial Trust continues to make its mark across the Caribbean intangible and transforming ways. This project will contribute significantly to the cognitive, social and economic benefits in these communities as it creates greater access to Early Childhood Education in the Commonwealth of Dominica.
