Angostura® in partnership with Families in Action executed two programmes aimed at empowering young people to make positive changes in their lives and to help equip parents, especially fathers, with the skills and knowledge to better handle the challenges of parenting in this modern era.

The SHERA Project and the Building Strong Fathers programmes drew participants from a wide cross section of the country such as: Penal, Gasparillo, Santa Cruz, Sangre Grande, Arima, Diego Martin and persons within Angostura’s fenceline community of Laventille/Morvant.

The aim of the SHERA Project was to create sustainable changes that would encourage young girls and women to realize the freedoms and rights as women in society. The 6-month project allowed participants the opportunity to build their inner strength through self-love and self-actualization activities, empowering and equipping them with the skills needed to become leaders within their community and to disseminate information, network and undertake peer education.

The 7-week Building Strong Fathers programme assisted in developing men’s parenting skills to be able to build strong and resilient parents, while modelling healthy behaviours and strategies to be passed on to both their children and other family members and eventually the community. Some topics this programme focused on included – parenting for healthy relationships, dealing with conflict/rejection, anger management, transitioning to fatherhood, self-care, and resilience, recognizing anxiety, and managing stress. Certificates were presented to participants on the completion of both programmes.

Angostura® remains committed to investing in programmes that are sustainable and impactful, and which leave a positive impact on the lives of others and society at large.

Angostura’s Group General Counsel/ Corporate Secretary, Kathryna Baptiste Assee said, “To the young women who participated in the pilot SHERA Project, Angostura® applauds you for taking this critical step towards becoming empowered leaders who can create a positive impact on others in society, a step which inevitably serves to build your self-confidence, inner strength and compassion, and to the participants from the Building Strong Fathers programme, Angostura® commends you for seeking to further develop your parenting skills and knowledge that are needed to address challenges faced by fathers in this modern era.”

At Angostura®, social sustainability – which is part of our Environmental, Social and Governance framework – is a critical part of our business model, as we recognize the significance of the Company’s relationships with people, communities, and society as well as the importance of the triple bottom line.

Project Lead, Parenting Education and Special Projects at Families in Action, Mr. Ken Ramdhan said, “the camaraderie that was experienced in this group is way over what I have seen before, from the first day, tears were shed. Nobody felt bad about it, men stepped up and I would ask you all to continue stepping up, so lead on gentlemen, lead on.”