CWHE to launch in Saint Lucia

[dropcap]B[/dropcap]lack Women Honours and Empowerment (BWHE), an initiative by the Diversity Advancement Network, has been changing the lives of women and girls around the world, one chapter at a time. Through global and chapter initiatives, the organisation hopes to execute over 100 charitable endeavours annually. “Team system” chapters under the BWHE umbrella are involved in building their community and work with like-minded individuals to promote more women in politics, as entrepreneurs and business, professionals, and much more.

At the core of BWHE’s mandate is the desire to unite and empower women of African descent and to promote policies that are focused on eradicating barriers. The initiative appeals to young professionals, female visionaries, women business owners, entrepreneurs, industry and community leaders, students, and trailblazers in general – any woman with a mission of effecting change in her community.

With the Caribbean arm of the project, Caribbean Women’s Honours and Empowerment (CWHE), set to launch in Saint Lucia this month, Cashama Charlery, Chief Communications Officer/Specialist for the island shared some insight on what could be expected.

“BWHE is an organisation that was built in order to empower black women,” Charlery said. “There are many chapters all over the world including Africa, North America, and the Caribbean, all striving for one common goal, to help break barriers and strains for women in today’s society for a better form of living. We will officially launch a new chapter in Saint Lucia to inspire and empower young black women and motivate them to strive for excellence and never lose hope.”

Charlery went further to say that once the chapters are formed, members are expected to select community service initiatives to focus on. This can include mentorship programmes, gender and equality workshops, wealth creation seminars, child sponsorship, and health and wellness advocacy.

“Determination and perseverance is the leading key to success, and having this organisation in Saint Lucia will not only provide a platform to review and address certain issues affecting women today but also provide opportunities for networking. There is much to be done to uplift and change the lives of women worldwide, and we are here to help.”

Recently launched chapters of the BWHE, particularly in the region of Africa, include Malawi, Namibia, Johannesburg and Cameroon with other chapters working on various ‘EmpowerHer’ events in their cities. Other initiatives of the Diversity Advancement Network include the widely recognized Black Canadian Awards evening which is open to submissions, recognizing women of excellence across the board.

Among the first orders of business for the chapter to be launched in Saint Lucia will be a Meet and Greet session which will be held at the end of July. According to Charlery: “The purpose of the Meet and Greet will be to discuss where we’d like the chapter to go, and what sort of outreach

we’d like to begin initiating. As you would understand, priorities are different in the various territories. We would like to hear ideas from members in order to get everyone’s perspective, and find out what talents and expertise they bring forth to the table.”

CWHE St Lucia is currently accepting applications for new members. Interested persons are asked to email cwhestlucia@gmail.com.