Bahamas News
Minister Wilchcombe outlines government’s plans to address poverty
#TheBahamas, October 1, 2021 – Minister of Social Services and Urban Development, the Hon. Obadiah H. Wilchcombe, said the Davis Administration will move swiftly to reduce the hurt and suffering in-country by declaring war on poverty. The Department of Social Services and the Urban Renewal Commission will play key roles in that effort.
“Our job is to reduce the suffering and the hurt in our country by declaring war on poverty,” Minister Wilchcombe said Wednesday. “We are serious about that. I don’t like to see people hurting; that bothers me tremendously and so actions speak louder than words.
“The bottom line here is that we have to change some things and we have to do it quickly. We don’t have three months to play with this. We have to start changing things within one month.”
Minister Wilchcombe’s comments came following a tour of the Department of Social Services’ Main Offices located on Baillou Hill Road. The Social Services Minister was accompanied by Minister of State for Social Services and Urban Development, the Hon. Lisa Rahming. The pair began the morning with a visit to the Urban Renewal Commission, Centreville, that was followed by a tour of the Fox Hill Community Support Services Centre, Department of Social Services, and then the DOSS Head Offices.
Minister Wilchcombe said that in addition to the war on poverty, the Administration’s thrust – through the Ministry and its various Departments — will also focus on addressing areas such as homelessness, housing, food security, and improving the urban environment by making the Urban Renewal Programme “more expansive.”
“If you take a look globally at what Urban Renewal has done; If you take a look at New York, it transformed Harlem; Atlanta, Atlanta City; Houston, downtown Houston, Shanghai, all urban renewal — that’s what urban renewal is supposed to do and when you look at what is wrong with the inner city, what is wrong with our urban areas, then we have some work to do.”
Minister Wilchcombe said that work includes establishing more green spaces, removing buildings that ought to have been removed, and getting rid of all derelict vehicles. “We are going to make the areas much cleaner, make the environment better.”
The Social Services Minister said the plan also calls for the introduction of additional programmes targeting more young people.
“Yes, we have the bands, but I want to see young children going to dance lessons after school, I want to see them going to sporting events, I want to see young children participating in arts and culture, I want to see them being more occupied. Let’s keep their minds occupied so that they can move away from negativity. My colleague (State Minister Rahming) is going to head that particular aspect of the ministry.”
Minister Wilchcombe said the visit to the Fox Hill Community Support Centre allowed officials to get a “first-hand view” of the process at the community support centres. He said he came away “deeply concerned.”
“One of the things I am deeply concerned about is to see the Bahamian people, mainly the elderly, sitting on the outside waiting for services. That is not appropriate. That is unacceptable as far as I am concerned, and I wanted to know why because we introduced the credit card system and that system had much success. We want to know why it is taking so long now for the needy to get the credit card on the one hand, and on the other hand, why it has been stopped in some areas.
“I wanted to see the lines, it is disheartening, and it brings tears to your eyes just to see some of these people who are simply, for the most part, looking for a meal. People believe that we are the ones who are supposed to be providing a service. They are not here looking for a favour. There is a commitment by the state. We have to take better care of our people and that’s what I wanted to see for myself.”
Minister Wilchcombe said he has mandated social services officials to begin compiling statistics on the level of homelessness and poverty in-country as a part of the process towards addressing both matters.
“We don’t have any stats and that’s disturbing. We can’t tell you the level of poverty in the country and there is something wrong with that picture and so I have asked for us to begin to find out the stats, to determine exactly the reality because how do you make programmes if you have no information? Information is power, information gives you what is required to make the decisions that must be made. We don’t have that information, but in spite of that, you have the evidence that we do have problems. And because of that we must move with haste,” Minister Wilchcombe added.
Release: BIS
By Matt Maura
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC), local producers and distributors of Coca-Cola and Dasani products concluded their 10 weeklong Twist To Win campaign with four $5,000 Mall at Marathon shopping sprees.
The campaign which was available throughout the entire Bahamas allowed consumers to enter by purchasing a 20oz bottle with a yellow cap
from the following brands: Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola No Sugar, Sprite, Fanta Orange, or Fanta Grape. Each yellow-cap had a unique alpha numeric code underneath which they submitted to the Twist To Win WhatsApp number.
With each qualifying purchase, participants residing in The Bahamas were entered to win instant prizes and into a grand prize draw to win one of four $5,000 shopping sprees at the Mall at Marathon.
Participants also enjoyed exciting instant prizes such as: Airpods, JBL Speakers, premium Coca-Cola merchandise, $500 Visa gift cards and Amazon, Spotify and Apple Music digital gift cards.
Out of 76,000 plus submissions, Brian Bethel, Ashia Demeritte, Merlin Adams, and Taraceta Neely won the coveted Mall at Marathon shopping sprees at the following select stores, Kelly’s House & Home, The Sports Center, John Bull, Brass & Leather, and BTC.
Leading up to the grand finale shopping spree, Coca-Cola hosted a Trivia Showdown with the eight finalists to determine the four winners. Finalists were tested on their knowledge of World History, Pop Culture, Caribbean Bottling Company and Coca-Cola Facts!
After a few rousing rounds of trivia, the four winners were declared after each winning their spot in the shopping spree by answering their questions correctly and choosing the “Grand Prize” Coca-Cola labeled bottles at random.
The morning of the shopping spree Coca-Cola gave the winners exclusive access to the Mall at Marathon and its participating stores before
their usual operating hours. Grand prize winners were greeted with wide smiles from Coca-Cola brand representatives and morning bites before the big event.
At the start of the thirty-minute clock the grand prize winners along with each of their Coca-Cola shopping assistants ran to the various stores collecting items in their arms and carts.
Merlin Adams, a husband and father of four was proud to have executed his game-plan at the end of the shopping spree. With toys, a new phone and materials for his home from Kelly’s, Adams felt accomplished in what he gathered.
Taraceta Neely, a winner from Eleuthera collected beautiful bags for herself and relatives from Brass and Leather and Brian Bethel bought matching athletic and outdoor wear from The Sports Center for his family.
The final winner Ashia Demeritte bought linens and household items in addition to a new phone from BTC right in time for Christmas.
Caribbean Bottling Company is proud to share the real magic of Coca-Cola with the grand prize winners and the may instant prize winners across the Twist To Win campaign. For more updates on new products, promotions, and events follow www.cbcbahamas.com.
Bahamas News
The Coca-Cola Art Project Astonishes Art Lovers at The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC), local producers and distributors of Coca-Cola and Dasani products displayed
their astonishing Coca-Cola Art Project (CCAP), during Baha Mar’s five-day Culinary & Arts Festival. Earlier this year, Coca-Cola partnered with The University of The Bahamas’ Visual Art and Design Department for a culturally rich art competition. UB’s art students were challenged to create pieces surrounding the theme, Bahamian music.
As a result, 20 student works of art were made, with four students declared as winners at the CCAP exhibit opening in Baha Mar’s ECCHO: Art Gallery in August. To recreate the culturally stimulating magic felt at the exhibit’s premiere, the CCAP was featured at the FUZE Art Tent during The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival.
Nine incredible pieces of art lined the walls of the Coca-Cola Art Project, four of which included the winning pieces from Jhanaisia Cole,
with ‘Gaulin Bride’; Alyssa Pinder, with ‘Shotgun Wedding’; Nelson Gray, with ‘Untitled’; and Jaela Bowe, with the piece ‘Whims of Obeah, a Folktail’. Additionally, an intimate listening room was built. It displayed students’ artistic processes, UB Visual Art and Design representatives, and a recap of the exhibit opening for audiences.
Art enthusiasts also enjoyed premium limited-edition CCAP keepsakes at the booth. Journals which featured a collage of all 20 student submissions on the front and back cover, postcards with an art piece on the cover along with the student’s name, title, dimension and materials on the back and pens designed with the CCAP’s dynamic logo.
Throughout the art festival diverse groups of people visited the art tent taking in the displays while enjoying the artistic insights from the
listening booth.
Community and culture are always at the forefront of Caribbean Bottling Community, and it was boldly showcased during The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival for the third consecutive year.
For more details on the Coca-Cola Art Project, events and new products visit www.cbcbahamas.com today!
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Wines & Spirits (CWS), The Bahamas’ premier wines and spirits distributor delighted Jollification
attendees with bubbles from their Bottega and Bouvet Ladubay sparkling wines and Besserat de Bellefon champagne lines.
Located in the Monument Circle on The Retreat grounds, CWS transformed The Retreat Garden into a lush lounge with Besserat, Bouvet and their latest product addition, Bottega, during the two-day affair.
The festivities kicked off Friday during BNT Member’s Night. Guests enjoyed exclusive offerings from CWS’s catalogue, offered exclusively to members. Complimentary mixes or glasses on the rocks included El Tequileno tequila, Hard Truth whiskey, House of Angostura rum, Cross Keys gin, Nemiroff vodka and a slew of wines such as Fonesca Bin, Bottega and Besserat.
Guests also savored the ‘Jolly Paloma’ cocktail, an instant favorite made with El Tequileno tequila, Schweppes Grapefruit and Domaine de Paris rose wine. To end the night, guests were treated to branded limited-edition wine tumblers as keepsakes.
On Saturday and Sunday, Jollification attendees delighted in glasses or bottles of champagne and sparkling brut or rosé wines while taking
in the comfort of the chic lounge. In addition to purchasing bottles for onsite consumption, consumers were also able to purchase bottles as gifts whether for themselves or someone special.
The sophisticated “bubble lounge” lounge was decked with velvet couches, gold rimmed cocktail tables, blue and pink pillows, and a white floral branded backdrop created for capturing the perfect picture.
Caribbean Wines & Spirits, a historic partner of the Bahamas National Trust was pleased to support Jollification 2025 to kick off the festive season and share their expansive range of spirits.
To keep up to date with all CWS products and events, visit their website at www.cwsbahamas.com today.
