In this week’s A Matter of Interest, we explore the Village Builders Programme — an initiative designed to strengthen communities across Barbados. 

Minister of Tertiary Education and Training, Sandra Husbands, and Principal of Erdiston Teachers’ Training College, Dr. Colin Cumberbatch, explain how the programme empowers individuals to make a lasting impact.

IT TAKES A VILLAGE | EPISODE 2

• Gaza: Hostages released, aid is beginning to flow, say aid agencies
• South Sudan’s escalating political crisis is driving violence, Human Rights Council investigators warn
• WHO: Maldives is first country to stop mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B

Audio credit: Daniel Johnson, UN News

UN News Today 13 October 2025 - Gaza, South Sudan, health

We’re among the lucky ones, says Gaza City family displaced five times
UN aid worker Tess Ingram said on Tuesday that Gazan families "need absolutely everything" as a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel continued to hold. Here she is now talking to UN News:

"I met a family today, Mustafa and Sweda and their children, and they told me that they were among the lucky ones because while Mustafa was pulling rubble out from the building, that is their home, at least he said, we have a home, there's something here that remains that we can live in. 

"Syeda said she's happy that they're back in their building after being displaced five times. and they were relieved yesterday when there was a water truck, but they live in fear that truck might not turn up today or tomorrow. She also can't get the medicine she needs and her sons had to walk a really long way today just to buy the basics that she needed to make some bread. 

"This is emblematic of the situation for so many families returning to complete destruction in Gaza City and other parts of the Gaza Strip. And it's why the humanitarian response is so important. 

"Families need absolutely everything right now. We need the hundreds of trucks a day that were promised to get into the Gaza Strip and to reach the families who so desperately need it.”

Gaza City update: UNICEF's Tess Ingram

• Gaza: Crucial water treatment centre reopens: UNICEF
• Haiti: record 5.7 million people in acute hunger: WFP
• Rohingya at risk from humanitarian funding crisis, warns UNICEF

Audio credit: Daniel Johnson, UN News

UN News Today 14 October 2025 - Gaza, Haiti, Rohingya crisis

Ramallah, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory of the West Bank, is a bustling urban centre, but it is ringed by barriers and checkpoints which dominate every aspect of life. 

Speaking at the UN Forum of Mayors in Geneva, Issa Kassis, the mayor of Ramallah, explains to UN News how the occupation 'restricts your thoughts, plans, aspirations and vision'. 

CLIP: Occupation restricts 'thoughts, plans, aspirations, vision' - Mayor of Ramallah in the OPT

Women are central to achieving food security in Tanzania as they make up 70 per cent of the East African nation’s agricultural workforce; that’s according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Representative in the country, Nyabenyi Tipo.

FAO is celebrating its 80th anniversary on World Food Day on 16 October, the theme for which is collaborating for a peaceful, sustainable, prosperous, and food-secure future.

Sabrina Said asked Ms. Tipo about the significance of this milestone and how FAO Tanzania is celebrating the occasion.

Audio Credit: Sabrina Said, UN News

Empowering women, boosting Tanzania’s agriculture

• Record rise in carbon dioxide levels during 2024: UN weather agency
• Gaza: UN relief chief calls for Israel and Hamas to abide by agreements
• Nearly 14 million people could face severe hunger by the end of the year: WFP

Audio credit: Ana Carmo, UN News

UN News Today 15 October 2025 - carbon dioxide levels, Gaza update, global hunger

Speaking at a press conference in Geneva, WMO senior scientific officer, Oksana Trasova, told journalists that more climate action is needed from policymakers. 

Audio credit: UN News

CLIP - Record rise in carbon dioxide levels, WMO expert calls for more action

This episode features excerpts from the In Focus programme, where Dr. Ramona Archer-Bradshaw, Dr. Paul Murphy, and Janelle Whittle discuss the Government’s new education policy — one designed to be relevant, modern, and focused on youth development.

🎥 Watch the full discussion here: https://youtu.be/G8mnv4IWt5U

INSIDER'S REPORT | INFOCUS | EVERY CHILD BARBADOS

Catch up on information you might have missed during the week.

This week's programme features:

1.	Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act and National Policy
2.	Village Builders Training Programme | Apply today at ettc.edu.bb or call 536-5704 
3.	The Barbados Fire Service Headquarters, Bridgetown Fire Station, and Fire Prevention and Code Enforcement Unit will officially relocate to their new home at Prince Road, Pine, St. Michael, on Wednesday, October 22.

This Week’s In Case You Missed It Opportunities – October 15 - 21:

-	The National Committee on Wellness hosts the Workplace Wellness in Action Forum this Wednesday, October 22, at the Barbados Workers’ Union headquarters, Harmony Hall, St. Michael. Check https://www.instagram.com/workplacewellnessbb/ for details.
-	Teaching vacancies (download)
-	Security tender for Deighton Griffith Secondary School (download)

To download a copy of these opportunities, go to https://gisbarbados.gov.bb/download/in-case-you-missed-it-october-15-21-2025/


IN CASE YOU MISSED IT OCTOBER 15 - 21 (2025)

The Barbados Government Information Service has been established since 1958 as the Barbados Government's public relations and information arm.   This dynamic channel profiles Barbadian people, places and programmes which make up this Caribbean island surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea.  We hope you enjoy and feel free to comment.  We want to hear from you.

INSIDER'S REPORT | INFOCUS | EVERY CHILD BARBADOS

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