Initiatives

Jabez House facilitates the transition of female sex workers from sex work via access to alternative economic empowerment opportunities. Our services include:

  • Vocational Training ( in areas such as Nail Technology, Hairdressing, Eyelash Application, Business Development and more!)
  • Access to sexual and reproductive health care (including HIV/ STI testing, pap smears and general health checks)
  • Individual Counseling and Group Therapy
  • Training in Conversational English for Spanish-speaking non-nationals
  • Provision of food, toiletries and clothing
  • Housing Assistance

Here are some initiatives that have played a part in our mission:

From Farm to market – 2019

Sandals Foundation

We are always extremely grateful when organizations see and believe in the work that Jabez House is doing to make a difference in the lives of precious women and their families.

In 2018, Sandals Foundation partnered with us through 2 rounds of our vocational training “Go Getter Initiative” and the results were amazing!!

In efforts to become more self sustainable, Jabez House began a small, poultry enterprise (an idea of one of our clients). The funds were tight and very limited but we got started on our own to make the idea a reality.

Now, we are super pumped that Sandals Foundation yet again has seen our efforts, believed in our cause and have offered support to help us grow and to create micro-enterprises for 10 of our clients, while building organizational capacity to be more self reliant.

Butterfly Boulevard – 2018

Jabez House is happy to announce that after months (and years) of planning, the BUTTERFLY BOULEVARD Housing Project is up and running!! This housing assistance is a necessary addition to the current list of services offered to the clients we serve. The families now residing are grateful to have a safe space.

“Go Getter” sponsored by The Sandals Foundation – 2018

Sandals Foundation

The Go Getter initiative funded six courses in vocational training and economic empowerment opportunities to the women in hair dressing, makeup artistry, cakes and pastry making, information technology for business and business etiquette over a 15 week period. Twelve weeks will be spent in training with the remaining three weeks to be used to provide mentorship to the women. The project will also include psycho-social support for the group.

Local Capacity Initiative with CARICOM – 2017

The objective of the Local Capacity Initiative, sponsored by CARICOM, is to create partnerships with private sector businesses and advocate for the employment of female sex workers in a nondiscriminatory environment.

The project components include engagement of the private sector to establish partnerships for employing skilled female sex workers; provision of psychosocial support and vocational training; and surveys among employers and female sex workers.

“Profesionales del Sexo – Vía a la Productividad” – 2017

National HIV/AIDS Commission

The “Profesionales del Sexo – Vía a la Productividad” project is funded by the National HIV/AIDS Commission. The objective is to build the capacity of Jabez House to reach Spanish-speaking female sex workers in Barbados in order to facilitate greater access and uptake of services offered to this group.

The project includes Spanish lessons for Jabez House personnel as well as English classes for the Spanishspeaking female sex workers. Additional components are vocational training, business development mentorship and psycho-social support for the ladies. Research will also be carried out to better understand the profile of the Spanish-speaking clients and the factors that drove them into sex work in Barbados.