The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

ALIV presented an initiative yesterday to bring greater assistance to the disabled community called ALIV Connect.

The company said it believes that all people deserve connectivity. Therefore, ALIV Connect is dedicated to ensuring that all communities have access to the technology needed to excel.

ALIV’s chief executive officer John Gomez expressed his excitement on behalf of the company and the idea behind ALIV Connect.

He said: “There are two pillars that are a part of our core strategy. One is community and the other is technology and there’s several others. We’re only five years young, everyone, and one of the things that we have been doing since our birth in this business, we’ve been engaged in the community in every facet and one of the things that popped to the surface for us is that we noticed there was a part of the community that was not being fully represented and that’s the disability community.

“We wanted to do our part to make sure that they have whatever we can do as a company whether it’s using our technology, using our platforms to make sure that they have a normalcy in terms of being able to function in society as best as we possibly can to make that experience a really rewarding and encouraging one for them. So, hence this is where Aliv Connect was born.”

Also present was Minister of Education, Technical and Vocational Training Glenys Hanna Martin who noted the importance of the initiative.

“It is this kind of activity where there is substantial alignment between corporate enterprise and national policy commitments, which has the potential to yield substantial and highly positive and progressive outcomes. In this instance, the alignment being launched today not only brings a focus to equitable and inclusive education, but creates in a most material way the technological access to fulfil this objective,” she said

Social Services and Urban Development Minister Obie Wilchcombe thanked Mr Gomez, noting he was “redefining corporate citizenship”.

“Usually corporate citizenship has a lot to do with what individuals seek for themselves,” Mr Wilchcombe said. “Very often we find companies that put themselves in the forefront.

“That is for a very good photograph, but what you’re doing is you’re putting others in the front. You’re allowing individuals who have challenges to now have opportunities and you are answering the call that was made to The Bahamas and many countries around the world more than a decade ago for equal opportunity.”