MARCIA

MARCIA BRANDON’S

STORY BY Cheryl Harewood | PHOTOGRAPHY BY Reco Moore

From the age of nine, Dr Marcia Brandon was involved in volunteerism – giving of her time and talent to whatever cause she could. Today, as a wife and mother of two adult children, her volunteerism continues. She still believes in giving support in whichever way she can, while wearing two important hats in her bid to help others grow, develop, and become social entrepreneurs.

She is co-founder and director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Caribbean Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Livelihoods (COESL) and Secretary General at the Barbados Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (BANGO).

That she lives a busy lifestyle is tantamount to an understatement. Among other duties, she is the Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Ambassadress; a board member of the Global 100 and Country Lead for Barbados on the Youth Empowerment Leadership and Enterprise Wing, as well as a board member of the Caribbean Climate Innovation Centre.

Come September, Marcia will visit Spain where she will receive the Billie Rogers First Achievement Award which is awarded by the Women of Concern Professionals & Strategic Conscious Networking (WOCPSCN), a US non-profit organisation that focuses on gender equality and equity. The award is given to women who are the first in their respective community to enter a new profession or business.

Undoubtedly, Marcia’s efforts and involvement in creating, helping and working with “up and coming” entrepreneurs as well as established entrepreneurs, have impacted lives locally, regionally and internationally.

Marcia’s dream

Born in Kingston, Jamaica and later growing up in the parish of Manchester, Marcia’s dream was to become a teacher or a radio announcer. Upon leaving secondary school, she attended the College of Arts, Science and Technology, after which she continued in the volunteerism vein for some time.

“I’ve always been involved in volunteerism from a young child. This became a critical part of my socialisation. In Jamaica, I helped in counselling women at the crisis centre and I got involved in youth development. There were different types of community engagements and specific areas of interest in which I got involved.”

When she moved to Barbados as a young adult and enrolled at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, where she completed her first degree in public sector management with an emphasis on entrepreneurship, Marcia volunteered to work with the HIV/Aids Commission and with the Samaritans as a counsellor. She would go on some years later to lend her expertise to the Barbados Youth Business Trust, which she led for 15 years, up until 2012. During her time there, she assisted hundreds of young people with starting and growing their own businesses, helped a number of Youth Business Trusts to start and grow in the region and gained her masters and doctorate degrees in leadership.

“It was actually a great opportunity to nurture young people in owning their businesses and seeing them create sustainable opportunities for themselves in business. I do not think today we are as focused when it comes to helping generations of young people create jobs for themselves. Much still needs to be done. In some stages, however, there have been some lead ways, but I still believe we need a more strategic approach. We must bridge the gap between the theory and the practical – giving our young people relevant knowledge and showing them how to take that knowledge to make their own sustainable livelihoods.”

It was after leaving the Barbados Youth Business Trust that Marcia, together with two female social entrepreneurs, co-founded the Caribbean Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Livelihoods, in 2012.

Non-traditional skills “Our purpose was to help more women and youth of all ages to acquire non-traditional skills and develop an entrepreneurial mindset, ultimately becoming productive citizens of their country and the region.”

The Caribbean Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Livelihoods works closely with local, regional and international partners.

“We operate inside and outside of the Caribbean. We have [start-up] incubator and accelerated programmes and we seek funding to deliver these programmes free of cost to the entrepreneurs.

“Since going virtual in 2016, we can now reach more people online. Our data base shows that to date we have reached over 7 000 young people, women and entrepreneurs. We work with excellent partners because we realised long ago that we can do nothing on our own. We have also realised the importance of partnering with the right persons. In fact, we have a policy that dictates with whom we partner. We also always lay out our expectations upfront.

“We partner with many global entities, such as Global Entrepreneurs Network and the Cherie Blair Foundation in the United Kingdom. Each year, we recommend women entrepreneurs in the region and beyond, whom we assess as ready to have a mentor. They then embark on a one-year free mentorship programme.”

As secretary general of the Barbados Association of NGOs, which was pioneered by the late Roosevelt King, Marcia advocates on behalf of civil society organisations and helps to collaborate with governmental and other organisations.

“Barbados is one of the few countries in the region with an umbrella body for the civil society sector which supports civil society organisations in the work they do.

‘We work to ensure these organisations have a voice, whether at policy level or just by exposing them to different types of opportunities and resources that can help them build their own capacity and carry out the work they do.

Transfer of knowledge

“The Barbados Association of NGO’s represents all civil society organisations. Currently, there are over 100 NGOs that regularly work and interact with us. I would say that we are in a good place to continue to improve and to offer the type of generational transfer of knowledge and skills we need to. At this stage, focus is on preparing this next generation to take over from us and to lead the way forward.”

Much have been achieved through Marcia’s work and that of the association and she is confident there is a legacy she will leave behind.

“At the end of the day, I would like to see a mindset transformation where we can truly understand how extremely powerful we are. We must understand as a society and region the need to look out for each other, build together, and treat each other with respect.

“My purpose for doing what I do is to help our people find that power within. I also want them to understand that failure is a big part of success, and vice versa.

“Often, our true fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are more powerful than we can imagine.”

Marcia knows her work is needed and necessary. According to her, “I do the work I do because I believe in the power of innovation and entrepreneurship to create meaningful change. Seeing individuals – especially – women and youth – turn their ideas into impactful businesses fuels my passion. By equipping them with the tools of design thinking, collaboration, and strategic support, I help unlock potential, drive sustainable growth, and build ecosystems where creativity and business thrive together.”

Beyond her work, Marcia is motivated by the ripple effect that when one entrepreneur succeeds, they aspire and uplift others, creating jobs, solving real-world problems, and strengthening communities. Being part of that journey of fostering innovation and enabling people to bring their visions to life is another motivator which drives her.

Marcia’s work is a true representation of her call to action.

Dr Marcia Brandon believes in giving support in whichever way she can, while wearing two important hats in her bid to help others grow, develop, and become social entrepreneurs.