Flow BVI offered free internet service to some of the eligible beneficiaries of the WIN BVI Smart Start Programme. Photo: Facebook

Mrs Alicia Green (middle), President of WIN BVI and other members. Photo: Facebook

Sixty-five families benefited from assistance from a WIN BVI's Smart Start program ahead of the 2025/2026 school year. Photo: WIN BVI

This year, sixty-five families were recipients of textbook vouchers, internet service or laptops under Smart Start. 

The President of WIN BVI, Alicia Green, said, “This is our second year doing this. It’s really a community empowerment initiative to help families in need to bridge the gap for education, where they don’t have the digital devices that they require for school, or they don’t have the resources to assist the children with their education.”

Smart Start this year was made possible with the partnership of DLT Solutions, Maples Group, O'Neal Webster and VI Logistics and Custom Brokers, Island Bargains and FLOW. 

A two-fold programme

Mrs Green said Smart Start is a two-fold programme. 

“We not only want you parents to help your children, but we also hope that you would utilise the resources, the equipment that you’re getting to do research, to upskill yourself for that next job or that next position on that next job. So these are resources that’s going to bless the entire family, the entire home, and we really hope that you utilise them to do just that,” she explained. 

Mrs Green added that the internet service is a unique offering from their partner, FLOW. 

Very detailed selection process

She also explained that the selection process for Smart Start is very detailed, as WIN BVI wants to ensure that families in need are the recipients of the assistance distributed. 

“So the application collects quite a few pieces of information that would include the employment or unemployment, the financial status of the household and the dynamic of the household, meaning how many people live in the household.”

This information is then used to benchmark applicants against the requests made for either the textbook vouchers, internet service or devices. 

“Not everyone would qualify for everything; some would, others won’t, based on the analysis of the application benchmarking against the need…it’s a very stringent analysis that we go through to make sure that the persons that are getting the help, these are the people who really need the assistance.”

Distributions were made at the District Four office in Road Town, Tortola.