Two charities that provide social services on the island received a financial boost from the International Women’s Club.

The IWC donated $10,000 to Vision Bermuda to support its critical needs programme at a grant awards event at the Verdmont museum last week.

Itexplained that the charity’s scheme provided “assessments, occupational programmes and supportive services to individuals with low or no vision who do not have adequate insurance to cover crucial vision services”.

Theresa Hall, the executive director of Vision Bermuda, said: “This contribution directly enhances our ability to provide essential services by offering medical interventions, procedures, surgeries, medications and specialised assistive equipment to those in dire need.”

She added: “Thanks to donors like the IWC, we can continue to make significant strides towards improving the quality of life for our clients, ensuring they receive the vital care necessary to navigate their challenges more effectively.”

The IWC also donated $5,000 to It Takes a Village to help fund a community birthing programme.

The IWC said the programme “offers antenatal birth-preparation classes to those expectant mothers who cannot afford such classes on their own”.

Fiona Dill, the executive director and founder of It Takes a Village, said: “The vision for [our] charity puts pregnant women at the centre of everything that we do, and this grant will enable us to continue to provide equal access to evidence-based childbirth education to every woman in Bermuda, regardless of their ability to pay.”

She added: “We know that these classes, which are run in collaboration with the Women’s Resource Centre, positively impact every aspect of the experience of birth and breastfeeding, and thus the long-term mental and physical wellbeing for mothers, their babies, their partners and ultimately our community.”

The IWC hosts a grants programme annually for charitable organisations on the island.

The organisation, which was founded in 1982, accepts proposals every January.