The Landship came into formal existence by persons of mainly African ancestry soon after they were emancipated from slavery.

Over the last 160 years, thousands of working-class Barbadians utilised the ‘ships’ as friendly societies where members bonded for common social and financial purposes. For many, the organization provided a haven to lessen the misfortune of poverty by utilising an informal rotating savings club called the ‘sou-sou.’ This system of cooperation is based on the pooling of small contributions from members to develop ‘meeting turns’ and savings to help in times of need.

The Landship were the first and largest group which:

• Provided aid to its members when there was no pension;

• Distributed necessities to the poor when there was no welfare;

• Helped to bury their dead and extended assistance for emergencies when there was no easy access to insurance.

The Landship, through resilience and perseverance, enabled many disenfranchised Barbadians to face challenges of proverty head-on, and navigate through periods of adversity, to ultimately achieve their goals.