The Canadian High Commission recently launched a Cdn$2.4M Canada Caribbean Disaster Risk Management Fund through CIDA to undertake small-scale projects aimed at boosting preparedness.
According to a press release the main objective of the Fund is to support small local projects that deliver tangible and practical natural disaster risk reduction benefits to vulnerable communities in 12 participating Caricom countries. These are Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname.
The Fund is a component of CIDA’s larger regional Caribbean Disaster Risk Management Programme. It aims at supporting national and regional organisations, community groups and government agencies undertaking small-scale projects at the community level to enhance disaster risk management and reduce risks. The Fund was launched on November 15 and is expected to be in operation until 2015 or such time as the funds are expended.
The first request for project proposals was opened to eligible NGOs, CSOs, voluntary organisations and government agencies since November 15 and closes January 15. Projects that qualify will be assessed on a competitive basis by a project Steering Committee. Each approved project will be provided with between Cdn$25,000 and Cdn$50,000 and projects are expected to be results based and community centred. The Fund is administered in Barbados.
The Commission said details on the Fund and project application documents including the Guide for Project Submissions can be found on the CDERA website located at www.cdera.org/projects/ccdrmf/ or secured by contacting Fund Coordinator Leslie John Walling directly at ccdrmf.cancarib@gmail.com.
