Several Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), community groups and individuals on Tuesday participated in an information session on the Direct Aid Programme (DAP), facilitated by the Australian High Commission stationed in Trinidad.
The session was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Foreign Service Institute and designed to provide interested persons with the requisite information for accessing grant funds through the DAP which is financed by the Australian Government aid budget, aimed at small-scale development projects with tangible outcomes, according to a press release from GINA.
Sustainable developmental community projects managed by NGOs, community groups, non-profit organisations and individuals can access funding of up to AUD$5,000 to AUD$30,000 per approved project, with an upper limit of up to AUD$60,000 which meet certain criteria. Projects spanning two financial years in partnership with reputable entities, conducted in multiple countries, and with strong project designs with risk management strategies are eligible to qualify for funding.
DAP Officer Lucrecia Birch explained to GINA, “even though we would like the projects to generate some sort of economic activity… it’s basically to alleviate poverty and so on”. The DAP finances projects in areas such as the environment, agriculture, food security, community health, schools and education, human rights, disability inclusiveness, youth intervention and disaster relief. Interested persons can submit their applications to the Commission’s website, www.trinidadandtobago. embassy.gov.au.
Guyana, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Suriname are the Caribbean countries eligible for DAP funding.
