Multimillion-dollar EU programme to boost civil society organisations
THE NATION’S social infrastructure will receive a substantial boost through the launch of the European-Union funded Civil Society Boost Initiative (CSBI), a multi-faceted programme aimed at helping civil society groups to build capacity as they carry out their varied roles in community development and social justice.
The €500,000 programme (J$68 million), which was launched at the Jamaica Conference Centre on Wednesday, will be implemented by RISE Life Management Services, a Jamaican civil society organisation (CSO) with a 27-year track record of successful interventions while attending to the needs of vulnerable atrisk youth and other challenging issues being experienced by the population.
Under the programme, civil society groups working in specific areas (violence against women, violence against children, at-risk youth, persons with disabilities, LGBT, community development, violence prevention, etc) are invited to apply for an intensive capacity-building training programme, which will last over a nine-month period and give them the opportunity to compete for a pool of J$10 million, which has been allocated for subgranting to the selected CSOs.
TRANSFORMATION
The Civil Society Boost Initiative, which RISE Life Executive Director Sonita Morin Abrahams said is intended to “transform the civil society landscape in Jamaica” in meeting the goals as laid out in the National Development Plan’s Vision 2030, would assist civil society in playing a more strategic role in fostering a secure, cohesive, and just society.
Abrahams also said the initiative includes the development of an CSO Capacity Handbook, the establishment of a network of CSOs, as well as advocacy training and development of social enterprise models to benefit marginalised women and youth.