#Kingston, 4 December 2019 – Jamaica – The High Commission of Canada in Jamaica has offered five grants to local organisations to advance gender equality, peace and security in the communities they serve across the island. They are the Boxing Board of Jamaica, National Youth Orchestra of Jamaica, Peace Management Initiative, Institute of Law and Economics, and Advocates for Change.
The
Boxing Board will use the funds to teach boxing skills to boys, girls, young
men and young women through the Gloves over Guns initiative; the National Youth
Orchestra is to use the funds to establish a Music Centre for Girls in Kingston
and St. Andrew; and the Peace Management Initiative will use the funds to build
the capacity of women from St. Catherine to be anti-violence advocates through
the ‘Mothers Against Gun Violence’ initiative.
Also,
the Institute of Law and Economics will use the money to build the gender-responsiveness
of Case Managers to support the socio-economic reintegration of girls and women
leaving correctional institutions across Jamaica; and Advocates for Change will
spend the money to support young fathers through the Developing Able Dads (DADs)
Project.
Funding
has been granted under the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI), which is a
facility through which Canada provides modest sums for small-scale and
high-impact projects across the globe.
Minister
of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, thanked the
High Commission for the donations on behalf of the organisations, at a ceremony
held at the Commission’s offices on West King’s House Road, in Kingston. She said the money will be used by each
organisation for gender-equality activities.
“This
is an important initiative centred around gender, and the fact that the funds
will be used to assist community groups and [their] initiatives is just a very
wonderful thing. It’s done during this period of 16 days of activism against
gender-based violence. It’s really an appropriate time for the grants,” Ms.
Grange told JIS News.
“The
funds will assist young dads [and] young women who have been in penal
institutions… with programmes in sports, such as ‘Gloves over Guns’ [which is
an initiative of the Boxing Board of Jamaica], where young men and women, in
this case, are being assisted with the development of boxing [as opposed to
engaging in gun violence],” she said.
High
Commissioner of Canada, Laurie Peters, said that “the initiative enables Canada
to invest in communities by funding grassroots organisations that address
vulnerabilities, build resilience and sustainability in communities across
Jamaica”.
She
further added that every year, the High Commission provides support to local
organisations through the CFLI to implement projects aligned with empowering
women and girls and promoting gender equality, championing human rights,
inclusive and accountable governance, peace and democracy.
For
this tranche of the programme, the High Commission received more than 50
project proposals. The selected projects will be implemented with the funds by
the end of March 2020.
Contact: Ainsworth Morris
Release: JIS
Photo Caption:
Header: Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, addresses media representatives at the High Commission of Canada, in Kingston, on Tuesday (December 3). Listening at left is High Commissioner of Canada, Her Excellency Laurie Peters. Occasion was the award of grants to five local organisations to advance gender equality.
1st insert: Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange (left), speaks with High Commissioner of Canada, Her Excellency Laurie Peters, at the High Commission in Kingston, on Tuesday (December 3). Occasion was the award of grants to five local organisations to advance gender equality.
2nd insert: Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange (centre); Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith (fifth left) and High Commissioner of Canada, Her Excellency Laurie Peters (sixth left), with representatives of organisations which have been awarded grants by Canada to advance gender equality. The ceremony took place at the High Commission of Canada, in Kingston, on Tuesday (December 3).
Photo:
Rudranath Fraser