USAID to launch US$2-m literacy project

Wednesday, April 07, 2010

THE United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is to launch a US$2-million education project in Kingston in an attempt to improve the education and employment prospects of at least 1,000 at-risk youths in the Caribbean, Central America and South America.

The Obra (Spanish for work) project will be launched on April 14 and is a direct response to US president Barrack Obama's call for collaborative approaches to engage youth at the 2009 Summit of the Americas. Jamaica will be the hub of the project for countries such as Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, and St Lucia.

USAID mission director Dr Karen Hilliard said the project will, among other things, promote civic engagement among young people throughout the region and will help to raise awareness of issues affecting at-risk youths.

Addressing members of the Rotary Club of Kingston last Thursday, Hilliard bemoaned the limited opportunities for some youths in the country, even as she outlined some of the activities undertaken by her organisation to assist.

"My interaction with young people from underserved communities around here continues to reveal that young people are bright, they are talented, they are energetic, they are entrepreneurial, they are creative, but many of them face economic and social barriers to taking their rightful place in our society," she said.

In addition to Obra, USAID hopes to roll out its "A Ganar" project in 11 countries, including Jamaica, this summer. The project will use sports as a vehicle to equip youths with positive attitudes needed for the world of work.

The US government, through USAID, has contributed approximately US$30 million towards Jamaica's education system over the past 10 years, and has created a number of programmes to help improve the country's literacy level. Only recently, the agency launched its flagship education programme that is expected to transform the educational landscape of 250 of the lowest performing primary and all-age schools in the island over the next three years.

"While there has been significant progress, let's face it, there is still significant challenges in the sector with regards to literacy," said Dr Hilliard, who pointed to statistics from the Ministry of Education which showed that nearly 20 per cent of the students who sat the Grade Six Achievement Test last year performed below the grade four level, and that nearly 50 per cent of students leaving school had no qualifications.

Meanwhile, in an effort to inspire more young people to strive academically, the Rotary Club of Kingston also gave certificates to nine students from the St Andrew Technical High School. A monetary donation was also given by the school to assist with their annual scholarship programme.

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USAID to launch US$2-m literacy project