The Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVC) has begun implementing a three-year US $2.3 million grant in Jamaica, Suriname, Belize, Guyana and Trinidad.

This grant is to provide services for vulnerable populations in these countries.

It will be used to facilitate activities that will address stigma and discrimination against persons with HIV, gender-based violence, strengthening community-led advocacy and building institutional capacity among Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the areas of innovative resource mobilization and communication strategies.

The project is funded by the Global Fund, and is being undertaken in collaboration with the Pan Caribbean Partnership on HIV (PANCAP) and the Centro de Orientación e Investigación Integral (COIN). .

Ivan Cruickshank, CVC Executive Director said the project gives CVC the opportunity to provide a better environment for vulnerable groups.

“The new Global Fund grant is a great opportunity for CVC and our partners to continue working with our stakeholders to build on the foundation established under previous grants to create a more enabling environment for key population groups,” he said.

Cruickshank said governments in the region need to do more to address the sustainability of CSOs. He said these organisations are now in jeopardy because of the decline in funding.

He made note of the work that the CVC is doing through its social enterprise incubator and accelerator programme in the Dominican Republic.

Generate income

The programme provides training, mini-grants, advisory services and mentoring support to enable CSOs to launch and operate income generating social enterprises.

This programme will be boosted under the new project and will also focus on CSOs undertaking social contracting successfully.

“By doing this we’re ensuring that our partners are better equipped with the necessary skills to lobby policy makers for increased domestic funding while developing innovative finance options for CSOs that would benefit the HIV response,” said Cruickshank.