Past Projects: Guyana
Building Community Capacity Project II
Where:
Guyana, South America
Who:
CHF and Guyanese NGOs
Funded by:
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
Purpose:
To continue to strengthen Guyanese NGOs and to foster collaboration between NGOs, government departments and private sector agencies to reduce poverty in Guyana.
Situation:
Guyana is one of the poorest countries in South America. Poverty is most prevalent in the remote areas of the country and in Amerindian communities.
From the post-independence era until the early 1990’s, there were few established civil society organizations in the country. The country’s civil society organizations, many in their infancy, are now focusing on building and enhancing their capacity to better serve the poor communities.
Results:
CHF’s Building Community Capacity Project II (BCCP II) addresses poverty issues in the areas of social services, education, agriculture and health. The project is assisting 21 rural and hinterland community groups to strengthen their capacity to deliver poverty reduction programs.
Among other things, CHF Guyana provides support in the form of technical assistance, customized training, equipment, networking and financial support for recurring expenses. To date, the project has directly benefited 15,970 women and 30,698 men. But this isn't all.
By demonstrating NGOs’ positive impact on poverty reduction in Guyana, the Government of Guyana and donors have been encouraged to invest in these organizations.
When BCCP II commenced in 2003, it was estimated that approximately US$ 1 million was allocated to Guyana's civil society for development-related work. In part, as a result of CHF's work, it is estimated that by September 2007 US$10 million was available to Guyana's civil society organizations.
Case Study: Airy Hall Development Group
At the start of BCCP II, the Airy Hall Development Group (AHDG) was a group of about 18 women in a small village trying to earn a little income for themselves through traditional skills like sewing and knitting. Over the past three years, with capacity building support under BCCP II, AHDG has expanded their programs to target women along a 35 mile stretch of coastline to include malaria prevention, small ruminant herding, poultry rearing and disaster recovery. They have improved the lives of over 1,d650 individuals through these expanded programs and are now taking steps to join the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Building Community Capacity Project (BCCP) Phase I (1997-2003)
Where:
Guyana, South America
Who:
CHF and 20 Guyanese Organizations
Funded by:
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
Purpose:
To help already established voluntary organizations in Guyana deliver their services more effectively.
Results:
The continued support of CHF has helped these 20 organizations increase their fundraising and capacity to expand their programs. Now these organizations can help better the poorest of the poor through:
- malaria prevention programs
- HIV awareness programs
- training programs so women can become entrepreneurs or start small businesses
- programs for the blind and disabled
- youth training programs and helping youth who have dropped out of school to complete their secondary education
The BCCP Phase I project has achieved exceptional results and is widely recognized in Guyana as one of the most successful initiatives in civil society development in the country.
The organizations that benefited from BCCP's assistance were able to:
- expand their programs and services by 120%;
- increase the number of people benefiting from those programs by 170%;
- increase their membership by 63%; and
- increase the number of their paid staff by 44%.
In total, the BCCP Phase I has reached almost a third of Guyana's population.
"Its been really great having BCCP. [What is] special is their willingness to work with what you want, other training may be too generic, but BCCP modifies the structure to fit your reality ?that's the big difference.".
Beverly Edwards, Executive Director,
Youth Challenge Guyana
"You can tell the difference [between] those organizations that BCCP has worked with and the others.".
Carol Becker, Mission Director,
USAid Guyana
Disaster Recovery Project
Where:
Guyana, South America
Who:
CHF and Guyanese NGOs
Funded by:
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
Purpose:
To assist with the flood recovery efforts in Guyana and to restore livelihoods to households affected by the floods.
Situation:
In January 2005, Guyana received unprecedented rainfall, resulting in severe flooding in coastal areas and significant loss of assets such as livestock for many households.
Results:
- Some 900 households are receiving poultry birds and poultry feed they lost during the flood, so that they can generate income again.
- The project also provides seeds, fertilizer and tools to restore vegetable gardening.
- Treated mosquito nets are being distributed and an awareness campaign is being launched to reduce the incidence of malaria.