Care Advocacy Reaching-out and Empowering- St. Vincent and the Grenadines
As part of the Ambassador’s HIV/AIDS Prevention Program Funds for 2011, the U.S. Embassy Bridgetown awarded Care Advocacy Reaching-out and Empowering-St. Vincent and the Grenadines (CARE-SVG) a human rights grant. CARE-SVG used this grant to produce a televised documentary to encourage people to get tested for HIV/AIDS and highlight the different ways HIV/AIDS affects people in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. CARE-SVG sponsored outreach programs throughout the country to raise HIV/AIDS awareness.
C.W. Prescod Primary School
The U.S. Embassy Bridgetown awarded C.W. Prescod Primary School of Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines a property grant. The school received 53 American children’s books, including City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems and The Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood. These books, all of which were selected from the Notable Children’s Books List, will improve the selection of the school’s library and share parts of American culture with the children.
EducationUSA St. Vincent and the Grenadines
EducationUSA St.Vincent and the Grenadines received a property grant from the U.S. Embassy Bridgetown. The grant included 33 books about the application process for American colleges. The books include titles such as The College Application Essay: Revised Edition and Official SAT Study Guide, 2nd ed. These books are intended to prepare students interested in studying in the United States for the college application process.
Hands Across the Sea
Hands Across the Sea, Inc was awarded a cultural grant by the U.S. Embassy Bridgetown to purchase non-fiction and reference books geared towards young adults with remedial reading skills. The books were distributed to school libraries in rural or outlying areas in Antigua and Barbuda; Grenada; St. Kitts and Nevis; St. Lucia; and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Hands Across the Sea co-founders, Harriet and T.L. Linskey support Caribbean students by sailing around the region delivering books.
“It’s a Fact”
Vividview received a human rights grant from the U.S. Embassy Bridgetown. The grant was used to produce and create 105 copies of a ten minute animated video about drug resistance and education for the series “It’s a Fact.” In the video Sgt. Carl Williams of the Royal Barbados Police Force teaches primary school children, aged five to eleven, about drugs, drug related crimes, and peer pressure. The funds were also used to produce 3,750 copies of a magazine addressing “Drug Abuse and Resistance Education” (DARE) themes.
Marriqua School
The U.S. Embassy Bridgetown awarded a $457.43 property grant to Marriqua School. The school received 40 well-known American children’s books, such as The Great Migration: A Journey to the North by Eloise Greenfield and Little White Rabbit by Kevin Henkes and will be used to improve the school library’s book selection. The Marriqua School is located in Mespo, St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
No Witness, No Justice
As part of the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) the U.S. Embassy Bridgetown awarded the Office of the Attorney General a US$55,565.00 grant to support the No Witness, No Justice initiative. The grant funded a training program for teachers and students across the region to teach them how to implement No Witness, No Justice in their schools. Participants also learned to utilize social media to build lasting and effective youth networks. Through No Witness, No Justice Caribbean children learn about citizen involvement, how American youths participate in their communities and how they can participate in their own countries and communities. No Witness, No Justice also serves to build a virtual connection, under the CBSI Youth Network, between Caribbean and American children wherein each can learn about the other’s experiences and communities.
Regional Youth Seminar 2011
The U.S. Embassy Bridgetown awarded the Barbados Youth Development Council (BYDC) a cultural grant. The funds were used to pay the travel expenses of six youth delegates, one each from the six OECS nations, to attend the Regional Youth Seminar 2011 in Barbados. The grant was also used to fund the rental of a U.S. Embassy Bridgetown booth at the Youth Expos, the seminar’s culminating event. The youth delegates were selected from organizations such as National Youth Ambassador Corps (Antigua & Barbuda), Dominica National Youth Council, National Youth Ambassadors Programme (Grenada), St. Kitts National Youth Parliament Association, RYC and National Youth Council (St. Lucia), St. Vincent and Grenadines Youth Council. The seminar was held August 11-13, 2011.
Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force
The U.S. Embassy Bridgetown awarded The Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force Encase V6 Cyber Software as part of efforts to promote security in the Caribbean basin. The Encase V6 Cyber Software is used for investigations requiring cyber forensics technology.
St. Martin’s Secondary School- No Witness, No Justice
The U.S. Embassy Bridgetown awarded St. Martin’s Secondary School a property grant. The school received two Apple iPads, an iTunes gift card valued at US$25, two iPad Smart Cases, and two Apple Care Protection Plans. St. Martin’s Secondary School, located in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, received the iPads for use in the No Witness, No Justice project.
St. Mary’s Anglican Church Restoration Trust
Through the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation, the U.S. Embassy Bridgetown awarded The St. Mary’s Anglican Church Restoration Trust a cultural grant. The Trust used these funds to continue the restoration of St. Mary’s Anglican Church on Bequia, a project that has been ongoing since the Trust’s founding in December 2008. Restoration plans were extensive and included replacing the damaged roof, rotted support beams in the church and sanctuary; painting the church; replacing all windows; raising the vestry walls so they reach the roof properly; and restoring the church walls. The EC$212,324.60 given by the U.S. Embassy Bridgetown has played a central role in the Trust’s ability to preserve the 19th century church. Preservation projects are needed in the Caribbean to ensure that heritage sites survive to be enjoyed by generations to come and to increase historical tourism in the region.
St. Vincent Public Library
The St. Vincent Public Library received a property grant from the U.S. Embassy Bridgetown. The library received 26 books related to women’s right and the struggle for suffrage, such as The World at her Fingertips: The Story of Helen Keller by Joan Dash and Adventures of the Shark Lady: Eugenie Clarke Around the World by Ann McGovern.
The U.S. Embassy awarded a property grant to the St. Vincent Public Library, located in Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The grant included 42 classic books, including The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams. The value of the grant is US$701.82.
The St. Vincent Public Library was awarded a property grant by the U.S. Embassy Bridgetown. The library received the educational children’s games Apples to Apples, The Game of Scatterogories, Word on the Street, Jr., and Scrambled States of America. The St. Vincent Public Library is located in Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. This grant was awarded to expand the educational tools available to young readers using the library. The total amount awarded for these games was US$78.31.
Women’s Empowerment Tour- Meridian International Center
The U.S. Embassy Bridgetown awarded Meridian International Center a cultural grant to support the travel expenses of journalists and enable their participation in the Foreign Press Center tour on “Women’s Empowerment.” The tour included meetings with government officials, NGOs, community groups, and media representatives to highlight women’s issues. The meetings were geared towards shedding light on gender based violence. The tour lasted from January 29 to February 4, 2012.
“You’re A Star, Stella!”
In keeping with efforts to expand human rights awareness in the Caribbean, the U.S. Embassy Bridgetown awarded Do the Right Thing Limited a grant to produce a booklet geared towards teaching children about domestic violence and the steps they can take to stop it. Do the Right Thing Limited revised a booklet entitled “You’re A Star, Stella!,” produced by Voice UK, to suit the needs of children in the Caribbean. The booklet tells the story of a young girl who witnessed domestic violence and told her teacher, who contacted the police. Programs such as the “You’re A Star, Stella!” project are aimed at reducing physical abuse throughout the Caribbean.