The Canadian High Commission in Georgetown, Guyana, has announced the National Coordinating Coalition (NCC) as the 2023 recipient of the prestigious Local Engagement and Action Fund (LEAF) grant. The grant agreement was formalized in an official signing ceremony held on Friday 20 October 2023 at the Field Support Services Project – Caribbean (FSSP-C) Guyana Satellite Office. The ceremony featured Adam Loyer, Deputy Director and Head of Cooperation in Guyana at Global Affairs Canada, and Simone Sills, Executive Director of the National Coordinating Coalition.
NCC was selected for its innovative project titled “Combatting Gender-Based Violence against Women & Girls in Migrant & Host Communities.” The initiative focuses on Venezuelan migrant women and girls in Guyana and aims to address various gaps in Gender-Based Violence (GBV) services, including lack of awareness, poor service quality, and discrimination against migrants. The grant to NCC amounts to CAD$86,625.
NCC plans to collaborate with local government agencies and civil society organizations to strengthen GBV referral pathways, improve the quality of GBV services, and raise awareness about these critical services. The project also aims to address the issue of xenophobia, which often poses a barrier to accessing these essential services.
Funded by Global Affairs Canada and launched on April 20, 2023, LEAF is a grant mechanism under the FSSP-C designed to empower organisations working in vulnerable sectors. LEAF offers both short-term (six to twelve months) and long-term (twelve to twenty-four months) grants, ranging from CAD$20,000 to CAD$100,000. These grants can be used for various operational aspects, including capacity building, technical support, and administrative services. LEAF has the potential to address a range of issues, including: gender equality, human rights, environment, climate change and biodiversity, sexual and reproductive health rights, gender-based violence, youth engagement, and strengthening organizational effectiveness.
The LEAF initiative is aimed at supporting organizations across eight Caribbean countries: Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Suriname. Eligibility for the LEAF grant extends to a broad range of organizations, including non-profits, community-based organizations, and women’s rights organizations, among others. The LEAF initiative runs from 2023 to 2027, with annual calls for proposals.
Participants expressed optimism this partnership among Global Affairs Canada, FSSP-C and the National Coordinating Coalition will yield significant results in improving the lives of vulnerable women and girls in Guyana.
