• support to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Health and Family Life Education (HFLE) programme in conjunction with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF);
• UNV Support to Strengthening the Capacity of NGOs and CBOs involved with Global Environment Facility GEF Small Grants Programme and the UN System Integrated Approach to Poverty Eradication Programme in Barbados and other OECS countries, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname and Guyana to respond effectively to critical Sustainable Development Needs;
• Capacity building and institutional support to the island of Montserrat after the volcanic crisis of the late 1990s; and
• Establishment of the Community Resource and Internet Centres (CoRICs).

In addition, the UN Volunteers programme in the subregion also provides support in one-off-placements in the areas of agriculture and support to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) GEF programme.

Montserrat:
The Disaster Management and Institutional Strengthening in Support of Montserrat’s Post-Emergency Resettlement Programme was initiated in 1999 and involves support to the Government of Montserrat through the placement of United Nations Volunteers (UNV) in key strategic physical and social infrastructure areas. Presently, five international UN Volunteers are providing support in: geographic information systems (GIS), architecture, occupational therapy with specific emphasis on support to the disabled and elderly, and civil engineering.. In October 2002, a sixth placement, computer software engineer, started support to the Montserrat Volcano Observatory. One volunteer is fully funded by the Government of Japan while the others are funded by the British Department for International Development (DfID).

Health and Family Life Education (HFLE) Programme with UNICEF
Recent statistics for the Caribbean show that the majority of countries in the region have made steady progress in addressing many of the basic child survival concerns. Likewise, the average primary school enrolment across the region is 85 per cent or higher. Unfortunately, many problems affecting Caribbean youth persist, such as violence, gender-based conflict, high teen pregnancy and substance abuse.

In 1996, the governments of the Caribbean agreed to ensure that a life skills based Health and Family Life Education (HFLE) programme be institutionalized in all schools, a preventative measure targeting young people in an effort to ensure that they have the knowledge and skills to make informed choices in the interest of their long term physical and mental health. The HFLE programme is being seen as one of the main avenues to addressing key gender socialization issues in the classroom and in the wider community.

This project funds the placement of six national UN Volunteers to work as HFLE programme associates attached to the Ministries of Education in Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

These placements anchor the HLFE programme at the country level and will enhance the capabilities of the Ministry of Education to consolidate the HFLE programme in the respective countries. Working alongside the Ministry of Education HFLE Coordinator, the UN Volunteers will primarily work to establish a data base/information management system of the HFLE implementation, and will undertake capacity building and training activities to enhance the capabilities of teachers, parents and the wider community. The strategy also includes public sensitization.

GEF/SGP Capacity Building
UNV Support to Strengthening the Capacity of NGOs and CBOs involved with GEF Small Grants Programme and the UN System Integrated Approach to Poverty Eradication Programme in Barbados and other OECS countries, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname and Guyana to respond effectively to critical sustainable development needs.

In particular, the work of the national UN Volunteers is directed to:

a) increase the participation and empowerment of local communities, through recognized NGOs and CBOs, in the national development process;

b) strengthen the capacity of NGOs and CBOs to undertake activities in community-building designed to counteract social disintegration, to support community-based self-help initiatives and income-generating activities, and to promote the improvement of the human and physical environment through sustainable and innovative strategies;

c) strengthen the institutional capacity of local NGOs and community groups to respond effectively to critical development needs;

d) promote networking with a view to strengthening partnerships among NGOs and CBOs, Government and UNDP;

e) establish and reinforce meaningful partnerships between government agencies and local NGOs and CBOs in the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development programmes, particularly those aimed at counteracting social disintegration and promoting sustainable human development at the community level.

CORIC Initiative
As part of the Community Development programme, UNDP has given support to countries of the Windward Islands in the establishment of community management teams, community assessments, development of community work plans, and assessments of Community Development Divisions. UNDP’s larger development goal is to support the establishment of Community Resource and Internet Centres (CoRICs) where community capacities in leadership and for sustainable livelihoods will be developed. As one of the countries in the Windward Island group, several communities in Dominica have been involved in the initial UNDP poverty reduction intervention and will be eligible for participation in the CoRIC programme.

For UNDP, the CoRICs will form an integral part of the quest for solutions to eradicate absolute poverty since their institution will broaden access to information, education, and training at the community level. Poor communities and individuals will have access to these tools and facilities in order to develop an orientation towards self-determination and self-reliance.

Activities undertaken through the CoRICs will be complementary, and resources will be allocated for mobilization of communities around these activities. One of the major activities of the CoRICs, however, will be to introduce computer technology into the development of communities. Some main expected outcomes are:

Creation of a larger pool of computer literate citizens and provision of greater opportunities for equal access to employment particularly for unemployed young people.
Promotion of partnerships and participation in communities.
The availability of computers will allow for expanded community training and self-knowledge for setting-up small businesses and encouraging youth entrepreneurship. It is also expected that civil participation on social issues that affect the country will be broadened through community Internet access.