Partners of the Americas, Guyana Chapter, is among the seven winners of the Call for Proposals for Civil Society projects for poverty reduction in Latin America and the Caribbean, which would benefit low-income communities and vulnerable groups, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) announced on Friday.
The IDB said in a news release that the seven winning civil society organizations (CSOs) that will execute projects are in Guyana, Bolivia, Colombia, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Paraguay and Peru and they will have a combined amount of US$7 million.
The initiative is being funded through the IDB-managed Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction Programme.
“The Bank proactively seeks ways to engage with civil society in the region. This Call for Proposals is an important achievement to support the operational work of civil society organizations at the local level in vulnerable communities and, as a result, strengthen the IDB’s partnership with such organizations,” said Roberto Vellutini, Vice President for Countries at the IDB.
“This is the first time for Japanese Trust Funds at the IDB to go through a Call for Proposals and I am very pleased with seeing many projects submitted and all of the winners’ projects are innovative and promising. I’m sure that these projects will definitely contribute to poverty reduction in the region, with the competence of the selected CSOs,” said Yasuhiro Atsumi, IDB Executive Director for Japan.
The bank received 1,885 proposals from 26 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean and carried out a thorough evaluation process. The final selection was made by the government of Japan.
The organizations and winning proposals are:
Partners of the Americas, Guyana Chapter ($1,161,000). Their project Development of Sustainable Communities through the Hydroponic Production of Organic Vegetables will provide opportunities to low-income households to become self-employed entrepreneurs in organic hydroponic farming.
The IDB expressed gratitude to all of the organizations that submitted proposals, noting that civil society organizations are a key partner in the reduction of poverty and the socio-economic development of Latin America and the Caribbean.
The IDB works directly with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) through participation in consultations, dialogue, and the execution of projects with social impact. In this sense, the CSOs have significantly contributed to the work of the IDB through their technical capacity and in-depth community reach, the release added.
