Ambassador’s self-help fund signing ceremony

Apr 24, 2009 News

Today, U.S. Ambassador John Jones will award grants in excess of US$59,000 to seven community-based groups, under The Ambassador’s Self Help Fund. The ceremony will take place in the Embassy Auditorium at 10:30 am.

The Ambassador’s Self Help Fund is intended to support small scale projects that seek to reduce poverty by addressing basic human needs. Community-based organizations, civil society, non-governmental organizations, institutions, and/or other local groups working in communities across Guyana are eligible to submit proposals for grant funding under the Ambassador’s Self Help Fund. In selecting the successful proposals, consideration was given to those applications that focused on increasing the self-reliance of communities, and that could be sustained after project funding ends. The selected projects will focus on agribusiness, wood processing, communications and ecotourism.

The sum to be disbursed represents an increase in funding under the Ambassador’s Self Help Fund. In 2005, US$15,400 was awarded to six projects in the areas of youth development and the provision of agricultural equipment.
In 2006, US$20,700 was disbursed to five projects to provide for youth skills development.
Last year, US$25,400 was provided to fund six projects to help families address issues affecting persons with disabilities, among other things.