27 communities to benefit directly from Amerindian Fund

By Umadevi Bux –

The Low Carbon Development Strategy Amerindian Development Fund Project was launched on Friday by the Amerindian Affairs Ministry, in collaboration with the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF) and the United Nations Development Programme at the Princess Hotel at Providence, Guyana.
This is a multi-contributor trust fund for the financing of activities identified under the LCDS and projects will be done in two phases. The pilot phase will span a nine-month period, which will see 27 Amerindian communities receiving Gy$5 million each to undertake livelihood projects. The list of identified projects will focus on activities in agriculture, eco-tourism, forestry, mining, village infrastructure and service provision. The grants are intended to provide opportunities through community entrepreneurship to support sustainable livelihoods for the economic empowerment of indigenous communities, to facilitate poverty reduction via community development plans.
Phase one
President Donald Ramotar made the announcement on Friday at the launch of phase one of the Amerindian Development Fund, Village Economy Development, which has been budgeted for.  Government will also soon introduce the hinterland apprenticeship programme, which is designed to enhance the skills of persons from these communities. The resumption of land titling and demarcation activities has also been promised.
The president said, “The objective of the project is to make it resilient and it is another major step the government is making to bring development to the Amerindian villages.”
Strict accountability
He noted that this initiative is in keeping with the government’s manifesto to bring sustainable development, job security, and food security to all Guyanese. He also called for strict accountability from the toshaos as it relates to the projects
The grants will provide opportunities through community entrepreneurship to support sustainable livelihoods for the economic empowerment of indigenous communities. The projects will focus on activities in agriculture, eco-tourism, forestry, mining, and village infrastructure and service provision in local economies.
National Toshaos Council Chairman Derek John said the Amerindian Development Fund comes at a critical time, when there are crucial economic changes in the villages.
“Amerindians have rightly earned from generation to generation, the land given to them, it was not a gift,” he continued. “The indigenous people have always practised good sustenance of the resources, because for ages we have done this.”
He added that sometime in the near future he hopes to see IT centres in all the Amerindian villages. The villages will benefit from aquaculture; logging; cash crop, peanuts, beans, ginger and rice farming; poultry and bee rearing;   tourism resorts; village shops; and a cassava processing facility.
In her remarks at the ceremony, UNDP Resident Representative Chisa Mikami alluded to former President Bharrat Jagdeo’s contribution towards the starting of this initiative, which is designed to allow transparency and to engage stakeholders by providing opportunities for partnerships. Also delivering remarks was Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai.
The Amerindian Affairs Ministry and the UNDP in August 2012 signed an agreement to pump US$6 million (G$1.2 billion) into the Amerindian Development Fund. Coming out of the LCDS, which was articulated and promoted by Jagdeo, the US$6 million will be drawn from the GRIF, which currently has a total of US$70 million, received from Norway, that is managed by the World Bank under the LCDS agreement.
Community development plans
The agreement allows 27 or 15 per cent of 180 community development plans (CDPs) to roll into operation in the areas of agriculture, village infrastructure, tourism, manufacturing, village enterprise, and transportation. The UNDP is the implementing partner for the GRIF.
An initial Gy$360 million will be made available for the execution of projects earmarked under the CDPs.
Measures and initiatives are constantly being implemented, with the aim of removing Amerindians from poverty and ensuring they are given the same opportunities for personal development as other Guyanese are afforded under the Donald Ramotar administration. Projects targeted for funding include those promoting the protection of indigenous land rights and the creation of livelihood opportunities. The funding for these projects is among the major components of the LCDS.