Jamaica Community Violence Prevention Activity Monthly Report: January 2021

under Contract No. 72053220C00001, with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The program aims to prevent community violence in Jamaica through a comprehensive approach that involves community entry, stakeholder engagement, and capacity building. In January 2021, the program conducted a series of external meetings with key stakeholders, including government agencies, Members of Parliament (MPs), and community leaders. These meetings were held to introduce the program's community entry strategy and to solicit partnership and support from the stakeholders. The program staff conducted six meetings with these key stakeholders, including in-person meetings with MPs and community leaders, as well as virtual meetings with government agencies. The program also conducted a monthly meeting with the USAID CVP COR and ACOR on January 20, which included human resources and administrative updates, a technical update, and upcoming events. USAID's Communication's Officer also participated in the meeting and provided guidance on branding and marking for upcoming activities. In terms of personnel, Shamair Henry began duties as the Partnerships and Sustainable Development Manager on January 18, and Renee Gauntlett-Richards was offered and accepted the Communications' Specialist position in late January. The program staff also conducted final interviews for the Grants Officers and the Finance Officer positions, and pending reference checks, the program expects to offer positions to two Grants Officers and one Finance Officer in early February. The program also made progress on administrative tasks, including obtaining formal approval to purchase two project vehicles from USAID on January 6, and submitting the COP's work permit exemption to the Jamaican government on January 13. The program's household effects were finally cleared for delivery and arrived at the COP's residence on January 22, and Karina Valenzuela, one of DI's Program Officers, arrived in Jamaica on January 23 to support the program. The program achieved several milestones in January, including positive feedback from the stocktaking presentations to the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) and the Ministry of National Security (MNS). The leaders of both government agencies expressed a strong desire for cooperation and coordination going forward, and the program staff is following up with each entity to establish effective means for sharing information about project activities. The program did not host any events in January, but it has several anticipated activities planned for the next month, including presentations to the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport (MCGES) and the Social Development Commission (SDC), continued meetings with MPs and community development committees, and virtual stocktaking presentations to the broader Jamaica violence prevention community. The program also plans to sign a subcontract with Making Cents International, onboard additional staff, and outline upcoming grant and training activities related to parenting, sport-for-development, and SBS.