Monthly Report: February 2016 - COMET II PROJECT

Community activities were hampered due to the announcement of the General Elections, which caused uncertainty and disruption. Despite logistical difficulties, highlights for the period included a tour of sustainable livelihood grants in Kingston by USAID Mission Director Denise Herbol. The tour included visits to sites in Trench Town, Rae Town/South Side, Elleston Road Police Station, Windward Road belt, and Rockfort Community. The site visit to Rockfort was joined by Member of Parliament Hon. Phillip Paulwell, and Mission Director Herbol raised concerns about the Social Enterprise grant to the Rockfort Football Club. Preliminary discussions were brokered for a resumption of the project for a 6-month period pending confirmation from the Kingston & St. Andrew Corporation. Community Coordinators across the parishes continued ongoing work with grantees, focusing on obtaining relevant paperwork and documentation for the grant process. Governance Training was also a key area of focus, with the next round of training scheduled to take place on a parish-by-parish basis. The training will include support from a youth cohort of Governance & Capacity Building interns from across three parishes. The Social Enterprise Training team from the University of the West Indies will also provide training, with the first cluster scheduled to take place in St. Catherine from March 14-16, 2016. In addition to Governance Training, the COMET II project also explored possible partnerships with the University of Technology (UTECH) through the "UTECH Connect" initiative. The initiative aims to promote community enterprise, climate change, and personal development through a series of sporting activities, health fairs, education fairs, craft displays, and cultural presentations. Discussions are ongoing regarding the best way to partner with UTECH, with a focus on replicating similar activities in St. James. The COMET II grants portfolio continued to deliver small grants to community-based organizations in February 2016, with five grants awarded in Year 3. The most recent grant award was made to Good Hope Partners Benevolent Society. Several applications are currently in the pre-award phase, including those from Mighty Gully Youth Project Foundation Ltd., Enos Barrett Disabled Group, and Good Hope Partners Benevolent Society. The grants team is awaiting outstanding documents from applicants to complete their applications, after which they will be evaluated by the Review and Evaluation Committee. Non-competitive proposals have been received from the Kintyre Citizen Association and Four Paths CDC Ltd. for their CRCs and social enterprise projects, and these proposals are currently in the pre-award phase pending procurement of the services of a quantity surveyor. The COMET II project continues to focus on building capacity and promoting social enterprise in Jamaica, with a strong emphasis on community development and empowerment.