Monthly Report: March 2016 - USAID/JAMAICA COMET II PROJECT

The project began in 2013 and is implemented by Tetra Tech DPK. The project's primary objective is to empower communities to take ownership of their development and to promote social, economic, and environmental transformation. The project is divided into several components, including grants, capacity building, and social enterprise workshops/trainings. The grants component provides funding to community-based organizations to support their development initiatives. In March 2016, eight grants were awarded to various organizations, including the Linstead Community Development Committee Ltd. and the Cambridge Benevolent Society. Additionally, several non-competitive proposals were received from the Kintyre Citizen Association and Four Paths CDC Ltd. for their Community Resource Centres (CRCs) and social enterprise projects. Capacity building and social enterprise workshops/trainings are also key components of the project. In March 2016, the project facilitated a series of governance capacity building trainings for 19 community groups across three parishes. The trainings aimed to develop and strategize mission and visions, structure, and policies and procedures for the participating groups. The project also partnered with the University of Technology to facilitate a community intervention initiative dubbed 'UTECH CONNECT'. The project's activities in March 2016 were marked by several notable accomplishments. USAID Mission Director Denise Herbol commenced a tour of COMET II communities in the parish of St. James, facilitating interaction with grantees and community members. The tour included groundbreaking ceremonies at the sites of CRCs in Cambridge and Bogue, as well as speaking at the graduation ceremonies of several training groups. Additionally, the project facilitated a partnership between COMET II and the University of Technology, and organized a 3-day Microsoft Desktop Publishing Workshop for youth trainees in St. James. The project's geographic focus is on several parishes in Jamaica, including St. James, Clarendon, and St. Catherine. The project's timeframe is from 2013 to 2018, with a focus on promoting community development and transformation during this period. The project's recommendations include the continued support of community-based organizations and the promotion of social, economic, and environmental transformation in Jamaica.