The Ministry of Environment, Rural Modernization Kalinago Upliftment and Constituency Empowerment continues to embark on implementing the many activities under the project Building Resilience and Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change and Disaster Risk in the Kalinago Territory. The project is cofunded by the Canadian Government through the Community Disaster Risk Reduction Fund administered by the Caribbean Development Bank and, the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica.

These activities include four consultancies which will focus on the preparation of a –

1. Five (5) year Development plan for the Kalinago Territory
2. Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation plan
3. Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation Public Awareness and education campaign
4. Building Maintenance manual and training of the residents from the Kalinago Territory, as well as the construction of the Multipurpose Center/Emergency shelter.

From the commencement of the project  in 2021, several Capacity building training activities have been conducted for residents of the Kalinago Territory; partcipants have included councilors, community leader and development officers. These training programs were targeted at enhancing the skills of participants, such  that they are able to be engaged in various stages of implementation of the soon to be constructed Multipurpose Center/Emergency shelter. Moreover, the training programmes sought to ensure that the participants can play more active roles in their communities as it relates to climate change adaptation and reducing vulnerability to natural disasters. The training modules included:

• Information Community Technology (at the basic and advance levels),
• Gender Inclusive community development,
• Effective Community Engagement
• There were training modules specifically targeted at community leaders, such as Roles and responsibilities of Hamlet Committee/Executive members in the Kalinago council, Events Planning, Leadership, Public speaking, Marketing and Promotion.

The aim of the capacity building programme is to train a large cohort of Kalinago persons, some of whom will be employed at the Multipurpose Centre/Emergency Shelter upon completion.

The Multipurpose Center/Emergency shelter to be constructed in Bataca, will offer space for community activities, as well as  a fully equipped emergency shelter capable of accommodating about 125 persons in the event of a natural disaster. The facility will have an administrative block for offices, a Library, First Aid Centre, Computer room, and an Operations and Communications room. The main space of the facility is designed to accommodate community activities, meetings, workshops and become an information hub for Kalinago history and culture.

The design of the structure was produced by Anonym’Art in association with with CEP Dominica Ltd, John C. FRANCIS Associates Ltd., Cecil DAVIS and Nuvision Architecture; the building architecture captures the traditions, folklore and culture of the Kalinago people. In terms of functionality, the facility will be earthquake resistant, capable of withstanding a category 5 hurricane, with back up power suply and on-site water storage, among other features which ensure resilient construction and accessibility for end users.

In the longterm, it is intended that the facility financially self-sufficient whilst providing the above noted services to the locals as well as visitors alike.  In addition, the facility is expected to employ persons from the Kalinago Territory, the focus being on job creation.

The procurement process towards the award of a construction contract has commenced and the invitation for bids was advertised locally and internationally on February, 2023.

A Pre-bid meeting was held on March 24, 2023 with the Ministry’s project management team, CREAD and contractors interested in bidding on the project.  Prospective bidders were able to benefit from an Overview of the project, Tax and Social Security requirements, information on the bidding process and the Environmental, Social, Health and Safety requirements of the project. The Inland Revenue Division and the Dominica Social Security were virtually represented at the pre-bid meeting, which concluded with a site visit .

The Kalinago Chief, Mr. Lorenzor Sandford opened the pre-bid meeting by reminding attendees of the importance of the project to the Kalinago Territory . He noted that his people had full buy-in and looked forward to the commencement of construction which is expected to result in a creation of employment of the Kalinago people and also to the creation of opportunities beyond the Kalinago space which would benefit his people.  

The Climate Resilience Execution Agency for Dominica (CREAD) is overseeing the implementation of the project on behalf of the Ministry of the Environment, Rural Modernization, Kalinago Upliftment and Constituency Empowerment. Construction of the centre is expected to last approximately sixteen (16) months.