The Davy Hill Community Action Group in Montserrat recently launched a US$21,927.00 project funded by the CCRIF SPC – formerly the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility – to install 10 aquaponics units at the homes of community members and one on the roof of the community centre.

Davy Hill Community Action Group is one of four community groups that participated in the Caribbean Development Bank’s (CDB) Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF) and Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) Regional Proposal Writing Workshop series in August 2023.

“The objective is for households to have healthier consumption, share, especially with the elderly and market the excess to gain additional income. The project fits right in with the Ministry of Agriculture’s thrust for more local produce and food sustainability.  We must get to a point that we can feed ourselves in a healthier and cost-effective manner,” said President of the Davy Hill Community Action Group, Anne Thomas, at the project launch on January 31, 2024.

Residents of Davy Hill have already started the Aquaponics training programme. The project will address climate change adaptation and food security for the community, critical as Montserrat continues its recovery from the volcanic eruption which began in 1995 and claimed a significant portion of the island.

Mr. Richardo Aiken, Community Development Specialist at the CDB said the Bank was pleased to see tangible results from the communities because of their participation in the regional workshops.

“The communities have taken the knowledge and are running with it. They are now empowered to better identify community needs, write a proposal, and secure grant resources,” said Mr. Aiken, one of the main organisers of the workshop.

Six groups, including three community groups, submitted proposals to funders. Seventy-six draft proposals were prepared by the 94 community leaders and community development professionals that attended the two Regional Proposal writing workshops in Jamaica and Guyana.

The regional workshops were a direct request from community groups that emerged from a three-country assessment done by the BNTF in February 2023. Participants in the assessment highlighted their lack of capacity re writing proposals as well as getting funding for community development as a major challenge.

Since the workshop communities are also being more proactive about organising on the ground. Goodlands Beneficiary Advisory Committee in Saint Lucia elected an executive committee and became legally registered after the workshop.

“We are looking at establishing a community garden… Now that we are incorporated, we can organize better for fundraising,” said Public Relations Officer of the Group, Imbert August.

“This is an excellent example of the transformative work that we do under the BNTF programme. Through the workshops we were able to provide the tools that the communities need to be able to create livelihoods and continue poverty reduction efforts even after the BNTF cycle has ended,” said George Yearwood, Portfolio Manager of the BNTF.

The BNTF is the CDB’s main vehicle for direct poverty reduction interventions across the Caribbean. The Programme responds to needs identified by the most vulnerable communities in priority areas such as water and sanitation, education and livelihoods enhancement, to improve the quality of life for citizens of the nine benefitting countries: Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Suriname.