St Vincent and the Grenadines stand to gain from a substantial allocation of $38 million in funding from Canada, aimed at enhancing LGBTQ rights and advancing reproductive education within the region.
The $38 million funding was announced by Canada’s Minister of International Development, Ahmed Hussen, during the 48th Regular Meeting of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) held last week in Barbados.
Among the initiatives for SVG are ARCENCIEL, a project valued at $4 million, and Reproductive Education and Adolescent Community Health.
ARCENCIEL, a project with a budget of $4 million, aims to enhance the rights of 2SLGBTQI+ individuals in St. Vincent, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, and Saint Lucia. This initiative is in accordance with Canada’s international assistance policy, promoting inclusive governance and safeguarding the rights of individuals within the 2SLGBTQI+ community.
The second initiative involves the Reproductive Education and Adolescent Community Health (REACH) project, which is valued at $4.1 million.
This initiative aims to enhance accessibility, stimulate demand, and elevate the quality of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services in SVG, Dominica, Grenada, and St. Lucia.
The initiative aims to enhance the efficacy of public providers in delivering inclusive, adolescent-friendly, and gender-responsive sexual and reproductive health and rights services, while simultaneously empowering adolescent girls to assert their rights and advocate for these essential services.
The initiative will concentrate on community-oriented endeavours across the four nations, encompassing hospitals, larger healthcare institutions, clinics affiliated with national family planning associations, women’s crisis centres, units for vulnerable populations within government, and civil society organisations led by youth.
The duration of both projects is set to span from 2025 to 2029.
