THE ENGENDER PROJECT SEEKS TO INTEGRATE HUMAN-RIGHTS BASED APPROACHES INTO DISASTER RISK REDUCTION.
In countries like Saint Lucia, we rely heavily on our agricultural and tourism industry. Many farmers suffered significant losses during the global lockdown due to the stay at home orders and the inability to sell produce to the hotels. The travel restrictions affected hotels, other types of accommodations, restaurants, local craft vendors, souvenirs shops, taxi drivers, tours and other activities frequented by local as well as international tourists alike. Thousands of employees in the Tourism sector was negatively affected.
The EnGenDER “Enabling Gender-Responsive Disaster Recovery, Climate and Environmental Resilience in the Caribbean” Project seeks to further integrate gender equality and human-rights based approaches into disaster risk reduction (DRR), climate change (CC) adaptation and environmental management frameworks and interventions and identify and address some of the gaps to ensure equal access to DRR and climate change and environment solutions for both men, women, boys and girls in nine Caribbean countries including Saint Lucia.
Under the EnGenDER Project, Global Affairs Canada has repurposed funds for COVID -19 Response through Un Women Multi Country Office in the form of small grants for the Tourism and Agriculture Industry. The funds will be offered as a source of relief to persons within the industries who have been affected negatively by the pandemic.
A cheque will be dispersed among sixty (60) women craft vendors and tour guides across St. Lucia via cash grants and food vouchers for two (2) consecutive months. Also, for the Ministry of Agriculture accounting department a cheque for fifty (50) small rural female farmers to purchase farming equipment. Each recipient will be receiving a voucher valid for one month from date of issue to redeem at any of the four local farming equipment stores which were pre-selected by the Ministry of Agriculture.
This presentation of Small Grants to Women of the Tourism and Agriculture Sectors from ENGenDER will took place on Friday, May 28, 2021.
