The Human Rights and Democracy in Jamaica project is working to improve the capacity and democratic role of civil society organisations through capacity building and grant funding.
Champions for change
The project aims to increase awareness of and access to human rights for disenfranchised Jamaicans, focusing on four distinct groups:
- 100 civil society organisation/non-governmental organisation directors form registered organisations
- 1,000 youth human rights activists attending secondary and tertiary education institutions
- 700 community members, through public forums
- 750,000–900,000 people via mass and social media.
Lasting benefits
An estimated one million Jamaicans will be affected by the initiative through increased awareness and understanding of their rights, of the role of civil society organisations in ensuring human rights are upheld by the state, and of the avenues available for public participation in the activities of civil society organisations.
The project will strengthen the institutional and operational capacity of civil society organisations to respond to the concerns and needs of socially and economically disenfranchised individuals and groups. It is expected to bring about higher and more sustainable levels of funding and establish mechanisms for co-operation between civil society organisations and municipalities.
It will also increase accessibility to direct funding for youths to raise awareness of human rights, and the assessment of proposed project activities will take into account equal gender opportunities.
National Development
The project aims to fund activities that support Jamaica’s national strategies, such as strengthening the capacity of communities to participate in creating a safe and secure society, and strengthening the process of citizen participation in governance.