Carter Center Guyana Awards New Grants

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Melanie Reimer
In Guyana, 592-227-4096, or

Kay Torrance
In Atlanta, 404-420-5192

Georgetown, Guyana…..The Carter Center's Guyana office awarded grants today to four not-for-profit organizations promoting the causes of women, youth, and Amerindians to implement projects on literacy, adolescent reproductive health, community sanitation, and agricultural education for youth. Guyana Forum for Life-long Learning, Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association, Essequibo Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the St. Stanislaus Training Centre each received grants of up to GY$1,900,000.

The grants are made available through the Carter Center's Phase II Advocacy Grants Program, and the organizations receiving the grants aim to raise public awareness and to work for desirable policy changes by decision-makers at various levels of government. In this way, these not-for-profit organizations can make a much greater and sustained impact on a larger population, in addition to delivering social services.

The grantees were selected after submitting detailed applications and budgets reviewed by Carter Center staff, analyzed by an independent grant review committee drawn from the Guyanese community, and approved by the Carter Center's Guyana project director.

The grants program is organized under the auspices of the U.S. Agency for International Development's program More Responsive and Participatory Governance and Rule of Law in Guyana. Through this program, The Carter Center is working to strengthen the judicial system and the capacity of civil society or not-for-profit organizations in Guyana to contribute to public debate and public policy-making, with a focus on organizations that involve and assist women, youth, and Amerindians. The Carter Center is working with the National Democratic Institute and the International Foundation for Election Systems in the overall project. NDI supports legislative and local government reforms, while IFES provides technical assistance on electoral administration.

####