Caribbean Regional Update
Haiti
This year is considered a decisive year for Haiti as it is supposed to be the year of political renewal. In the meantime, chronic problems such as unemployment, insecurity, and poverty continue. Partners Worldwide have added two new Training Partners to support in reaching their goals of serving the marginalized in their area. The Partners Worldwide Haiti now counts 18 trainers ready to equip business owners with training that can help them better manage their business. The catalyst program to serve the Saving and Loan group is progressing well in serving the network.
Trinidad & Tobago
On May 10, Trinidad and Tobago went into strict lockdown due to a considerable spike in cases of COVID-19 and its new strains, with predictions that by May 11th all ICU beds would be occupied. The lockdown will most likely be in place until late June.
NCB continues to work on moving all their training to Zoom and including more emphasis on how we can use social media to advertise businesses. Last week with the support of PW, NCB present a proposal for the US Embassy Small Grant Program. The objective of the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Capacity Building Program is to train and coach micro and small agro-processors from rural communities in the North East and North Central areas of Trinidad, as well as Tobago. This proposal addresses four key issues within T&T’s agro-processing sector: 1) low food safety; 2) low market demand and competition; 3) lack of consumer confidence and 4) low cross-border trade in agro-processed products.
May 20, 2021