Ministry of National Mobilisation hands over equipment to various sectors

A number of organisations involved in the juvenile sector were on Friday, March 7, presented with equipment from the Ministry of National Mobilisation.{{more}}

The equipment was received by the Ministry under phase two of the Small Grants Facility from the Juvenile Justice Reform project, with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and was allocated to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Family Affairs Division, Guadeloupe Home for Girls, Ministry of National Reconciliation, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit in the Ministry of National Mobilisation, Police Youth Club and the Salvation Army.

The equipment includes: furniture, computers, tables, chairs, projectors, among other things.

The supply of equipment is geared towards helping to support existing programs that are alternative or diversion programs provided for the nation’s youth.

Merissa Burke, national co-ordinator of the project, said the first phase was conducted in July 2013 and some of the agencies that benefited during that time included: the Ministry of Education, Guadeloupe Home for Girls, and the Liberty Lodge Boys Training Centre.

She noted that the equipment donated in phase one and two of the project totalled US$100,000.

Burke further added that they are looking to commence phase three of the project within the next three months, which she said will see equipment delivered mainly to the Family Court.

“The Family Court is the main institution that has the main responsibility to adjudicate and prepare dispositions for juvenile based matters, so we are seeking to strengthen the support there,” she stated.

Also making brief remarks at the event, Minister of National Mobilisation Frederick Stephenson said the Juvenile Justice Reform Project, which was launched in August 2012, entails enacting reformed legislation, improving capacity building in institutions, modernising facilities and programs, and strengthening linkages with society. He noted:

“The project has been able to provide skills development equipment to juvenile justice sector agencies…”

In addition to the delivery of skills training equipment for the institutions, the ministry commenced renovation and expansion work on the Liberty Lodge Boys Training Facility, which commenced on January 20, 2014 and is expected to be completed by May 23.

As part of the Juvenile Justice Reform Program and the rehabilitation of Liberty Lodge, Stephenson said the boys had to be relocated to the Dauphine Community Centre, which cost EC$40,000.

Stephenson also spoke of plans in the coming months to go out into communities to make persons aware of the Justice Reform Programs.

“It is my hope and my intention that these equipment will be put to good use in the different agencies that we are working…,” he said.