The High Commission of Canada has provided CAD$18,000, through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI), to RedRoot SVG Inc. to address gender-based violence in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG). RedRoot SVG is one of eight organizations in the Eastern Caribbean selected for CFLI funding for 2023-2024, the High Commission of Canada in Barbados said in a release.

Canada’s funding will enable RedRoot SVG Inc. to create a safe space and support network for Vincentian women from vulnerable communities who have experienced gender-based violence (GBV). The project will provide participants with comprehensive self-defence training equipping them with new skills to bolster their self-confidence and personal safety. Additionally, the CFLI project will include a public advocacy campaign during the ‘16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence’, observed annually from November 25 to December 10, aimed at raising awareness about GBV in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The Canada Fund for Local Initiatives is a programme designed to support small-scale, high-impact projects in developing countries that align with the Government of Canada’s thematic priority areas for engagement. The High Commission of Canada received proposals from civil society organizations across four eligible countries in the Eastern Caribbean, administering CAD$300,000 in available funding.

Other successful 2023-2024 CFLI project partners include the Lifeline Ministries Inc., MiRiDom, Kibe’kuati Inc., the Grenada Planned Parenthood Association, and GrenCHAP Inc.The 2023 CFLI beneficiaries join the East Dominica Children’s Federation and Equal Rights Access and Opportunities SVG Inc. which conclude their project activities this year.

The projects in St. Vincent and the Grenadines advance key foreign policy priorities for Canada in the Eastern Caribbean, including gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, the release states.

High Commissioner of Canada, Lilian Chatterjee shared that “Combatting gender-based violence is a priority for the Government of Canada at home and abroad. It is estimated that one in three women worldwide has experienced some form of physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime, often at the hands of intimate partners or family members. Gender-based violence, and violence against women and girls in particular, is one of the most common forms of insecurity facing citizens in the Caribbean. Our new CFLI partnership with RedRoot SVG Inc. reflects a shared commitment to address gender-based violence and build a safer, more prosperous St. Vincent and the Grenadines for all.”