Members of the local Women’s Development Organization Red Thread have benefited from a grant of US$76,634 from the Government of Japan. The assistance was formalised yesterday during a signing ceremony involving Red Thread co-founder Ms Karen De Souza and Ms.Mariko Chiba, a senior official of the embassy of Japan in Trinidad and Tobago.
The grant has been given to Red Thread under the Japan Grant Assistance for Grass-roots Human Security Projects and the signing took place at the organization’s centre at Princes and Adelaide Streets.
The funding will assist Red Thread with the extension of the Centre, construction of a paal-off (revetement) in the Princes Street Canal bordering the Centre, and installation of a solar panel on the building – developments which members said will enhance their capacity to provide services to women and children and to conduct advocacy on their behalf.
Others present were members of the group and Mr. Taku Yoshida, Project Identification Expert.
Ms. Chibo told the gathering that the assistance is designed to assist non-governmental organizations such as Red Thread with development type projects.
Such projects, she said, are aimed at responding to specific needs in the area of human security, as well as addressing deficiencies in the area of human security- an area which the Government of Japan considers a critical element of its foreign policy.
She said that she hoped that the assistance would result in Red Thread being better equipped to effectively extend its services to reduce the vulnerability of women and children at the community level.
Members of the Group thanked the Japanese Government for the assistance.
Ms. Karen De Souza said that the group hopes that work on the projects would begin next month.