THE TRUST FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS
#23 Mc Inroy Street, Curepe, Trinidad & Tobago

www.sustrust.org

 

 

SUSTRUST ACTIVITIES DURING THE PERIOD JANUARY-DECEMBER 2009   

Wise Use of Natural Resources   

Mitigating The Threats of Invasive Alien Species in the Insular Caribbean 

We continued to provide technical assistance to the project preparation phase of the GEF funded
Mitigating the Threats of Invasive Alien Species (IAS) in the Insular Caribbean. SUSTRUST is one of the co-sponsors of this project.  Our main involvement during this period was review of technical documentation and project proposals. The project aims to establish an extensive framework addressing IAS that threaten aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and their biodiversity. It will provide participating countries (Trinidad & Tobago, Bahamas, St Lucia, Dominican Republic, and Jamaica) with increased capacity to address biodiversity concerns related to the control of invasive alien species.  

Awareness Building  

Maximum Security Prison 

In March, we co-sponsored the donation of bound compilation of Home Garden Bulletins, factsheets on the growing of selected agricultural crops to prisoners at the Maximum Security Prison (Piarco, Trinidad) who were earlier trained in grow-box production. The activity was led by our youngest member Thana Mohoyodeen and her father. 

Home for the Aged

Assistance to the Home for the Aged in Couva, Trinidad in grow-box production of vegetables was also done during the first and second quarter of the year by T. Mohoyodeen and her father. Awareness on the grow box technique was built and through presentations and demonstration. The grow-box was constructed and seedlings supplied to the residents who then started their own vegetable production.
 
            Training  

Participation in Local Training 

We were invited to participate in a workshop in Trinidad (18-19th March) on Good Governance Principles and Practices, organised and facilitated by the Rose Foundation and sponsored by BPTT. F. Homer participated and received some additional exposure to the legal requirements  and institutional activities for compliance with good governance.

Participation in Overseas Training 

We were invited to participate in a short training course in Guyana (15-17th July) on Conflict Resolution and Negotiation Skills for Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), organized and sponsored by CaribWaterNet.  F. Homer participated and learned many of the emerging approaches in conflict management; how to deal with conflict resolution; and negotiation skills in the context of IWRM. 

Fond D’or Watershed Management Committee, St Lucia

SUSTRUST was invited to assist the Fond D’or Watershed Management Committee in St Lucia on how they could evolve from a project committee into an NGO.  F. Homer developed and conducted an Introduction to NGO Governance session for members of the Committee, and the Fond D’or adjacent communities. Key areas covered included:

• Identification of NGO governance approaches,
• Legislative arrangements and NGO registration,
• NGO constitution and by-laws,
• Outlining roles and responsibilities of NGO officers,
• Identification of objectives for the NGO (interactive session),
• Local issues impacting on NGO formation (interactive session) and,
• Determination of next steps in NGO formation.   

Training of Trainers in Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Management, Tobago  

F. Homer was invited to serve as an Instructor for Module 6 Marine Protected Areas Planning and Module 7 Marine Protected Area Management, for personnel from 12 Caribbean countries participating in the UNEP/Caribbean MPA Managers (CAMPAM), Training of Trainers in MPA Management. The sessions were held in Tobago during 26-28th March and were hosted by the Buccoo Reef Trust.   

Forestry Division, Trinidad and Tobago  
Four short training courses were designed and conducted for selected staff of the Forestry Division, based on needs expressed by senior officers. A 2-day session on Basic Communication Skills for Training and Personnel Management was held during 1-2nd September and was facilitated by K. Lal and F. Homer. At the end of the training session, participants were able to understand:

• the communication process;
• how a message may be interpreted by others;
• how participants see themselves and how they are seen by others;
• how to influence a change in behaviour or attitude; and
• how to make presentations with high impact. 

The second training session on an Introduction to Digital Photography was held on 22nd September and was facilitated by T. Sampson and F. Homer. At the end of the training session, participants were able to understand and utilise:

• digital camera controls;
• techniques to improve photo composition and quality;
• selection and use of free software;
• editing and manipulation of digital photos; and
• organisation and storage of digital photos. 

The third training session on an Introduction to Handheld GPS was held on 29th October and was facilitated by A. Gopee. At the end of the training session, participants were able to:

• understand how GPS units work;
• use basic operations of the GPS unit;
• navigate a route; and
• download GPS data unto a computer. 

The fourth training session on Communicating Information in Training of General Audiences was held on 6th November and facilitated by F. Homer. At the end of the training session, participants were able to understand:

• the communication process;
• how a message may be interpreted by others;
• the learning processes; iv) how to design objectives for training activities; and
• the elements of large group instructional design. 

Environmental Governance  

See training in NGO governance for the Fond D’or community above.  

Participation in Meetings/Workshops  

We were active in several meetings of the Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C), which were held during this period. The GWP-C is a working partnership among all stakeholders in water management in the archipelagic states and overseas territories of the Caribbean region including the countries of Belize, Guyana and Suriname. It is a network of partners for achieving an integrated approach to water resources management at the community, national and regional levels and it is the regional arm of the Global Water Partnership. The GWP-C is devoted to supporting Caribbean countries in the sustainable management of their water resources through the establishment of strategic alliances and the implementation of the appropriate actions.  We attended several national and international meetings and workshops.

Below are a few of the key activities in which we participated: 

• Caribbean Conservation Association Strategic Planning Meeting, Barbados. Sponsored by the Caribbean Conservation Association.
• First meeting of NGOs on the National Action Programme for the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (including land degradation), Trinidad. 
• IUCN Insular Caribbean Sub-regional Meeting, Trinidad.
• Meeting of Caribbean Civil Society Organisations organised by the GEF to consult on the GEF s Fourth Overall Performance Study, Barbados.  Sponsored by the GEF.
• Development of a Communication Strategy for International Year of Biodiversity for Trinidad and Tobago, organized by the Environmental Management Authority.
• GWP Contracting Parties Meeting, Sweden. Sponsored by GWPC.