Community Resilience Initiative Quarterly Report · 2021. 5. 6. · LWC Living Water Community MEL...

Community Resilience Initiative

Quarterly Report Fourth Project Quarter – January 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020

Submission Date: April 30, 2020

Submitted by: Democracy International

7600 Wisconsin Avenue, Ste 1010,

Bethesda, MD 20814

Tel: 301-961-1660

This document was produced for review by the United States Agency for International

Development Eastern and Southern Caribbean Mission (USAID/ESC).

Community Resilience Initiative Quarterly Report (Jan-Mar 2020) Page | 1

COMMUNITY RESILIENCE INITIATIVE (CRI)

QUARTERLY PROGRESS REPORT

(January 1 - March 31, 2020) Award No: 72053819CA00001

Prepared for Ms. Sharon Ramsaran

USAID/ESC

U.S. Embassy

Wildey Business Park,

St. Michael BB14006,

Barbados

Prepared by:

Democracy International, Inc.

7600 Wisconsin Ave, Suite 1010

Bethesda MD 20814

April 30, 2020

This document was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development

(USAID). It was prepared by Democracy International, Inc for the Community Resilience Initiative. The

contents are the responsibility of Democracy International, Inc. and do not necessarily reflect the views

of USAID or the United States Government.


Contents

1. PROJECT OVERVIEW/SUMMARY ................................................................ 6

2. ACTIVITY IMPLEMENTATION PROGRESS ............................................ 12

3. MANAGEMENT, ADMINISTRATIVE & OTHER OPERATIONAL

ISSUES ............................................................................................................... 41

4. LESSONS LEARNED ..................................................................................... 42

5. PLANNED ACTIVITIES FOR NEXT QUARTER INCLUDING

UPCOMING EVENTS ................................................................................... 44

6. FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT ..................................................................... 45

7. ANNEX A: SUCCESS STORIES .................................................................. 46

8. ANNEX B: CRI Indicator Summary Table ................................................ 49

9. ANNEX C: MSCC Meeting Minutes........................................................... 51


Acronym List

AFETT Association of Female Executives of T&T

AMCHAM The American Chamber of Commerce

CAB Community Awareness Briefing

CARICOM Caribbean Community

CARPHA Caribbean Public Health Agency

CFS Child Friendly Spaces

CTU Counter Trafficking Unit

CRI Community Resilience Initiative

CSO Civil society organizations

DI Democracy International, Inc.

DMAD Drama Making a Difference Company

DMLL Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics

EI Economic Inclusion

ESC Eastern and Southern Caribbean

ESL English as a Second Language

FGD Focus Group Discussion

FIA Families in Action

FISCAL Foundation for the Institution of Services, Caring and Learning

FPATT Family Planning Association of Trinidad and Tobago

ILO International Labour Organization

IOM International Organization for Migration

IR Intermediate Result

ITNAC Is There Not A Cause


LWC Living Water Community

MEL Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning

MHPSS Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services

MRF Medical Research Foundation

MSCC Multi-Stakeholder Coordination Committee

NCPP National Crime Prevention Programme

NGO Non-governmental organization

PADF Pan American Development Foundation

PAHO Pan-American Health Organization

PoCs Persons of Concern

PSA Public Service Announcement

PSS Psychosocial Support Services

R4V UN Response for Venezuela

RDD Ryu Dan Dojo Empowerment Foundation

SARAH Safeguarding and Rescuing All Humans from Trafficking

SEEW Support, Educate, and Empower Women

SSL Spanish as a Second Language

TESOL Teaching English as a Second Language

TIAR Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance

ToR Terms of Reference

TPATT The Presidents’ Award Trinidad and Tobago

TTCIC T&T Chamber of Industry and Commerce

TTMA Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers’ Association

TTVSOLNET Trinidad and Tobago-Venezuela Solidarity Network

T&T Trinidad and Tobago

UN United Nations


UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund

USAID United States Agency for International Development

USAID/ESC United States Agency for International Development Eastern and Southern Caribbean

UWI University of the West Indies


1. PROJECT OVERVIEW/SUMMARY

Program Name:

Community Resilience Initiative (CRI)

Activity Start/ End Date:

May 9, 2019 to July 31, 2020

Name of Implementing Partner:

Democracy International, Inc. (DI)

Cooperative Agreement Number:

72053819CA00001

Name of Subawardees:

Families in Action (FIA), Living Water Community (LWC), Ryu Dan Dojo Empowerment Foundation (RDD), and Drama Making A Difference Company (DMAD)

Geographic Coverage

(countries)

Trinidad and Tobago

Reporting Period:

January 1 - March 31, 2020


1.1 Executive Summary

The Community Resilience Initiative (CRI) in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T)—funded by the United States Agency for International Development Eastern and Southern Caribbean (USAID/ESC) and implemented by Democracy International, Inc. (DI)—works with civil society organizations (CSOs) to reduce the victimization of Venezuelan refugees and migrants and enhance direct, positive engagement between T&T nationals and Venezuelans to foster community development and resilience in response to the influx of Venezuelans to T&T since 2016. Focusing specifically on the six target locations of Arima, Chaguanas, Couva, Mayaro, Port of Spain, and Rio Claro, CRI works through existing local civil society networks to expand services to refugees and migrants through community resource centers and serves as a link between civil society, government, and private actors. The CRI program consists of two objectives: (1) coordinate and enhance existing community systems to more effectively address the refugee and migrant crisis, and (2) foster positive social interaction and trust among Venezuelan and T&T communities.

In the fourth quarter of CRI implementation, the project continued progress toward objectives one and two, working closely with the local partner organizations Drama Making a Difference Company (DMAD), Families in Action (FIA), Living Water Community (LWC), and Ryu Dan Dojo Empowerment Foundation (RDD). With support from DI, these partners led efforts to build resilience capacities among T&T and Venezuelan populations through the CRI resource centers, which serve as safe spaces to foster learning and social cohesion and connect host and migrant populations with the services they need in each of the six target locations. Please refer to Annex A for two success stories on the impact of CRI programming around the country.

Cross-Sectoral Collaboration Promoted The CRI partner organizations collaboratively engaged communities and stakeholders across T&T to share information and mobilize participation in project activities. The CRI Multi-Stakeholder Coordination Committee (MSCC) served as a platform for partners to learn about the different services offered by government entities in order to better inform target communities. As a direct result and building on successes of the previous quarter, FIA modified its counselling services to respond to COVID-19, providing information on national health services in English and Spanish and supporting victims of domestic violence. This quarter, the MSCC’s Economic Inclusion (EI) Subcommittee also conducted a private sector survey on labor issues and employing migrants to inform future private sector engagement. The CRI partners disseminated 2,760 information products in total to target populations this quarter.

Skills for Resilience Built This quarter, the CRI partners provided educational or psychosocial support to 650 people, bringing the total through March 2020 to 1,027 (460 T&T nationals, 542 Venezuelans, and 25 other). These services included English as a Second Language (ESL) classes for 165 Venezuelans, taught by migrant teachers certified last quarter through a partnership with the University of the West Indies (UWI) under CRI. LWC implemented a Sky School diploma course this quarter, which brought Venezuelan and T&T youth together to expand their creative arts skills. One trained facilitator shared their appreciation for this initiative, expressing that by participating, they were able to “overcome fears” in speaking English and

CRI Beneficiary Quote

“Each week was a great challenge for

me, but I was able to recover something

that I had lost being in this new

immigrant life – [a] confidence and

security in [myself].”

-Venezuelan refugee and trained

facilitator of the Sky School course under

CRI


now “believe in [themselves] again.” FIA similarly built youth leadership skills among T&T and Venezuelan youth from Arima, Couva, and San Fernando this quarter, while also adapting the program to fortify the resilience capacities of 16 Venezuelan teen trafficking victims at the St. Jude’s Home for Girls in Belmont.

Positive Ties Established between Trinidadians and Venezuelans The four CRI partner organizations conducted activities this quarter to build trust between T&T nationals and Venezuelans, including through joint youth development programs, cultural events, and creative media content. To date, 1,805 people have directly participated in CRI activities (934 T&T nationals, 815 Venezuelans, and 56 other); many more have been reached indirectly through CRI social media campaigns, radio programming, and street outreach efforts. DMAD, in addition to conducting outreach in communities and on social media for its tolerance campaign, organized its “One Amor” cross-cultural show that encouraged Venezuelan and T&T communities to come together to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela with empathy. In the lead up to the “One Amor” cultural fair, DMAD ran a series of bilingual radio drama episodes to raise awareness and spur dialogue on issues related to Venezuelan migration to T&T. RDD also completed the second cycle of their comprehensive Sports + (Plus) youth mentorship program, which used sports, education, and practical workshops to foster development and relationship-building across T&T and Venezuelan youth.

CRI Core Programming Adapted to COVID-19 Context This quarter saw a major contextual change in the emergence of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. As the virus spread across the world, the CRI partners brainstormed creative approaches to maintaining programming and, immediately upon the implementation of restrictions in T&T, moved all activities to virtual modalities. The global pandemic has challenged the CRI partners to find innovative ways of keeping persons engaged, demonstrating resilience themselves in the face of the crisis. The CRI team is utilizing the opportunity to increase online engagements on social media platforms to educate the public on the CRI project and on safety measures against COVID-19. Though it has caused such a global crisis, the CRI team has recognized the opportunity to reinforce the messaging of the “One Humanity” tolerance campaign in the face of this common threat—we are all human, and we are all affected by this one virus, so let us unite to fight it

Dance performance at DMAD's 'One Amor' Event


1.2 Summary of Results to Date

Quarterly Reported Indicators Baseline

Year 1

Annual Target

CRI Q2

Jul-Sep 2019

CRI Q3

Oct-Dec 2019

CRI Q4

Jan-Mar 2020

CRI Q5

Apr-May 2020

Annual Performance

Achieved to the End of

Reporting Period (%)

On Target

Y/N

Indicator 2: Percent of CRI Multi-Stakeholder Coordination Committee agenda activities completed or in progress

0 90% 100% 100% 100% Y

Indicator 3: Number of information products distributed

0 2,500 357 4,756 2,760 315%

7,873

Y

Indicator 6: Number of persons participating in activities aimed at the prevention of xenophobia, discrimination and/or exploitation

0 1,420 219

TT: 105

VZ: 111

Other: 3

749

TT: 399 VZ: 328 Other: 22

645

TT: 395

VZ: 221

Other: 29

65%

1,306

TT: 746

VZ: 515

Other: 45

Y

Indicator 7: Number of individual participants trained or supported in education or psychosocial activities

0 610 111

TT: 62

VZ: 48

Other: 1

566

TT: 285

VZ: 264

Other: 17

650

TT: 260

VZ: 376

Other: 14

168%

1,027

TT: 460

VZ: 542

Other: 25

Y

Indicator 8: YOUTH-1 Number of youth trained in social or leadership skills through USG assisted programs

0 440 18

TT: 10

VZ: 8

81

TT: 50

VZ: 29 Other: 2

178

TT: 98

VZ: 77

Other: 3

51%

226

TT: 124

VZ: 98

Other: 4

Y

*Totals provided in annual performance achieved to date represent cumulative unique beneficiaries. They do not equal the sum of the quarters because some beneficiaries participated in activities multiple quarters.


Context Indicators

Indicator 9: Approximate rate of Venezuelan population influx/refugee presence

No new official reporting on the number of Venezuelans in T&T or the rate of influx has been released this quarter. Official reports from T&T continue to use the 16,5231 Venezuelan migrants reported to have registered with the T&T government in June 2019. The United Nations (UN), for the purposes of their 2020 Refugee and Migrant Response Plan, is estimating approximately 24,000 Venezuelan migrants and refugees in T&T by the end of 2019, extrapolating from the official government registration numbers from June 2019. For their 2020 plan, they predict an estimated 33,400 Venezuelan migrants and refugees in T&T by the end of 2020. The UN reports an estimated 4.9 million individuals have fled Venezuela in total. T&T news outlets this quarter report that undocumented Venezuelans continue to enter the country on southern coasts and, in March, reported an uptick in the numbers of people arriving this way.

Indicator 10: Number of immigration-related policy and regulatory changes introduced or adopted

This quarter, as the initial six-month validity period of the Minister’s permits from the June 2019 registration came to an end, the T&T government announced that those Venezuelans who registered in June 2019 would receive an automatic six-month extension. The announcement came mid-January; however, at the end of the quarter, the process remains unclear. When announcing the intention to extend, Minister of National Security Stuart Young explained: “The methodology [for doing so] is being worked on.” Newsday reported that even as he made that announcement, many migrants still had not received their cards. The Ministry of National Security opened over the weekend of January 18 and 19 to expedite the process of issuing the original cards to those registered who had not yet received them. Reports indicated that cards collected in January reflected dates of issue in September 2019 and expiration in March 2020, and Venezuelans expressed frustration that they had not been able to work during the initial period due to the delays in issuing the cards. As the cards reflect imminent expiration dates and there is no clear process for the automatic extension, confusion remains as to how this policy will be implemented, as well as how employers will proceed. Venezuelans are likewise concerned by the continued lack of clarity on what will happen at the end of the next six-month period.

While not a policy change, it is noteworthy that the Office of the Prime Minister noted that COVID-19 treatment and testing is available to all in T&T, including Venezuelan migrants. Nevertheless, concern persists over the general lack of policies and social protections for non-nationals, particularly in light of the COVID-19 crisis. Social safety nets and services available to T&T nationals are not extended to migrants, and the ripple effects of the crisis pose increasing risks for the vulnerable Venezuelan migrant and refugee populations.

The Ministry of Labour and Small Enterprise Development is reportedly still working on a migration policy and reached out to CRI for information on our labor market survey this quarter to consider using the data in drafting that policy. This policy may see delays in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, however.

Venezuelan Migration to Trinidad and Tobago in the News

Issues related to Venezuelan migration to T&T continued to appear frequently in both international and local news reports this quarter. This quarter, international attention primarily focused on T&T and Venezuela cancelling their agreement to jointly develop the Loran-Manatee natural gas field that spans

1 Latest report of number of Venezuelans registered during the GORTT registration period in June 2019.


11

the maritime border between the two countries due to U.S. sanctions on Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. This development similarly received significant attention in the T&T media. Voice of America again featured an article on human trafficking from Venezuela to T&T (February 20). International and local media likewise covered T&T’s lack of participation in Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to Jamaica this quarter, highlighting divisions within CARICOM between those recognizing Nicolás Maduro’s government (such as T&T) and those recognizing Juan Guaidó (which participated in the meeting with Secretary Pompeo).

Local media coverage included both positive and negative stories this quarter, as well as some awareness pieces on the situation in Venezuela. Newsday, for instance, continued to produce numerous stories on the plight of Venezuelans and efforts to support them in T&T, including a piece that remarked on Venezuela’s “blow to democracy” when Guaidó was refused entry to the National Assembly. The article juxtaposed the stance of the T&T government toward Venezuela as compared to that of the U.S. and the Organization of American States (January 7). The same author wrote about the extension of the Minister’s Permits (January 17), Venezuelans’ concerns about the lack of clarity on the process (January 26), and the Catholic Church’s support of education for migrants (February 6), as well as USAID’s Community Resilience Initiative (January 28). The Trinidad Express also reported on one Venezuelan migrant’s difficult experience in a special report entitled “Trip of Hope” (March 28), as well as on the bust of a human trafficking ring that involved the arrest of two T&T police officers and found 46 Venezuelan victims, including 10 minors (February 12). While Carnival celebrated cultural traditions, one report shared discouraging themes in the Calypso Monarch competition, where performances included social commentary on the Venezuelan migrant situation in T&T. This report quoted one performance, titled “Put the Country First,” that sang, “Yuh help Venezuela, Trinidad suffer” (Newsday, January 23).

In March, tensions grew as the COVID-19 crisis spread, particularly due to border closures and numerous pieces reporting on the T&T nationals trapped on Margarita Island in Venezuela and Prime Minister Keith Rowley’s decision to allow a visit by Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodriguez. Social media likewise saw increasing tensions and resentment toward organizations providing aid to Venezuelan migrant populations in the face of growing economic challenges faced by the T&T populations because of the pandemic. The Trinidad Express did report on the “unique challenges” that the COVID-19 restrictions pose for the Venezuelan migrant population in a piece entitled “Migrant Misery: What will happen to thousands of Venezuelans?” (March 31). The piece highlighted the impact on migrants’ temporary, minimum wage jobs; the related effects on their ability to access food and shelter; and the increased risk for the spread of COVID-19 because of poor and crowded living conditions, circumstances exacerbated by the unclear extension of the Minister’s permits and the lack of access to most social services.


2. ACTIVITY IMPLEMENTATION PROGRESS

2.1 Progress Narrative

Locally-Led Resilience-Building Activities in Full Implementation

The CRI team made tremendous progress this quarter in the implementation of activities across both objectives. The four core CRI partners—Ryu Dan Dojo Empowerment Foundation, Families in Action, Drama Making a Difference Company, and Living Water Community—continued activities in all of the CRI resource centers to increase access to information and strengthen social resilience. To date, 1,306 individuals (746 T&T nationals, 515 Venezuelans, and 45 other) have participated in activities aimed at preventing xenophobia and discrimination. Please refer to the table below for a summary of implementation status:

Activities Planned for the Period Status

(Completed, In Progress, Delayed)

CRI Fact Cards In Progress – first social media cards launched this quarter

Interpretation and Translation Network In Progress – first use of network this quarter

CRI Quarterly Partner Learning and Coordination Session

Completed

Multi-Stakeholder Coordination Committee (MSCC) sessions four and five

Completed

MSCC Economic Inclusion Subcommittee sessions one and two

Completed

MSCC Language and Linguistics Subcommittee sessions one and two

Completed

MSCC Health and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services (MHPSS) Subcommittee session one

Completed

RDD Second Round of Sports + (Plus) Completed

LWC ESL Classes Completed

LWC Sky School Program Almost completed, finalization disrupted by COVID-19. Final sessions to be completed beginning of next quarter.

FIA one-on-one and family counselling In Progress – ongoing throughout life of project

FIA 24/7 Bilingual Hotline In Progress – ongoing throughout life of project


FIA Youth Leadership Program Cycle 2 Completed

FIA Train-the-Trainer Youth Leadership Program Delayed by COVID-19. Being adapted to online for next quarter completion.

DMAD Empathy and Venezuelan Voices Videos Completed. Videos have been shared on CRI social media

DMAD Social Media Campaign In Progress – CRI social media sites launched and active

DMAD Cross-Community Engagement Events Completed. Final one held this quarter.

DMAD Radio Drama Series Completed.

DMAD Cross-Cultural Show Completed.

DMAD event to commemorate international days Delayed by COVID-19. Being adapted to online for April 2020.

DMAD Spoken Word Competition Launched. Disrupted by COVID-19. To be completed by April 2020.

2.2 Implementation Status

Objective 1: Coordinate and Enhance Existing Community Systems

to More Effectively Address Refugee and Migrant Crisis

This quarter, CRI continued to facilitate information sharing and effective referral pathways through coordination with a variety of stakeholders, in particular through our MSCC and associated technical subcommittees.

Intermediate Result 1: Local systems strengthened to improve service

delivery to communities with refugee and migrant populations

DI made significant progress toward achieving Intermediate Result (IR) 1 this quarter, including through heightened activities at the CRI community resource centers and effective cross-sectoral collaboration through two CRI MSCC meetings and several meetings of three technical sub-committees.


Sub IR 1.1: Coordination of services and service providers improved

Multi Stakeholder Coordination Committee DI organized the fourth and fifth meetings of the CRI Multi-Stakeholder Coordination Committee this quarter to foster strengthening of coordination and cooperation among T&T government, private sector, civil society, and international actors providing services to and supporting integration of Venezuelans in T&T communities. Members presented on their programs, confirming referral pathways and presenting opportunities for collaboration. During the fourth meeting, the CRI partners focused on presenting results achieved to date and clearly identified areas for continued coordination to establish sustainability for the activities. New members also joined the MSCC in February 2020 to identify collaborations and determine how to utilize the MSCC coordination network and established connections to effectively provide services to the target populations. These included the Medical Research Foundation (MRF), Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), and the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF), which is implementing a project funded by the U.S. Department of State.

Several common concerns facing the target populations were identified during the MSCC meetings, including a need for economic inclusion and employment support, a need for better access to health and mental health services, and the overarching need for translation and interpretation services in Spanish for the Venezuelan population. In order to address these challenges in serving the target populations, and to leverage collaborations identified by the MSCC to create sustainable solutions in the communities, the three technical sub-committees worked to advance focused actions in those areas. These included the Economic Inclusion, Language and Linguistics, and the Health and Mental Health and Psychosocial Services subcommittees. The specific activities of the subcommittees are detailed below.

The fifth MSCC meeting in March 2020 focused on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Building on the MSCC mapping of referral pathways, the committee heard from each member about changes to their activities and services to comply with government regulations regarding in-person gatherings and identification of essential services. Members discussed adaptations of services and ways to serve the especially vulnerable target populations, many of which had suffered sudden job loss and were facing food shortages. CRI committed to using its social media platforms to share information related to COVID-19, the Government response, and key information related to health and mental health during this time, in both Spanish and English, and to update the fact cards for distribution on social media with the information reflecting the changes in availability of services and referral pathways. Please refer to Annex C for the full meeting minutes from the MSCC sessions.

MSCC Session Action Point Status

September 2019 DI to edit draft MSCC Terms of Reference (ToR) per first session discussion and share for final feedback from members

Completed

September 2019 MSCC to hold a session for each member to present his/her institution’s own programs in order to facilitate coordination and foster better understanding and awareness for all members on the existing initiatives and services available

Completed


September 2019 DI to work with MSCC members for verification of information gathered for CRI fact cards

Completed

September 2019 MSCC to form two technical sub-committees: 1) Private sector-civil society coordination sub-committee, 2) Linguistics sub-committee to coordinate interpretation and translation efforts

Completed

October-December 2019

Referral mechanisms to be established, including between Children’s Authority and FIA, Community Development and beneficiaries needing mediation services, Community Policing and CRI youth activities

Completed

March 2020 DI to adapt validated fact cards to reflect changes due to COVID-19 pandemic response and national regulations

Completed

Economic Inclusion Subcommittee

The objectives of the Economic Inclusion subcommittee are to promote fair and equitable work practices for all workers, increase access to opportunities for financial inclusion for migrants and refugees, and advocate for economic inclusion.

The Economic Inclusion subcommittee, which met twice this quarter, drafted and distributed an online survey to the private sector to collect data on the interest in hiring migrants and refugees, challenges in employing migrants and refugees, services provided to migrants and refugees, and the support needed to engage migrants and refugees. The survey was distributed by the MSCC members to their networks—including through the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers’ Association (TTMA) and the T&T Chamber of Industry and Commerce—and was also sent to other private sector associations, such as The Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago], the Chaguanas Chamber of Commerce, Trinidad & Tobago Coalition of Service Industries (TTCSI), and the Association of Female Executives of T&T (AFETT). The survey responses indicated that the key challenges the private sector faced in employing Venezuelans included finding employees with sufficient English proficiency, verifying and validating work permits and qualifications, finding employees with the required skills, and determining how best to reach out to the migrant population. The respondents also showed interest in engaging in programs such as job fairs and providing skills training and language services, if given support.

DI is preparing an analysis report based on the survey responses, which will guide the EI subcommittee actions going forward to respond to the private sector need. The subcommittee identified areas for further work, leveraging the capacity of the members, including partnering with training agencies to design programs for the private sector and developing templates for policies related to diversity and inclusion and employment of non-nationals. The subcommittee is also undertaking a mapping of recruitment agencies, training agencies, and private sector actors who are successfully demonstrating good practices in employing Venezuelans. This mapping will inform the key partnerships the subcommittee will pursue to implement the planned activities.


To prepare for activities related to recruitment and employment opportunities for Venezuelans, the subcommittee cleaned and organized a database of Venezuelan job seekers from data provided by the Trinidad and Tobago-Venezuela Solidarity Network (TTVSOLNET). The subcommittee agreed to engage recruitment agencies to discuss strategies to match job openings with the job seekers.

Language and Linguistics Subcommittee The objectives of the Language and Linguistics subcommittee of the MSCC are to facilitate increased standardization of language classes in T&T and to promote UWI student involvement in supporting language classes and services through a volunteer network. The Language and Linguistics subcommittee, which also met twice this quarter, adjusted the online survey tool to create a database of volunteer interpreters and translators to expand to student volunteers from other UWI departments who could be used to support the CRI education-related activities, including language and creative/art programs. The CRI database currently has 38 volunteers, with 11 indicating various levels of translations and interpretation qualifications. Under CRI, Living Water Community facilitates 12 ESL classes across the country, eight of which might need to train and utilize additional volunteers for childcare support. Due to COVID-19, these trainings will be planned and conducted virtually as needed.

To address the standardization of the language classes, the team conducted a mapping of existing English classes and teachers and created a shared drive to collect language resources, including standardized curricula and exercises that can be made available online to teachers.

Health, Mental Health and Psychosocial Services Subcommittee In the February MSCC meeting, the members decided to form a Health, Mental Health, and Psychosocial Services subcommittee because of the prevalence of health-related issues among the migrant populations and the identified need for targeted efforts to coordinate on related issues. This new technical subcommittee held its first meeting in March and set its objectives, including to provide support to and increase access to healthcare services for the migrant and refugee population. T&T national policy dictates that non-nationals are only entitled to emergency medical services and public health services such as immunization and treatment of communicable diseases, so there are many necessary healthcare services that are not available to non-nationals through the public health system, including mental health care and the treatment of chronic health conditions. The subcommittee identified gaps and challenges within the health system and recommended ways to address those gaps and improve the system. This committee mapped service providers who provide support to the population to build networks for community interventions, translated informational materials into Spanish, and is determining how virtual platforms such as tele-medicine can be used. These virtual platforms have become more necessary due to restrictions put in place to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Subcommittee members include doctors who are working with the targeted populations, the Medical Research Foundation, Living Water Community, Mamatoto Birth and Resource Center, and Rape Crisis Society.

CRI Partner Coordination This quarter, DI continued to support coordination among the CRI grantees through ongoing communications, outreach, and networking. Building on previous quarters, the CRI partners


continued to coordinate their activities this quarter and collaborate on strategic interventions, including in the following ways:

LWC helped mobilize participants from the Venezuelan migrant community for FIA’s youth leadership programs in Arima and the Couva/San Fernando areas.

FIA advised LWC in the rollout of their Sky School program, given FIA’s significant experience with youth education initiatives. FIA also helped mobilize T&T participants in the program, providing access to their network of schools in the Port of Spain area and resulting in more than 70 applications from young people interested in participating in the Sky School program.

FIA distributed flyers on DMAD’s Poetry Competition to parents and participants of both rounds of their youth leadership program this quarter. The other CRI partners likewise helped spread the word about the competition among their beneficiaries.

RDD Young Leaders were represented at DMAD’s Cross-Cultural Show, “One Amor,” hosted at the UWI Learning Resource Center.

CRI partners collaborated with DMAD to go on-air to share information about the CRI project as part of an awareness and advocacy activity on DMAD’s Radio Drama Series.

CRI partners continue to share various types of informational material—photos, messages, and videos—with DMAD for their CRI social media platforms.

CRI partners continue to disseminate FIA’s 24/7 bilingual hotline, as the service has become ever more critical during the COVID-19 lockdown and restrictions.

In March, DI conducted the quarterly partner learning session, held virtually on account of the COVID-19 restrictions. As the partner grants were coming to an end in March 2020, this session provided a platform for the CRI partners to reflect on lessons learned from their activities, consider priorities for the future, and brainstorm on areas for improvement during the extension period. Given the new reality of COVID-19, however, the session also largely focused on how each partner was adjusting their activities due to COVID-19 and how the crisis might affect priorities for CRI programming, at least for the interim period while awaiting additional funding from USAID. More information on lessons learned this quarter can be found in section 4 of this report. By the time COVID-19 restrictions began in T&T in mid-March, the partners had already taken steps to think through adapted programming and began adjusting all activities accordingly. For additional information on CRI COVID-19 adaptations from this quarter, please refer to Section 2.3: Implementation Challenges.

Coordination with T&T Government Ministries and Stakeholders Over the course of the quarter, DI continued to engage with a variety of stakeholders to raise awareness of the project, gain stakeholder buy-in, and gather information for improved coordination and service referrals. The Ministry of Labour reached out to DI to request data from the labor market survey to provide assistance in the development of a Labour Migration Policy for Trinidad and Tobago. The data from the survey is still being compiled and will be shared with the Ministry upon completion. This quarter, there has also been continued engagement, primarily through the MSCC, with the Counter Trafficking Unit (CTU) of the Ministry of National Security, the National Crime Prevention Program under the Ministry of National Security, the Ministry of Community Development, and the Ministry of Social Development and Family Services. Through participation in the MSCC meetings, updated information regarding referral pathways for services offered in the communities have been shared, and updates regarding services available in response to COVID-19.


Coordination with International Agencies and Other Stakeholders DI continued to engage with UN agencies to identify possibilities for coordination between the development initiatives and CRI activities and to establish referral pathways to refer beneficiaries through the CRI resource centers and fact cards. DI participated in the UN Response for Venezuela (R4V) Refugee and Migrant Response Plan meetings this quarter, as well as the Protection Coordination Working Group, during which DI contributed to the COVID-19 mapping, indicating the movement to virtual activities and remote working to continue to support the communities during the COVID-19 response. Participation in these meetings provided the opportunity to include referral information for the counselling and crisis services provided by FIA into the Case Management Inter-Agency Referral Contingency Plan and also allowed for continued sharing of information between DI and the UN agencies, identifying possible areas for collaboration.

DI continues to monitor developments in the registration and migrant employment framework through government engagement and context monitoring and help raise awareness among employers and employees about the rules and regulations for hiring Venezuelans registered in June 2019 through the information and fact cards provided through CRI social media channels, CRI activities, and MSCC sessions.

Sub-IR 1.2: Access to information about services and service providers

improved

CRI Community Resource Centers Offer Safe Haven for Their Communities This quarter, the CRI resource centers continued to provide a safe space for T&T nationals and Venezuelans to access information and participate in CRI activities aimed at fostering positive social interaction and building social resilience capacities. Print materials available at the resource centers during this quarter include:

CRI Fact Sheets, CRI activities brochures, Flyers for DMAD’s spoken word competition and “One Amor” cross-cultural show, Information on accessing FIA counselling and 24/7 bilingual hotline services, Registration flyers for the various classes offered by each of the CRI partners, and Ministry brochures shared by MSCC members.

Each center also has bilingual personnel on board who facilitate communication with both target populations and provide information and referrals where necessary. Through the centers, CRI partners share information gathered through the MSCC and from other stakeholders, as well. In January, DI finalized a resource information booklet, which compiles information gathered from the MSCC members and other service providers in T&T so that the CRI partner staff and FIA hotline listeners can easily reference the information and refer clients as needed.

The CRI centers also continued to offer a safe space for services provided by the CRI partner organizations during this quarter, such as:

FIA utilized their Port of Spain Resource Center as their flagship center to provide their one-on-one counselling. They also conducted youth programming with young T&T nationals and Venezuelans from Arima, Couva, and San Fernando this quarter.

LWC embarked upon ESL courses with 165 students and held classes in all five of their CRI resource centers in Maraval, Belmont, Chaguanas, Arima, and Rio Claro. On account of


the high enrollment rate, they also offered classes in Woodbrook, Curepe, and Couva. LWC additionally hosted the Sky School program this quarter at the Maraval Resource Center.

RDD continues to offer a series of youth development activities such as martial arts, basic English literacy, life skills training, and social skills enhancement at both their Chaguanas and Mayaro Resource Centers as part of their Sports + (Plus) program. In February, independent of CRI activities, RDD held their annual ‘Clothes Drive and Free Breakfast’ at their Chaguanas Resource Center. They sold items at minimal cost (starting at 1 TTD to cover RDD customs duties costs associated with the event) to members of the T&T and migrant communities, many of whom were RDD’s CRI beneficiaries. Items were available for men, women, and children and included clothing, shoes, bags, accessories, and school items. Over 100 breakfast boxes were prepared and served to members of the community, including many Venezuelan families who needed it most.

Fact Cards and Information Products To increase access to information, DI has compiled and validated fact cards to make requested information on social services easily available to T&T nationals and Venezuelan migrants. This quarter, DI worked with a Trinidadian artist to produce illustrations to accompany the information and present them in an eye-catching manner. DI presented the final versions, ready for production in a calendar booklet to encourage retention and use of the product, to the MSCC for feedback this quarter and received final edits from the CTU, Children’s Authority, and FIA. Due to limitations presented by the COVID-19 restrictions on business operations, instead of

producing the booklet immediately, DI and the illustrator began adapting the cards to digital form for dissemination on CRI’s and partner organizations’ social media platforms, as well as through WhatsApp, a popular communication medium for both the Venezuelan and T&T national populations. This quarter, CRI released the digital cards with information on emergency health services in English and Spanish and began working on a new card with measures to prevent transmission of COVID-19. DI also began working with the MSCC and UN networks and other government stakeholders to update services available (new hotlines and virtual services and adjustments in services, hours, and access restrictions) in response to COVID-19.

In addition to the fact cards, DI distributed to CRI partners and MSCC members a resource information booklet to serve as a reference aid to ensure that up-to-date information on services is made readily available. The resource information booklet can be printed and is also available through a shared Google document, which allows for regular updates to be made as needed. The booklet has proved very useful for the listeners on the FIA 24/7 hotline, for instance, who use it in order to refer callers and advise them on services available. Staff in the CRI resource centers likewise use the document to make referrals. RDD staff, for instance, have used it to inform

Digital Fact Card on Emergency

Services in English

Digital Fact Card on Emergency

Services in Spanish


some Venezuelan migrants about the sexual and reproductive health services available through the Family Planning Association of T&T.

DI produces all fact cards in English and Spanish and worked with a volunteer translator this quarter to help produce the Spanish versions. Topics of focus include information on labor rights, health services, psychosocial services, education and training, legal services, refugee services, and children and family services, which are all critical areas of services for T&T nationals and Venezuelan migrants and refugees.

Objective 2: Foster Positive Social Interaction and Trust among

Venezuelan and T&T Communities

Under this objective, to foster inclusion and enhance communities’ resilience capacities, DI supports local CRI partner organizations to implement trust-building activities within and across Venezuelan and T&T populations. This quarter, the CRI partners continued implementing these activities across the country, including building language skills in all CRI target locations, completing the second cycle of youth development programming, and spurring nationwide dialogue on key issues through a creative radio drama.

Intermediate Result 2: Increased trust between Venezuelan and T&T host

communities

CRI partners continued to build trust between Venezuelan and T&T populations, reaching 645 people (395 T&T nationals, 221 Venezuelans, and 29 other) in activities aimed at reducing xenophobia and discrimination this quarter and supporting 650 people (260 T&T nationals, 376 Venezuelans, and 14 other) to learn skills for coexistence, including through language classes and life skills workshops.

Sub-IR 2.1: T&T nationals’ and Venezuelans’ understanding of each other

increased

DMAD Tolerance Campaign and Social Media Presence Build Momentum DMAD led the continued growth of the CRI social media presence this quarter, seeing a steady increase of followers, likes, and shares since the launch in November 2019. As part of this effort, DMAD ramped up activities under their tolerance campaign, disseminating the Venezuelan Voices and Empathy videos created at the end of last quarter, conducting a bilingual radio drama, and hosting a cross-cultural show at UWI. DMAD designed their campaign messages, radio series, and performances based on the stories and experiences shared through their listening campaign and cross-community engagement sessions across the country last quarter, incorporating the needs, feelings, and challenges of both the T&T and Venezuelan communities. DMAD also continues to collaborate with the other CRI partners to obtain and disseminate information about CRI activities. DMAD utilizes primarily audio and visual resources which are shared widely through the social media platforms.

DMAD uses social media to raise awareness about the situation in Venezuela and cultural similarities and differences between T&T and Venezuela, as well as to promote CRI partner services and activities. In March, CRI’s social media channels were particularly busy as DMAD shared content about its own activities and CRI partners’ activities, as well as relevant information


and messages on COVID-19 from reliable sources such as the Ministry of Health and the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO). The CRI team also launched the dissemination of the CRI fact cards in March, starting with information on emergency health services. CRI partner RDD also developed two videos on COVID-19, one in English with their T&T beneficiaries applauding the frontline workers, and one in Spanish with their Venezuelan beneficiaries on guidelines for reducing the risk of contracting the disease, both of which were highlighted on the CRI social media channels. The CRI social media statistics are as follows:

Facebook. The CRI Facebook page garnered a total of 766 likes, a 44% increase from last quarter, and 776 followers, a 45% increase from last year. Followers are primarily between the ages of 25-45, and 65% are women. DMAD’s Venezuelan Voices and Empathy Campaign helped to encourage interaction on the page. Five Facebook ads were run this quarter; two of these ads increased visibility for DMAD’s cross-cultural show, "One Amor," reaching an average of 5,200 persons per ad, while three ads were run to encourage participation in DMAD’s spoken word competition, which reached an average of 17,500 persons per ad.

Instagram. The CRI Instagram profile gained a 120% increase in followers this quarter, made up of 66% women and 34% men, mostly from the areas of Port of Spain and Arima, and primarily between the ages of 18 and 34. Posts received 473 likes and four comments this quarter. In total, DMAD uploaded 69 posts to the Instagram account, comprising 20 videos and 49 photos, of which the Venezuelan Voices and Empathy videos received the most engagement. These videos, which used both English and Spanish subtitles, highlighted the stories of Venezuelan nationals and shared perspectives from T&T nationals on the need for the two nationalities to come together.

Twitter. The CRI Twitter page gained a 203% increase in followers and 99% increase in profile visits. The account gained 17 new followers and 39 retweets of CRI posts. The most active followers during this period, outside of the direct CRI network, were the Canadian High Commission to Trinidad and Tobago and radio personalities who helped bring attention to the pages when collaborating on the bilingual radio drama.

Conclusion of Cross-Community Engagements

Q4 2019 Stats As at Dec 31, 2019

Q1 2020 Stats As at Mar 31, 2020

Percentage Increase

Facebook Likes 533 766 44%

Facebook Followers

537 776 45%

Instagram Followers

97 214 120%

Twitter Followers 20 37 85%

Twitter Profile Visits

136 270 99%

Tweets 31 94 203%

Retweets 11 39 255%


On January 4, DMAD conducted its seventh and final cross-community engagement event in St. James, Port of Spain. Prior to the event, the DMAD team took to the streets of Port of Spain to encourage dialogue, raise awareness among T&T populations about Venezuelan culture, and ultimately encourage attendance for the event. For this event, DMAD partnered with “Is There Not A Cause” (ITNAC), a local non-profit organization that focuses on community development, disaster response, and poverty alleviation. ITNAC, which also provides assistance to Venezuelan migrants through low-cost childcare, donation of food and clothes, and educational activities, hosted DMAD’s show at their venue in St. James.

Building off activities in the previous quarter, this event brought together 79 persons (38 T&T nationals, 33 Venezuelans, eight other; 33 males, 46 females) with the aim of building trust between Venezuelan migrants and T&T nationals through a series of theatrical performances and activities that facilitated engagement between the populations and encouraged reflection on the Venezuelan migration situation in T&T. The program included several dramatic presentations using various techniques that encouraged the audience’s participation. These techniques included playback theatre, forum theatre, image theatre, storytelling, human sculpting, and spoken word poetry. The theme of each activity focused on emphasizing values such as empathy, tolerance, and care. One activity, “human sculpting,” invited audience members to “sculpt” actors—directing them to show different emotions through facial expressions and body movements—based on their feelings about the migration of Venezuelans to T&T. This activity served as an ‘icebreaker’ for the participants but also served to provide insights into how sensitive the audience is to the issue. Using the playback theatre approach, actors supported the audience to process emotions by transforming them into dramatic performances. To overcome the language barrier, DMAD employed forum theatre, which depicted the experience of migration with little to no spoken words. The audience too shared their own views, stories, and solutions. DMAD invited Samuel Negrin as the feature speaker. He is a Venezuelan national and presenter of the local TV series “Aqui Tambien Se Habla Español,” an educational Spanish program produced by the local entertainment television channel, Synergy TV.

Bilingual Radio Drama Series DMAD’s 10-part radio series aired this quarter on two local radio stations: Boom Champions and The Word, which DMAD selected because of their popularity and reach to both young and adult listeners in T&T. Boom Champions (94.1FM) is T&T’s top urban radio station, with the strongest youth following in the country. The station offers entertainment, address social issues, and broadcasts urban music for its youthful listenership. The Word broadcasts a mix of music genres such as urban, pop gospel, praise, Caribbean, and local music mainly geared toward the adult listenership. The Word is owned by the One Caribbean Media group, which is known across the Caribbean as a credible and authoritative source on news, information, and entertainment. The Radio Drama Series aired on both of these stations from January 20 to 31, airing Monday to Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. on Boom Champions and from 4:45 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on The Word. These times were chosen as they are deemed high-traffic times for persons during commuting hours. The series was also streamed live on CRI’s Instagram platform daily, which made the content available for 24 hours thereafter.

The 10-part radio series was conceptualized by DMAD to creatively present the challenges and biases of both the T&T and migrant communities and how negative sentiments can rapidly devolve into prejudice, discrimination, exploitation, and even violence. The goal of the radio series is to foster dialogue around these issues and encourage listeners to engage critically with their


own biases and think through themes of tolerance and acceptance. The first six episodes focused on interpersonal conflicts between members of the T&T and migrant communities. The final four episodes focused on additional issues that threaten resilience in T&T communities such as child abuse and youth involvement in crime. Each episode was approximately five minutes long and was followed by an interactive segment for dialogue among panelists and callers. A total of 30 persons called into the program over the course of the two weeks to share their comments and ask questions. Some of the key issues raised and discussed during these segments include:

The trauma associated with forced migration;

Gendered inter-personal dynamics and stereotypes;

The objectification of both Venezuelan and T&T women;

Challenges in accessing government services; and

Common biases and stereotypes found within T&T communities about migrants.

Together with Andre Dillon of DMAD, other CRI partners such as Ken Ramdhan of FIA, Marva John-Logan of RDD, and Zahra Alleyne of DI joined the discussion panel on the radio sessions, highlighting CRI efforts and the services offered by their respective organizations while also contributing to the dialogue in response to the issues raised by callers on the radio drama series. DMAD also engaged Tya Jane Ramey—social worker, Miss T&T 2019, and Miss World Caribbean 2019—to participate as a panelist in the discussion. These presenters encouraged listeners to be tolerant, stressing positive messages of acceptance, equality, cohesion, and open-mindedness.

Cross-Cultural Show This quarter, DMAD hosted its cross-cultural show dubbed “One Amor,” an English-Spanish blend of the common Caribbean phrase “One Love”. This name was chosen to re-emphasize the need for T&T communities to respond with empathy to the humanitarian crisis facing Venezuela and for T&T nationals and Venezuelans to come together for peaceful, cohesive coexistence.

The event, held at UWI, brought together 269 persons (181 T&T nationals, 75 Venezuelans, 13 other; 111 males, 158 females). It combined elements of

Venezuelan musical and theatrical traditions with local T&T traditions and highlighted cultural elements of both countries, including food, music and dance, and festivals. The event began with performances inside, followed by an outdoor cultural expo that allowed participants to mingle, browse cultural heritage information from both countries, enjoy musical performances, and sample delicacies from T&T and Venezuela.

La Casita Dancers at the 'One Amor'

Show


The indoor component was moderated by Errol Fabien, one of DMAD’s Empathy Campaign speakers, who is a T&T public figure, radio and television presenter, and well-known comedian, actor, and storyteller. The indoor program included opening remarks from DMAD, presentations from Miss World Caribbean 2019, DI, RDD youth beneficiaries, and a social work lecturer from UWI’s Faculty of Social Sciences. The indoor performances included a poem and a dance by the DMAD team, dance performance from local group Malick Folk Performers, a song and a dance from the La Casita migrant adult and children beneficiaries, respectively, as well as a performance from local group Freetown Collective. DMAD also played the audio recordings of the radio drama series at intervals and engaged the audience in a dialogue about the content.

The outdoor exhibition was hosted by Thaddy Boom, popular local comedian and poet. Booths and billboards displayed information on different cultural elements of T&T and Venezuela. Participants were treated to dramatic pieces, drummology performances from La Casita and the UWI African Society, DMAD playback theatre, and spoken word poetry. Everyone enjoyed the T&T and Venezuelan food options which included doubles, corn soup, arepas, and empanadas. During the exhibition, audience members were invited to participate in moderated circles, involving a facilitator-led conversation soliciting feedback about the show and the impact it had on audience members and the ultimate message: we are all human.

Spoken-Word Poetry Competition DMAD launched a spoken word competition for T&T youth ages 13 to 19 this quarter, promoted widely via social media and national radio stations. It invited young people to write pieces under the theme “Venezuelan Migrant Situation in T&T: Why Should I Care?” The competition aims to engender empathy among young citizens to the plight of Venezuelan nationals and encourage them to take leadership roles in encouraging a culture of tolerance. COVID-19 interrupted plans for a final event to announce the competition winners. Additionally, considering the crisis, DMAD decided to extend the deadline for submissions and award prizes to the winners in April. A panel of judges will select four of the five winners, with a “people’s choice” award going to the video that gets the most Facebook “likes.”

Sub-IR 2.2: Venezuelans’ and T&T nationals’ skills and opportunities for

coexistence increased

In-person Counselling Services Available to the Venezuelan Community Under the CRI project, FIA continues to offer free one-on-one and family counselling services to Venezuelans. This quarter, 15 new persons accessed 16 counselling sessions (five males, 10 females). Similar to last quarter, marital and family issues continued present frequently. The following graph provides an overview of presenting issues this quarter:

“I often had to answer the question as to why I

chose Venezuelan migrants as my cause as Miss

World Trinidad and Tobago. Because if not me,

then who? If you’ve ever felt hungry, scared,

anxious, desperate, hopeful, persecuted, if you’ve

ever felt love, then there are parts of you in each

of them. It’ll take all of us, every small and grand

act of kindness, empathy, and tolerance.”

-Tya Jane Ramey, Miss World Caribbean, at the

DMAD One Amor event


Despite the challenge of building trust and interest with migrant communities in psychosocial services, FIA continued to attract new clients. Through word-of-mouth, outreach conducted by FIA’s bilingual Venezuelan counsellor, and distribution of informational flyers, FIA was able to generate interest in its services. The other CRI implementing partners continue to support outreach as well, sharing information about FIA’s services at their centers, through their networks, and on social media. FIA continues to share and market the success stories and testimonials, while acknowledging that it will take more time to establish a full counselling service dedicated to the migrant communities.

During the second week of March 2020, when the Government of T&T reported the first case of COVID-19 in the country, FIA immediately began rethinking its operations in accordance with its existing business continuity plan. Since the stay-at-home orders have been proclaimed by the T&T government, the FIA team has been working remotely. As of March 21, FIA fully transitioned CRI counselling services to virtual and telephonic platforms, conducting five virtual sessions at the end of March. Since the stay-at-home orders took effect, however, FIA has noted an increase in reports of domestic violence and intimate partner violence in homes, which will likely pose a continued risk in migrant households as well. Therefore, counselling sessions remain a focus for FIA during this time, with the bilingual counsellor utilizing various online platforms such as Zoom, Skype, and WhatsApp video as is convenient to clients to ensure continuity of counselling services.

During this COVID-19 lockdown, FIA has guaranteed that the counselling service will continue to be readily available and will prioritize outreach, making the service easily accessible via different virtual platforms to continue to gain the trust of the target community and provide support during these trying times.

Bilingual First Responders Continue 24/7 Services on Hotline The bilingual hotline has been slow to gain traction, despite continuous outreach and distribution of informational flyers in-person and via CRI and partner social media channels. This quarter, the FIA listeners received a total of six calls from Venezuelan migrants (one male, five females) regarding issues related to anxiety, mental health, domestic violence, financial stress, and available resources.

The bilingual hotline has been operating with a rostering system of hotline listeners to provide 24/7 support for Venezuelan migrants in need of psychosocial support. The hotline listeners provide a first line of response for persons of the migrant community requiring immediate psychosocial support, while also offering referrals and information about available social and


health services. Calls are made directly to the FIA office and then automatically redirected to the on-call listener for that period. FIA added a WhatsApp line to the hotline services this quarter as well, since a high volume of the migrant community uses WhatsApp as their primary means of communication with each other, and communications began to significantly increase as the COVID-19 situation developed. FIA has already noted an increase in calls and in demand for counselling sessions; at the time of writing this report, the hotline had received more than 60 calls in the month of April, and a majority of those clients have been referred to counselling services. CRI will continue to share these developments with USAID over the coming quarter. In March, FIA also started equipping its listeners to provide relevant COVID-19 information to its callers. Additionally, to promote continuous outreach during this time, they will create appropriate COVID-19 flyers for social media that will refer persons to the bilingual hotline.

Ongoing Sky School Classes for Youth This quarter, at the Maraval CRI Resource Center, LWC began the Sky School training program (recently rebranded “Amala”) for 24 youth, with an age range of 16 to 25 (12 T&T nationals, nine Venezuelans, and three other; 13 males, 11 females). The program offers diploma courses specifically targeting displaced and refugee youth using a blended online and in person class format. With experience in countries such as Greece, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, and Bangladesh, CRI’s pilot brought the program to the Latin American and Caribbean region for the first time. This is also the first time that local youth are studying together with migrant and refugee youth in the Sky School program—an integration approach that has proved successful at building cross-nationality relationships while also fostering learning.

LWC facilitated classes on Saturdays over the course of the quarter; the total learning time comprises of 60 hours of in-person teaching along with 40 hours of online coursework to be completed outside of the class to receive a diploma. The students collectively decided they wanted to take the Arts and Cultural Expression course, which encourages the students to think critically about acts of cultural expression while also giving them the opportunity to express themselves using various media. The students also explored the role of arts and culture in creating positive social change. As part of their graduation requirement, next quarter, the students will host an art exhibition using different media learned throughout the course.

To highlight the Sky School program and to document increasingly positive interactions between communities, LWC engaged a Sky School documentarian to capture these interactions and create a mini documentary. This documentary could be used as a tool for awareness-raising and to promote cultural integration. Due to COVID-19, only one day of filming was possible before the national lockdown, but LWC hopes that filming with the students can continue at a later date when it is safe to do so. COVID-19 restrictions interrupted the final sessions of the program this quarter; nevertheless, LWC adapted the approach to finish the course virtually and use an online platform called “Aula” to host the end of course online exhibition in April. Please refer to Annex A for a full success story on this program.

Ongoing English as a Second Language (ESL) and Spanish as a Second Language (SSL) Classes Beginner ESL Classes This quarter, LWC hosted 12 cohorts of beginner ESL classes in eight locations across T&T, including in the five LWC-run CRI resource centers in Maraval, Belmont, Chaguanas, Arima, and Rio Claro, as well as in Woodbrook, Curepe, and Couva. LWC leveraged its existing relationships with faith-based organizations to exceed activity implementation expectations under its CRI


subaward, hosting the cohorts in the latter three locations at other organizations’ offices; ESL classes in Couva took place at Holy Faith Convent, in Curepe on the Curepe Presbyterian Church compound, and in Woodbrook at the St. Theresa’s Roman Catholic Church. Of the 12 Beginner ESL classes, 10 were taught by migrant teachers who completed ESL teacher certification training under the LWC CRI subaward in the previous quarter, while the other two classes were taught by T&T nationals.

A total of 165 participants (59 males, 106 females) completed the five-week, 20-hour course, which engaged the participants in the following practical English language topics: greetings and introductions, hobbies and interests, directions and transportation, daily routines, shopping for food and clothes, health and medicine, employment, culture, housing, and appointments and services. All the classes included level-appropriate vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation learning outcomes. LWC designed the course in such a way that much of the content was specific to T&T, so that the migrant participants gained exposure to cultural information and tips for navigating life in T&T. Participants learned Trinidadian norms and expressions, including Soca songs, and responded positively to these lessons. Teachers were encouraged to put their own spin on lessons, with many utilizing dynamic techniques like games and role plays to engage students. According to one beneficiary:

“The impact of having started the English course is more than satisfactory. It is difficult for Venezuelans to come from a Spanish-speaking country and be able to communicate, to work, to attend a health center or do a routine task such as buying food. I have an opportunity to integrate into this country with an important tool—language.”

In addition to the initial level testing done for the ESL classes which assessed the students’ English language level last quarter, all 165 registered students were given a pre-assessment at the beginning of the course in order to evaluate their knowledge of particular grammar, vocabulary, and cultural points drawn from the beginner level syllabus developed for the course. The overwhelming majority of students scored below 50% on the initial test. Notably, 99% of students scored higher on the post-assessment as compared to pre-assessment, with 81% showing a gain of 20% or more. Of the 165 registered participants, a total of 118 students met the attendance requirement of 70% or more sessions in order to obtain a certificate.

In an effort to maximize participation and minimize dropouts of ESL participants, LWC put several measures in place, which proved successful:

Level testing prior to placing students in classes was a major step. This ensured that students were assigned to the appropriate level and were able to actively participate and benefit from the class; classes with students with varying language skills in the past created a more strained learning environment.

Situating classes in areas convenient to students, close to where they live, was crucial to ensuring participation since accessing transportation is often a barrier to participation.

LWC scheduled class times based on a survey of when worked best for the students.

Since most students attend class after work or just before or after lunch, providing water and light refreshments was important. Teachers reported a difference in the ability of students to focus after these were made available in classes.

For classes where migrant parents needed to bring their children with them, LWC provided volunteers to assist with childcare during class times. This measure proved very successful in increasing attendance rates for parents, while also proving beneficial for the children themselves, as many are not in school. They had the opportunity to do structured


learning activities with the volunteers and to socialize with other children under adult supervision. Meanwhile, their parents could focus on the classwork. Those who previously missed classes citing inability to find a babysitter could now consistently attend.

This quarter, given the high demand for their courses, LWC used their no-cost extension under CRI to offer students who participated in the beginner course the opportunity to continue their learning by moving on to the elementary course, along with new students who started at that level. LWC noted that all students were satisfied with the beginner ESL classes and have expressed an interest to continue learning in the elementary ESL class.

Elementary ESL Class Upon completion of the beginner classes, LWC continued the 12 class cohorts in a more advanced elementary ESL course. The ESL elementary course is also a five-week, 20-hour course with 10 classes on the topics of: small talk, education, ordering food, the workplace, travel and immigration, health services, pop culture, self-care,; and “in the community”. The course was initially scheduled to end during the third week of March 2020; however, because of the restrictions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, LWC adapted the final coursework to be completed remotely. To ensure some continuity in learning, LWC instructors distributed course material to students via WhatsApp for the final weeks and completed the course in April 2020. Plans are currently underway to design a new curriculum focused on integrating psychosocial wellbeing and development with language learning for the migrant community.

Spanish Drop-in Class While LWC initially only planned to conduct ESL classes, they augmented their program with three Spanish language classes for T&T nationals in their Maraval, Arima, and Chaguanas CRI resource centers. While these classes were informal and had no set curriculum, they offered a key opportunity for T&T community members to increase their capacity to engage with Venezuelan migrants. The Spanish teachers chose to administer their own pre-assessments on the first day of class to get a better idea of the students’ needs, but since these assessments were not formal, results are not outlined in this report. Based on the initial assessment, however, the teachers worked with the 24 students (six males, 18 females), who including LWC volunteers, other NGO staff and volunteers, law enforcement representatives, and other community members, to advance practical, conversational Spanish skills to facilitate their daily interactions and volunteer work.

Provision of Childcare Training In an effort to sensitize current volunteers and to increase the pool of available volunteers to work with children of adults attending ESL classes under the CRI Project, LWC conducted a three-hour bilingual training session this quarter on child safeguarding and psychosocial support techniques at their Maraval Resource Center. This model of childcare support has proven very successful for LWC, especially since many of the children who accompany their parents to ESL classes are not themselves in school. Many occasions, the only obstacle for a refugee or migrant in attending classes is the lack of not having someone to supervise their children while away from home.

A total of 33 persons attended, which included church parish volunteers, students, and members of the migrant community (20 T&T nationals, 12 Venezuelans, and one other; five males, 28 females). Topics covered included the context of the humanitarian crisis, classroom tips, trauma, child safeguarding, behavior management, child psychosocial issues, activity suggestions, and


volunteer opportunities. The training was facilitated by LWC’s Child Guidance Counsellor and Community-Based Protection Officer. The verbal feedback that LWC received from the participants was very positive, with all saying that the session was useful for them.

Subsequent to the training and also during this quarter, LWC immediately began engaging the volunteers, assigning them to ongoing ESL classes to help care for the children of the students. It was clear to LWC that this allowed the participation of some who otherwise might not have been able to participate because of childcare responsibilities and freed all participants to fully focus on their class, knowing that their children were safe, nearby, and in the same building. The children also had the opportunity to engage in structured learning activities with the volunteers and to socialize with other children, while receiving attentive care.

Youth Continue to Build Resilience Skills in Second Cycle of Youth Leadership Training This quarter, FIA successfully hosted the second cycle of their “Dream to Succeed” youth leadership program, including for two mixed groups of T&T nationals and Venezuelans: one from Arima and one from the Couva and San Fernando area. FIA also conducted a modified version of the program for a group of 16 Venezuelan teenage girls who were trafficking victims staying at the St. Jude’s Home for Girls in Belmont. The table below illustrates the breakdown of attendance:

Total T&T Ven Other Male Female

Youth Leadership – Arima 36 19 15 2 14 22

Youth Leadership – Couva/San Fernando 34 18 16 0 19 15

Youth Leadership – St. Jude’s Home for Girls 16 0 16 0 0 16

The Arima and Couva/San Fernando Cohorts The program at both of these locations engendered healthy cross-cultural interaction while also building life skills related to topics such as resilience, empowerment, transitioning, building healthy relationships, problem solving, overcoming language barriers, and positive communication skills. While the program focused on building these skills to support adolescents’ transition into adulthood, it also considered the particular challenges faced by migrant youth in transitioning to a new country. For a success story on these programs, please refer to Annex A. Pre-tests and post-tests were administered in both English and Spanish to gauge the program’s impact. It consisted of 20 “agree or disagree” questions and five questions which utilized a five-point Likert scale (Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor, and Very Poor). Results from the Arima cohort are as follows:


As seen above, participants demonstrated a 24% increase in knowledge related to resilience, 12% in problem-solving, and 15% in transitioning. While the post-test shows a 9% decrease in the area of self-esteem, FIA has noted this can occur as a result of the increased consciousness at the end of the course that can lead students to reflect more seriously on their levels of self-esteem and the challenges of transitioning, causing them to report a lower score in this category upon course completion, but indicating an increased self-awareness.

Results from the Couva/San Fernando cohort are as follows:

On the final day of the program, participants took a guided tour of The Wildfowl Trust. Located in Pointe-à-Pierre, the Wildfowl Trust is an inland freshwater wetland habitat which is the second oldest waterfowl reserve in the world. The tour guide showed participants many plants that are indigenous to both Venezuela and T&T. This small act brought participants to a place of common ground and helped them see that Venezuela and T&T are similar in many ways. One Venezuelan participant shared: “I was very skeptical about taking part in this program. I was afraid because I am seen as different and I know there would be a language barrier, but I am so happy I did.”

The St. Jude’s Home for Girls Cohort This quarter, FIA partnered with local NGO Chosen Hands, which conducts art therapy, to work with Venezuelan trafficking victims in St. Jude’s Home for Girls. St. Jude’s sought support, as the Venezuelan girls in their care spoke little English, were facing difficulties adapting to life in the home, and were having issues with their T&T cohabitants. FIA tailored their youth leadership program to effectively help this vulnerable group of 16 female trafficking victims, ages 14 to 18 years. Each session had an art segment at the end that was conducted by Chosen Hands. The art pieces created by the participants were used to reflect what they learned in the program. This group posed unique challenges, given the extreme vulnerability and high levels of trauma of these participants, as well as the restrictions associated

St. Jude's Youth Participants Show Their

Artwork


with working within St. Jude’s and with victims involved in court proceedings. FIA reported that the program seemed to offer the participants a respite. The participants felt valued and understood, particularly as these classes offered a rare moment for interaction in their native language, given that none of the staff or T&T students at St. Jude’s speak Spanish. Through art and music, the girls connected, expressed their emotions, and advanced their coping skills.

Second Cycle of Comprehensive Sports + (Plus) Program Completed This quarter, RDD continued their Sports + (Plus) program for the T&T and Venezuelan youth who participated in their first-round last quarter. RDD wants to continue the intervention with these beneficiaries by fostering positive socialization while enhancing their skills. The holistic program considers the particular needs and interests of each adolescent, incorporating her or him into activities accordingly. This second round of the Sports + (Plus) Model incorporated the following activities:

Martial Arts

Life Skills Training

Academic Assistance Program

Social Skills Enhancement Workshops

Public Education Workshops Martial Arts RDD resumed martial arts training this quarter with 23 sessions held in Chaguanas and Mayaro with a total of 82 participants (64 T&T nationals, 18 Venezuelans; 52 males, 30 females). The students have progressed tremendously during this quarter, with a vast improvement in their behavior and attitude; instructors have noted that the students have grown both physically and mentally. The language barrier between the Venezuelans and T&T students is no longer an issue since most of the Venezuelan students have also participated in the English literacy classes and life skills workshops and have started employing English terms and phrases to interact with their T&T peers.

All students continued to be assessed on the three core areas of martial arts training: mental, physical, and spiritual. Over this period, they were exposed to the ‘White to Blue Manual,’ through which they were taught the theoretical foundations of martial arts, including how to “bow” and its meaning, how to tie their belts and its meaning, and how to properly break a fall. The students also practiced two critical areas: katas and blocking (a series of standardized movements that the students used in order to practice offensive and defensive techniques without a partner), and sparring, which allowed the students to practice their techniques against a peer, in order to enhance their stamina and resistance. RDD conducted in-house tournaments to assess the T&T and Venezuelan students’ abilities in these areas; all students passed the assessments.

A subset of these students prepared to participate in a national tournament scheduled to be held in March; however, the tournament was cancelled due to the global COVID-19 pandemic and the appeal for social distancing. Since then, the RDD team has been sharing martial arts lessons and demonstrations via WhatsApp and YouTube platforms for students to follow along and practice at home. The instructors have also been in contact with the students and their parents regularly to ensure continuity.

Life Skills Training


RDD’s life skills workshops continued in both Mayaro and Chaguanas, with a total of eight sessions held this quarter. In Mayaro, 24 children took part in the training (12 T&T nationals, 12 Venezuelans; eight males, 16 females), while in Chaguanas, 16 children participated (12 T&T nationals, four Venezuelans; seven males, nine females). This training focused on pushing the limits of their thinking, expanding their worldview, and facilitating better exploration and understanding of the self within their social context. The sessions covered anger and anger management, where participants were taught psychosocial skills to identify and treat anger. They were encouraged to take the time to effectively deal with emotional and internal issues before they result in negative consequences and behavior. The training also covered topics of goal setting, self-esteem, and peer pressure. Peer pressure was noted as the most interactive session and revealed the adaptive thinking of the participants related to their concepts of friendship and peer interactions. The sessions were all interactive, discussion-oriented, and participatory since both nationalities were learning together, while also learning about each other. The participants also made creative presentations, and reflected on the growth in their self-appreciation and understanding of anger management approaches. While some beneficiaries revealed that they are struggling with serious internal conflicts and social challenges, as a result of these sessions, participants report working on trying to reduce their negative self-talk, employing anger management strategies, and practicing forgiveness.

Academic Assistance Program RDD’s academic assistance program continues to provide schooling support for T&T and Venezuelan children to advance their literacy skills. The Basic English Literacy program built the language skills of 30 Venezuelan children in Mayaro (11 males, 19 females) and 23 in Chaguanas (11 males, 12 females), and the Read for Life program supported 16 T&T children (seven males, nine females) who have difficulty maintaining satisfactory grades within the local school system.

The Basic English Literacy activities focused on oral language and expression development to help the participants adjust to T&T culture and enable them to read and write basic information in English. This quarter’s highlights include:

The students learned the English alphabet and vowels, colors, numbers, pronouns, verbs, and nouns. They demonstrated the ability to count to 10 and know when and how to use the following expressions: “good morning,” “good evening,” “thank you,” “please,” “good,” or “well”.

The students were introduced to local songs, and the facilitators linked similarities between Venezuela and T&T, e.g. foods, fruits, vegetables, and Carnival.

The students prepared and presented a fruit salad using local fruits and vegetables. They named the ingredients and explained the steps of preparation. They discussed the tastes, textures, and colors of the ingredients. Once completed, the fruit salad was shared among all.

As February was the month of Carnival in T&T, the participants were provided with materials and were guided in the preparation of headpieces. They later wore their headpieces around the classroom and then took them home to show their families.

In the Read for Life program, the tutors focused on reading for fluency and comprehension, vocabulary development, and creative writing. The students took part in a spelling competition to

Literacy Class Beneficiary

Shows Off Her Carnival

Crown


motivate them to learn the words covered during the program and their meanings for vocabulary development. RDD also introduced the “Read for Life In-House Library”. By the end of the quarter, parents and community members had donated a total of 150 books to the library. Library day, the last day of each week, was an exciting time for the children during which they had the opportunity to borrow and read the books from the library. The tutors assisted students in identifying books at their reading level and also helped students to read them. The students enthusiastically competed with each other for a prize to be given to the child who read the most books, demonstrating a newfound love of reading.

Social Skills Enhancement This quarter, RDD held two social skills enhancement workshops in each of their resource centers in Mayaro and Chaguanas: one on Communication Skills and one on Personal Safety. These workshops are designed to enhance the emotional and social skills of the youth participants to promote their wellbeing and positive development and foster healthy interactions with their peers and others in society. RDD designed the “Building Interpersonal Communication Skills” workshops based on behaviors they observed at the CRI resource centers, as well as on feedback from community members. The workshop aimed to reinforce positive social behaviors and encourage positive communication between T&T and Venezuelan participants; it introduced participants to key concepts to improve their foundational communication skills and gave them a space to practice these skills among their peers. The curriculum covered concepts such as good manners, greetings and pleasantries, understanding each other’s boundaries and possessions, the distinction between “good and bad touch,” as well as active listening.

The “Putting Personal Safety First” workshops raised awareness among the youth participants of measures for maintaining their safety and security, understanding the importance of assessing their surroundings, and learning how to access assistance if needed. The workshop explored safety issues surrounding the internet and social media, bullying and abuse, mitigating actions, and important local safety telephone numbers. As part of the workshop activities, groups were assigned the task of designing a safety poster that included the various bits of information and safety numbers that they received in the

workshop. Participants enjoyed the activity-based approach and reflected positively on their ability to understand, memorize, and recite safety numbers of the various agencies as well as other key safety practices.

Public Education Workshops In this quarter, RDD hosted two types of Public Education Workshops for adults: Community Awareness Briefing (CAB) and Parenting Methodologies. The CAB workshops brought together representatives of the T&T Police Service, T&T Fire Service, T&T Coast Guard, the Mayaro Secondary School, UWI Open Campus, and migrant parents to learn about community safety mechanisms, as well as to raise awareness on risks for young persons in the community and individual and collective roles in protecting the community’s youth. The parenting methodologies workshop was a three-day seminar to engage the parents of the young participants in the life skills program. In collaboration with the Foundation for the Institution of Services, Caring and Learning (FISCAL), a local NGO, the workshops dealt with specific aspects of parenting, specifically

Social Skills Workshop Beneficiaries

Pose for a Group Photo


addressing issues of the influence of culture on parenting practices, dealing with self before dealing with the child, discipline vs. punishment, different parenting styles, age-appropriate discipline, dealing with each child as an individual, and ways to treat children with differing personalities. RDD conducted all the sessions in a round table setting, which allowed for high participation. Within the space, there was a healthy flow of discussion and sharing among the adults about their parenting frustrations. Parents were also provided with additional handouts to take home for future reference. By the last day of the workshop, parents reported that they already had applied principles and techniques learned in the seminar and had begun to see positive results with their children.

Youth Resilience Workshop In addition to the Sports + (Plus) program for youth skills development, RDD also hosted two other activities this quarter, which were focused on building resilience in youth and promoting livelihoods in migrant women: a “Building Resilient Relationships for Youth through Character and Competency” workshop and the “Support, Educate, and Empower Women” (SEEW) initiative, described further below. RDD held the supplemental workshop on resilient relationships at Flagship Hilltop Resort in Mayaro, bringing together 29 teen beneficiaries (19 T&T nationals, 10 Venezuelans; 12 males, 17 females) from both their Chaguanas and Mayaro CRI resource centers who had displayed some level of leadership ability throughout their participation in CRI activities. The workshop focused on developing positive behaviors and leadership qualities. They discussed ways to develop a resilient mindset, understanding the self, understanding gender differences, and conflict resolution styles. Participants were exposed to the “power of praise” in building resilience in relationships and were asked to identify and articulate specific characters of RDD staff, which helped in building respect between youth and adults. Overall, the training helped the participants to build the ultimate profile of a ‘resilient youth’ and encouraged them to imitate such traits as they go about their lives.

Support, Educate, and Empower Women Based on their learnings of the beneficiaries over the last quarter, RDD saw a need to assist women in the community of Chaguanas and the surrounding area to achieve financial independence and security by building their vocational skills. In this quarter, RDD launched a new initiative in garment construction and sewing for eight migrant women, ranging between the ages of 16 and 55. The course took place at their Chaguanas CRI resource center. RDD scheduled classes for two hours a week, and a Venezuelan migrant skilled and qualified in the art of sewing facilitated the course. RDD hopes that the impact of this new activity will promote a strong sense of entrepreneurship among the women, as the newly acquired skills will enhance their ability to contribute to their family income, which in many cases would become the family’s only source of income. On account of the COVID-19 restrictions on social distancing, the course ended early. However, the RDD team will review options to determine the feasibility of it being offered virtually. Key factors in deciding this feasibility would be getting a sense of the participants’ willingness to resume classes online and the availability of the relevant technology in their homes. To date, RDD reports that the course has received high praise from the migrant women, and RDD expects that more women will register to join.


2.2.1. Stakeholder Participation and Involvement (not including direct

program beneficiaries)

CRI continued to build strong working relationships with both international and local partners this quarter to ensure effective coordination and programming. As mentioned under Objective 1, CRI continued to engage with key T&T government stakeholders, in particular through the MSCC. New stakeholders joined the MSCC this quarter, including representatives from the Pan-American Development Foundation. PADF is starting a USG-funded project in T&T to focus on increasing access to legal protections, strengthening social integration, increasing livelihood opportunities, and addressing vulnerability for the Venezuelan migrant and refugee communities in T&T. DI held a series of introductory meetings with PADF to brief them on CRI’s work and identify areas for collaboration and coordination, in particular to avoid duplication of efforts and to facilitate referrals. Through participation in the MSCC and the Economic Inclusion subcommittee, DI and PADF are likewise coordinating with and learning from all of the MSCC members. Other stakeholders that CRI has engaged this quarter include the Medical Research Foundation, who participate in both the MSCC and Health, Mental Health and Psychosocial Services subcommittee, as they are seeking to build more formal relationships with the CRI to be able to reach and serve the underserved migrant and refugee population with free health services. MRF’s primary focus is treatment of HIV and STIs, though they are also providing health checks for migrants and refugees and building a network to provide medication for chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. CARPHA has also engaged with the CRI this quarter, requesting to partner with MSCC to reach the migrant and refugee population through a survey on non-communicable diseases aimed at supporting improved care and treatment.

As mentioned in previous sections, CRI also coordinated with a number of other stakeholders this quarter, including the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) (both of which participate in CRI through the MSCC) and the UN R4V Platform.

Coordination with the U.S. Embassy in Port of Spain Throughout the quarter, DI and USAID/ESC coordinated with the U.S. Embassy Political Office on program activities and developments. The U.S. Embassy also continued to participate in MSCC meetings. The U.S. Embassy hosted the fourth Multi-Stakeholder Coordination Committee meeting in their Public Affairs Conference Room. The Embassy also agreed to facilitate the fifth meeting, but the COVID-19 restrictions implemented soon after this discussion in T&T required that the DI team reformat the meeting to be virtual. CRI also continued to keep in regular communication with both the U.S. Embassy and USAID on program developments and coordination with other projects, such as that of PADF, and outreach to T&T Ministries. DI also worked with the Public Affairs office this quarter on a proposal to coordinate an English language program at the CRI resource centers in May. This program, which involved travel by a state department ESL expert, will be revisited pending improvements in the COVID-19 situation.

CRI Partner Organizations’ Involvement of Key Stakeholders In addition to collaborating among themselves, the CRI partner organizations engaged with a variety of stakeholders during this quarter to ensure the success of their activities, expand their reach into target communities, and obtain in-kind donations to support their efforts. These partnerships also increased awareness of CRI’s work and supported greater community buy in.


DMAD collaborated with La Casita—a Hispanic cultural center and host organization of the LWC-run CRI resource center in Arima—to be part of the production for their "One Amor" cross-cultural show, where La Casita’s beneficiary groups of children and adults performed songs and dance. For their final cross-community engagement event in St. James, DMAD worked closely with ITNAC , a local non-profit organization that focuses on community development, disaster response, and poverty alleviation. ITNAC also helps Venezuelan migrants by offering low-cost childcare, donation of food and clothes, and educational activities. ITNAC supported the event by allowing DMAD to use their space in St. James as the venue and mobilizing members of the migrant community.

LWC benefitted from its good relationship with faith-based organizations in implementing ESL classes this quarter. Since LWC exceeded capacity at their five resource centers on account of high enrollment for these classes, they sought other spaces to host ESL classes. In Couva, ESL classes took place at Holy Faith Convent; in Curepe, ESL classes were held on the compound of the Curepe Presbyterian Church; and in Woodbrook, classes were held at St. Theresa’s Roman Catholic Church. The Chaguanas Parish Ministry for Migrants and Refugees (PMMR), run by the Roman Catholic Church, taught one of the ESL classes, utilizing volunteer teachers previously trained by LWC, LWC’s curriculum, and materials at the Chaguanas Resource Center.

FIA established partnerships with two NGOs, Chosen Hands and the St. Jude’s Home for Girls, to conduct a tailored youth leadership program for female Venezuelan victims of trafficking housed at St. Jude’s. Chosen Hands also partnered with FIA's Youth Leadership Arima cohort to conduct an activity on expressing emotions and building healthy relationships through art. FIA also continued to strengthen their relationship with another NGO, The President’s Award of Trinidad and Tobago, who assisted with a nature hike for the POS Youth Leadership cohort in November 2019. In this quarter, they assisted FIA in hosting a bonfire experience for both local and Venezuelan participants of the Arima youth leadership program and their parents. On March 26, FIA was invited by a local NGO, Pison Solutions, to share about their work on Pison Solutions’ online talk show series entitled “Family Matters”. FIA also highlighted the CRI project and their specific activities under the project on this talk show.

RDD leveraged many local resources this quarter for their various workshops and training. For their parenting methodologies public education workshop, RDD collaborated with local NGO FISCAL, who brought a team of experts to the workshop, including a life coach, counselor, trauma therapist, and bilingual facilitator. For their building interpersonal communication skills workshop, RDD collaborated with Ms. Ava Rampersad, lead consultant at A+ Effect. For their putting personal safety first workshop, RDD collaborated with JES Consultant International; JES’ Primary Prevention Specialist, Mr. Ato Agustine, facilitated the workshop. Brian Skinner and Associates facilitated the youth resilience workshop. Finally, Mr. Ryan De Castro, Director of Operations and Creative Services at Citizens for Positive Change T&T and Vice Chairman of the Cunupia Business Chamber, met with RDD to discuss possibilities of collaboration and engagement with Venezuelan migrants. Citizens for Positive Change T&T is a local NGO operating in Central Trinidad. Mr. De Castro is in direct contact with Venezuelan migrants in the Cunupia area and wanted to do something positive to encourage social integration for Venezuelan children in his area. A total of five Venezuelan children between the ages of eight and 15 enrolled to participate in RDD’s English literacy activity. Finally, in January, RDD met with Ms. Louise Tillotson of Amnesty International at RDD’s Mayaro Resource Center. Ms. Tillotson spoke with CRI program staff and beneficiaries to get an idea of the types of interventions being done with the Venezuelan


migrants and the associated challenges. The aim of this visit was for Ms. Tillotson to identify what policy recommendations could be made to the T&T Government to alleviate the plight of migrants and refugees.

During this quarter, RDD also obtained donations of education resources and lunches from two T&T nationals. Mrs. Elizabeth Brazlon donated books and pencils to be used in support of RDD’s CRI activities. Ms. Barbara Charles sponsored lunches for the 24 Venezuelan students of the Basic English Literacy class at RDD’s Mayaro Resource Center. Both donations amounted to a value of US$ 200 each.

CRI also continued to engage with the private sector, as described further in the next section of this report.

2.2.2. Private Sector Engagement

As mentioned throughout this report, the CRI team engaged a variety of stakeholders to raise awareness of the program and generate support from host communities and other potential supporters, including from the private sector. This quarter, through the MSCC and the MSCC Economic Inclusion subcommittee, CRI has continued to engage the TTMA, T&T Chamber of Industry and Commerce, and American Chamber of Commerce of T&T (AMCHAM) on private sector-related issues such as employment opportunities for migrants.

The survey of the private sector, conducted by the Economic Inclusion subcommittee, identified additional private sector actors whom CRI will engage further as potential partners in creating employment and training opportunities for migrants, as they have demonstrated success in implementing such initiatives. The private sector results demonstrate private sector interest in engaging with the Venezuelan job seekers and benefiting from economic opportunities offered by the Venezuelan work force.

On February 28, DI met with the board of the Massy Foundation to discuss possible ways of working together. The Foundation was particularly interested in the CRI project as they have discussed their own ways of getting involved in the Venezuelan migrant issue in T&T. They have expressed a desire to invest in children and education in particular, with an overall objective of strengthening T&T communities. The board members also seemed interested in the possibility of providing support directly to one of the CRI implementing partners, perhaps by building upon the existing activities of the project. CRI leadership also met with Massy Ltd. SVP People and Culture, who shared more information about their social programs. Together, we identified an opportunity to collaborate on Massy’s upcoming “Project Nudge,” which will showcase the products of small entrepreneurs in their stores. Unfortunately, the project has been delayed due to COVID-19. DI also corresponded with the CEO of Massy Stores about CRI referrals for Venezuelans seeking job opportunities. CRI will continue to engage with Massy and other private sector actors to explore areas for collaboration.

The CRI partner organizations likewise engaged with private sector actors who could specifically support their grant activities, including the following:


Country Company Purpose of Engagement (sponsorship, employment, etc.)

Concrete Result

(# youth employed, work agreements signed, internships, financing secured, etc.)

Approx. Value of Contribution (USD)

T&T Thrones Restaurant

Thrones Restaurant is located on Saddle Road, approximately six buildings away from LWC’s Maraval Resource Center. In support of the Sky School program, the restaurant provided meals at a discounted rate.

o Enhancement of community relations.

o Discounts for meals.

$100.00

2.2.3. Sustainability Mechanisms Being Pursued

Growth of the CRI Partner Network The CRI partners continue to expand their networks to engage more stakeholders in the project and, thereby, encourage project buy-in for sustained interest. Similarly, this network supports collated information and referral mechanisms that will continue to be useful beyond the project’s lifetime. These partnerships will help to bolster programming and services by tapping into the skills of partner entities while also taking advantage of their reach, network, and influence within the communities. Linkages have proven useful this quarter, for instance, for sharing curricula, accessing private sector networks, and connecting beneficiaries with needed services.

Key Information Gained from Community Mapping LWC has embarked upon a community mapping exercise to determine what resources are available in specific communities and which community mechanisms can be strengthened. LWC has begun working with relevant stakeholders who are well positioned to provide language classes, education for children, childcare, skills training, psychosocial support, social cohesion activities, legal assistance, employment assistance, and basic needs. This collaboration will allow LWC to focus on what the specific needs of the most vulnerable refugees and migrants are and how to mobilize resources.

Staying Abreast of the Needs of the Migrant Community CRI partners conduct regular focus groups and check-in sessions with migrants to gain feedback on what activities will remain relevant and meet their needs. This continuous engagement with the migrant population is essential to ensure that programming is relevant to the beneficiaries and to inform future planning.

Creation of ESL Curriculum and Trained ESL Teachers LWC is proud to have created a fully scalable and adaptable in-house ESL curriculum. This quarter, they undertook both beginner and elementary ESL classes using this curriculum with their own in-house teachers trained under the CRI project. Going forward, this curriculum will be adapted to different needs; for example, LWC plans to design an “English for Specific Purposes” class. The


curriculum and teachers are good assets for LWC in sustaining their offering of ESL classes. LWC has made the curriculum available to the other CRI partners, as well as the broader MSCC network through the Language and Linguistics subcommittee resource folder on Google Drive.

Creation of Pool of Childcare Volunteers In an effort to develop a reliable pool of available volunteers to work with children in a sustainable way, LWC conducted a bilingual training on “child safeguarding and psychosocial support techniques” with interested T&T and Venezuelan persons. These volunteers are now ready to provide trustworthy, free support to LWC’s activities over the long term.

Strong Relationships Formed in Mayaro RDD has established a solid and long-term relationship with the UWI Open Campus and Mayaro Fire Station. The UWI Open Campus occupies a space in the building where RDD’s Mayaro Resource Center is located and refers beneficiaries to the CRI Program. The Mayaro Fire Station allows RDD to conduct their Martial Arts sessions there, and fire officers also assist in conducting physical training with the students. These relationships continue to blossom through RDD’s Sports Plus program.

Adapting to Online Classes and Learning As devastating as the response measures to COVID-19 have been to the national T&T community, and disproportionately so to the migrant community, it has necessitated solutions that will enhance sustainability in the long term. Online sharing of information is far more sustainable and has a greater reach than physical paper and at resource centers. The CRI partners all quickly adapted to the emerging crisis, adjusting current activities to virtual platforms and initiating innovative new engagements to suit the context.

2.3 Implementation Challenges and Action Being Taken to Address

Challenges CRI Team Adapts to COVID-19 On March 12, 2020, T&T reported its first official case of COVID-19, marking a critical change in the operating context for CRI. In response, the T&T government imposed strict measures to prevent mass gatherings and promote social distancing. Seeing the progression of the outbreak around the world, the CRI partners had already started brainstorming ideas to tackle the challenge of continuing to foster social cohesion between T&T nationals and Venezuelan migrants amidst a period of global social distancing. We have also integrated our coordinated response to COVID-19 across our activity reporting for Objectives 1 and 2.

The CRI partners agreed to work even closer together and to support each other in adapting to the crisis and continuing CRI activities—all of which became virtual at the end of this quarter. Next quarter, the CRI partners also want to find additional ways of providing psychosocial support, given the significant mental health impact of the pandemic for both the migrant and T&T populations. The CRI partners have already taken the following steps to adapt their programs in light of COVID-19 restrictions:

Ryu Dan Dojo: RDD is producing martial arts videos and distributing them to students via YouTube and WhatsApp. For the extension, RDD facilitators will explore online platform options to host English and Spanish language classes for adults and ESL classes for


Venezuelan children. For the ESL classes targeting Venezuelan children, RDD will need to obtain parent buy-in and approval to ensure sustainability and dedication, especially when using virtual platforms for learning.

Living Water Community: LWC has adapted their elementary ESL classes to virtual platforms; for the remainder of the course, the teachers will distribute course material to students via WhatsApp. For Sky School, LWC will use an online platform called Aula to host an online exhibition to showcase the students’ final art pieces in April. LWC will augment psychosocial programming under their grant extension next quarter to respond to the significant mental health impact of COVID-19.

Families in Action: Bilingual counselors have started using online platforms such as Zoom, Skype, and WhatsApp for one-on-one counselling sessions. FIA will adapt the youth leadership “train-the-trainer" workshop to an online format and will conduct the series in April. FIA will then accompany those trained to lead a virtual leadership course for Venezuelan youth in May to get practical experience in implementing the program. Importantly, as calls have begun to skyrocket, FIA also equipped their 24/7 bilingual hotline listeners with relevant COVID-19 information to be able to guide callers to appropriate health resources.

Drama Making a Difference: DMAD is redesigning their public event planned for March to be held virtually in April. DMAD’s social media activity continues with increased information sharing relating to COVID-19, helping to share critical information from the World Health Organization (WHO), PAHO, and the T&T Ministry of Health. They will produce new virtual content and implement additional social media campaigns for the extension period in light of anticipated continuation of COVID-19 restrictions.

Stakeholder Coordination and Information Sharing: DI organized the March session of the MSCC on Zoom this quarter, which focused on sharing information on how each member organization was adapting to COVID-19. DI also began working with the stakeholders to adapt fact cards to digital form with updated information based on adjusted services in the COVID-19 context. The technical subcommittees likewise proceeded to meet on virtual platforms, and the health subcommittee became particularly relevant in this new context. DI also worked with PADF on a joint Spanish-language brochure on COVID-19 protection measures, as well as with the UN partners on information sharing and the international community’s COVID-19 response.

Overstretched Staff for Popular ESL Courses During this quarter, LWC hosted more than 130 sessions of ESL classes across eight different locations in T&T, with 165 registered students. LWC experienced difficulty in the administration and coordination of these decentralized classes, including in distributing handouts to students and obtaining the attendance registers, assessment results, and feedback forms from teachers in a consistent and timely manner, leading to delays in pay and reporting. LWC asked teachers to download a scanner app on their mobiles phones so they could send scans of their paperwork back to LWC headquarters, but the quality of the phone scans still posed challenges. Going forward, LWC will consider hiring more part-time staff members to assist with the administration and coordination of their heavily subscribed ESL classes.


Transient Migrant Population The migrant population moves frequently as their situation changes or new opportunities arise. In this quarter, for instance, seven dedicated CRI program beneficiaries left Mayaro. An entire family of five, a mother and her four children, took a chance to make the journey back home to Venezuela. Their hopes of making a better life in T&T seemed to be futile, especially since gaining employment was a challenge, the children could not access regular daily schooling or food, and they felt confined in their cramped living space and psychologically isolated from the rest of society. This case exemplifies a common challenge faced by the partners in the course of programming.

Challenges with Spoken Word Competition DMAD experienced several setbacks with their Spoken Word Competition. Firstly, their request to the Ministry of Education to seek approval to utilize the school system to sensitize the student population across the country was denied, inhibiting plans to raise awareness among students and recruit participants. This situation was compounded by the challenges of restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the health crisis, DMAD transitioned to online advertisements, reaching out to their target audience through social media. This proved a more challenging way of engaging young persons in the competition, however.

Negative Impact of COVID-19 on Livelihoods At the time of T&T’s national lockdown, LWC was employing 12 migrants and refugees part-time under the CRI project. Like many other persons from vulnerable communities, they were seriously impacted by the crisis as they lost their other sources of income, worried about loved ones in Venezuela, and felt compelled to help feed other members of the migrant community who did not have food, or take-in persons who did not have shelter. As such, the performance of some of these employees deteriorated, causing challenges with the completion of activities. The response from LWC and the rest of the CRI team has been one of patience and compassion because of the unprecedented nature of the situation. The ripple effects of the COVID-19 crisis are exacerbating conditions for the already vulnerable Venezuelan migrant situation in T&T. CRI will continue to monitor the situation and adapt programming as possible to meet the current context.

3. MANAGEMENT, ADMINISTRATIVE & OTHER

OPERATIONAL ISSUES

CRI did not experience any major management, administrative, or operational issues this quarter. Due to funding limitations, DI’s Chief of Party relocated to the United States in mid-March and is managing the program remotely until the additional funding becomes available. With the Agreement Officer’s Representative’s (AOR) approval, she left the project two weeks earlier than planned due to COVID-19 concerns. DI pursued other cost savings initiatives as well, including renegotiating the office space contract and reducing home office staff time. USAID issued Modification P003 this quarter, which extended the CRI period of performance through July 31, 2020 and realigned the project budget. This modification also changed the project AOR to Sharon Ramsaran and the Alternate AOR to Mansfield Blackwood.


4. LESSONS LEARNED

This quarter, the partners took time to review the lessons they have learned in implementing activities and discussed additional measures to enhance coordination going forward. CRI partners also adjusted their programs to respond to the needs of the target populations as well as in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lessons learned shared by the partners include:

Location and Logistics of CRI Activities o The partners noted the request by many among the target populations to expand

services and open services in South Trinidad. Location suggestions included Cedros, San Fernando, or Point Fortin. In this quarter, FIA took up the mantle by mixing their Couva youth leadership group with beneficiaries from San Fernando.

o CRI partners find that providing transportation (or transport reimbursement) to events facilitates attendance of Venezuelan community members, who often do not have their own means of transportation.

o Providing at least water and snacks at activities, especially activities in the evenings, is important and helps participants remain focus and engaged, as, particularly for migrants and refugees, it may be the only meal they have had for the day.

Program Design and Implementation o Blended learning approaches have proved to be a useful and effective approach to

teaching. This method of using different learning modes and materials in coordination to help the T&T and Venezuelan learners meet their goals is more effective than teaching in a traditional environment.

o CRI partners realize the strength of integrating both T&T nationals and Venezuelans in every activity. The peer learning, peer encouragement, and cultural integration has been a priceless learning experience for both the beneficiaries and CRI partners.

o Interactive, activity-based classes help engage the students and mitigate the language barrier when Venezuelan and T&T nationals partake in interventions together.

Access to the Communities o Mobilizing the participants for FIA’s two youth leadership cohorts in Arima and

Couva/San Fernando proved much more efficient than the previous cohort in Port of Spain, given greater levels of interest among parents. The public response for applications this quarter was higher than the previous youth leadership program conducted in November 2019. Conversations with Venezuelan and local parents in these areas highlighted that the parents strongly believe it is a great opportunity for the teenagers to culturally integrate and to learn life skills at this stage in their lives.

o Engaging families is a good way to obtain buy-in, support, and trust. The partners have learned the ‘power of the parent’ mechanism in all children’s activities to ensure active participation and frequent attendance in classes. This will be particularly important as the partners seek to engage children virtually over the coming quarter.

Meeting the Needs of the Migrants o Understanding culture and societal norms of the community is important because it

helps identify the community’s needs, design and tools of intervention, and builds


mutual trust between the community and the implementing partner organizations. Insights into cultural norms and community acceptability are crucial to facilitate informed implementation. In rural areas especially, involvement and endorsement of community leaders is essential for buy-in and continuity.

o CRI partners recognize there is a great need for psychosocial support, particularly among the migrant and refugee community. In the extension period, the partners aim to conduct a more in-depth mapping of needs to target psychosocial programming accordingly and to attempt to tailor programming toward the most vulnerable migrants within the community.

The COVID-19 Crisis o The COVID-19 pandemic affects everyone; there is no segregation in its effects on

the community. Though it has caused such a global crisis, the CRI team has also recognized the opportunity to reinforce the messaging of the DMAD-led “One Humanity” campaign in the face of this common threat—we are all human, and we are all affected by this one virus, so let us unite to fight it.

o From the beginning, FIA had noted their challenge in accessing the Venezuelan population, as they did not previously have a relationship or reputation with the migrant community. With the start of the global pandemic and the concomitant high levels of stress, anxiety, marital problems, and domestic violence in the home, FIA has noticed a complete change in the landscape of their services. There has been a marked increase of calls to their bilingual hotline, and many cases are being referred to the counsellor. Their flexibility in adapting to virtual services, as well as the 24/7 availability of their hotline, has been critical.

o The global pandemic has challenged the CRI partners to find innovative ways of keeping persons engaged and more aware of the impact of their activities. They are learning to be adaptive and resilient in the face of the crisis and are utilizing the opportunity to increase online engagements on social media platforms to educate the public on the CRI project and on safety measures against COVID-19.


5. PLANNED ACTIVITIES FOR NEXT QUARTER

INCLUDING UPCOMING EVENTS

Multi-Stakeholder Coordination Committee

o Session 6—May 2020

Economic Inclusion (EI), Language & Linguistics (Lang), and Health & MHPSS (Health)

Technical Sub-Committee Meetings

o EI Session 3—April 2020

o Lang Session 3—April/May 2020

o Health Sessions 2 and 3—April/May 2020

Quarterly Partner Learning and Coordination Session—May 2020

DMAD upcoming activities:

o Poetry Competition Winners to be announced and awarded—April 2020

o Online event to commemorate International Days—April 2020

o Pending cost extension approval:

Under the Radar online series—May/June 2020

Weak Spot online series—May/June 2020

Continue Social Media Campaign —May/June 2020

LWC upcoming activities:

o Completion of Sky School program—April 2020

o Completion of Elementary ESL classes—April 2020

o Proposed for follow-on subaward, pending approval:

Online psychosocial support services (PSS) training—May/June 2020

Integrated ESL/PSS curriculum development—May/June 2020

Language classes—May/June 2020

FIA upcoming activities:

o Continued online counselling and bilingual hotline support—April-June 2020

o Virtual Train-the-trainer youth leadership workshop—April 2020

RDD upcoming activities:

o Virtual Sports Plus programming—May/June 2020

o Virtual language classes (English & Spanish) for adults—May/June 2020

o Virtual literacy classes for Venezuelan youth—May/June 2020

o Virtual parenting workshops—May/June 2020


6. FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

CRI Obligation and Actual and Projected Expenditures

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Total Obligated Pipeline Expenditure

$1,512,250.00

$1,170,917.70

$307,724.00

$33,608.30

Total Obligated and Pipeline Expenditure

Actual through Q2 FY 2020 Q3 FY 2020 Projected Q4 FY 2020 Projected


7. ANNEX A: SUCCESS STORIES

A Tale of Two Cities: Venezuelan and Trinidadian Youth Bridge the Cultural Divide “Once it is safe to return to my country, I would like each of you all to visit and see my beautiful Venezuelan country and culture!” Ricardo, a 17-year-old Venezuelan migrant, shares his love of his country with his new Trinidadian friends. Ricardo attended CRI partner Families in Action’s (FIA) Dream to Succeed program in Arima with 36 fellow youth—19 from Trinidad and Tobago (T&T), 15 from Venezuela, and two other migrants. Ricardo, like many other participants, showed remarkable open-mindedness, positive engagement, and tolerance for his peers and their beliefs and culture, celebrating the exchange of experiences within the diverse group.

FIA ran the same positive youth development program with 34 teens from Couva and San Fernando (18 T&T nationals, 16 Venezuelans). Crisean, a 17-year-old T&T national, expressed that he is naturally a shy person and initially was nervous about meeting new people, learning about different cultures, and even making new friends; he shared: “I am a reserved person and was a little worried about making friends, but I made Trinidadian and Venezuelan friends and that is truly a gift to me.” Despite his timidity, Crisean was keen on sharing his knowledge of T&T’s flora and fauna with the other local and Venezuelan participants during a nature tour at the Pointe-a-Pierre Wild Fowl Trust. He, like Ricardo, was excited to share T&T’s rich culture with his counterparts and took pride in highlighting numerous cultural and environmental similarities and differences between T&T and Venezuela. The “Dream to Succeed” program, designed to build youth transition skills, involved 10 workshops that not only supported the development of participants’ soft skills, but also fostered a rich experience of cultural exposure, ultimately helping the youth to model solutions to community challenges between T&T nationals and Venezuelans.

Group shot of Arima youth leadership beneficiaries


Determined to Succeed: Youth Persevere Crisis, Complete Diploma Course In March 2020, the whole world was turned upside down by the COVID-19 virus, including for a multinational group of dedicated students in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T). Under USAID’s Community Resilience Initiative (CRI), the 24 youth aged 15-25 (12 T&T nationals, nine Venezuelans, three other migrants) had been working hard on a course called “Arts and Cultural Expression,” implemented by CRI local partner Living Water Community (LWC) using the Amala education platform.

Students attended classes together every Saturday for eight weeks. But on the evening before their penultimate session, when the Government of Trinidad and Tobago announced that all public schools would be closing in response to the first confirmed cases of COVID-19, LWC likewise suspended CRI classes for the safety of beneficiaries. The participants, who had been pushing themselves to finish and were already planning their graduation event, were disappointed. “It was frustrating to know that all those incredible ideas we had for the graduation and the final art exhibition were no longer possible,” remembers the class facilitator.

The students stayed home and dealt with the anxiety and uncertainty of the global crisis. Some of them attended online classes through their regular schools. Others lost jobs as businesses were forced to shut down. Many students faced the added stress of not knowing how their families would be able to meet their basic needs. It felt like there were much greater priorities than continuing the course.

The two facilitators, however, decided that the students had worked too hard not to finish what they had started and earn their certificates. They had already been using an online platform called Aula, which made the transition to online learning easier. The facilitators now held their students’ hands virtually to help them complete their coursework. On this virtual platform, the facilitators and students exchanged messages back and forth at all hours of the day and evening to answer questions and motivate each other.

The biggest hurdle was the final project. The criteria for completing the international program included an art exhibition featuring original work from each of the students, yet most of the students had no art materials at home. With their facilitator, the students brainstormed ideas for using everyday home items to create their works of art. The facilitator also learned how to use a new software program to create a virtual art exhibition.

In the end, 20 of the 24 students successfully completed the course from home and received their certificates. “This virus affected many things, but I was never discouraged,” says their facilitator. “It never broke my spirit, and I continued to do my best for these guys.”

Amala (formerly “Sky School”) offers diploma courses specifically targeting displaced and refugee youth using a blended online and in person class format. With experience in countries such as Greece, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, and Bangladesh, CRI’s pilot brought the program to the Americas for the first time. CRI also opened the program to both national and migrant youth, effectively creating a space not only for completing the course, but also for building trust across nationality lines. The integration approach worked—students shared that they found the course useful in

Sky School Participants Pose with their

Artwork


developing skills, enhancing knowledge, and preparing for the future, while it also helped them to broaden their horizons by interacting so closely with persons from other countries. As one of the students described it: “I really enjoyed this journey. I met new people and made new forever friends. I also learn[ed] a lot about the importance of cultural diversity and unity in the world. I will honestly miss spending my Saturdays in this class surrounded by these loving and open-minded people.”


8. ANNEX B: CRI INDICATOR SUMMARY TABLE

No.

Indicator Type of Indicator

Data Source & Collection Method

Frequency Unit of Measure

Baseline Endline

Date Value Date Target

Goal: Resilient T&T communities are better able to absorb refugees and migrants.

IR 1: Local systems strengthened to improve service delivery to communities with refugee and migrant populations

1 Number of beneficiaries accessing local services as a result of CRI support

Outcome Partner activity participation records, observation, survey

Baseline and endline (Annual)

# of individuals accessing services

05/2019 0 07/2020 1,500

Sub-IR 1.1: Coordination of services and service providers improved

2 Percent of CRI Multi-Stakeholder Coordination Committee agenda activities

completed or in progress

Output Observation, partner data, KIIs


% completed or in-progress activities

05/2019 0 07/2020 90%

Sub-IR 1.2: Access to information about services and service providers improved

3 Number of information products distributed

Output Partner activity records Quarterly # of info. products

05/2019 0 07/2020 2,500

IR 2: Increased trust between Venezuelans and T&T host communities

4 Percent change in respondents’ social capital index2

Outcome Baseline and endline FGDs, survey, KIIs


Aggregate index score, % change

09/2019 8,413 07/2020 25% LOP increase

Sub-IR 2.1: T&T nationals’ and Venezuelans’ understanding of each other increased

5 Percent change in expression of negative perceptions regarding migrants

Outcome Participant surveys (quantitative), baseline and endline FGDs, KIIs (qualitative), news analysis (context only)


% change in reported negative views

10/2019 24.92 07/2020 25% LOP decrease

2 Adapted from USAID REAL Resilience and Resilience Capacities Measurement Options, Full Approach: Household Questionnaire.


No.

Indicator Type of Indicator

Data Source & Collection Method

Frequency Unit of Measure

Baseline Endline

Date Value Date Target

6 Number of persons participating in activities aimed at the prevention of xenophobia, discrimination

and/or exploitation

Output Partner activity records, observation

Quarterly # of individuals

08/2019 0 07/2020 1,420

Sub-IR 2.2: Venezuelans’ and T&T nationals’ skills and opportunities for coexistence increased

7 Number of individual participants trained or supported in education or psychosocial activities

Output Partner activity participation registers

Quarterly # of trained or supported individuals

05/2019 0 07/2020 610

8 YOUTH-1 Number of youth trained in social or leadership skills through USG assisted programs

Standard Partner training attendance registers

Quarterly # of trained individual youths

05/2019 0 07/2020 440

Context

9 Approximate rate of Venezuelan population influx/refugee presence

Context IOM, UNHCR, GORTT Quarterly or as available

# of individuals and % change

06/2019 16,5233 N/A N/A

10 Number of immigration-related policy and regulatory changes introduced or adopted

Context GORTT Quarterly or as available

# of changes 06/2019 14 N/A N/A

3 Latest report of number of Venezuelans registered during the GORTT registration period in June 2019. 4 Official GORTT registration period in June 2019.


51

9. ANNEX C: MSCC MEETING MINUTES


Fourth Session of the Multi-Stakeholder Coordination Committee

Meeting Notes Friday, February 7, 2020

9:00 – 11:00 am

US Embassy Public Affairs Section, Briar Place, St. Clair, Port of Spain

1. Opening

a. Ms. Alana Wheeler, chair of the Multi-stakeholder Coordination Committee, welcomed

everyone and opened the meeting. The meeting was attended

by 32 persons from 23 organizations

2. Discussion on CRI Progress of CRI Activities based on Presentations by CRI

Partners (presentations also attached)

a. Living Water Community

i.Lessons Learned

1. Programming for beneficiaries needs to be comprehensive, bringing

together educational services, psychosocial support, livelihood and skills

training, and other services. This is an opportunity for collaboration with

other MSCC members providing a diverse range of services

2. For programming to be most effective, recruitment for programming

should be targeted to the most vulnerable in the community, rather than

based solely on who responds or makes themselves present for an activity

a. Important also to link with government agencies, including those

represented on the MSCC (Counter Trafficking Unit, Immigration,

Children’s Authority, etc.) who would have identified certain

vulnerable persons in need of services who may not be registered as

asylum seekers or refugees with UNHCR

b. For Sky School recruitment, LWC linked with the local Police

Youth Club, who referred certain young people that would benefit

from the program, and this has worked very well

3. Future programming will need to be more inclusive, including the

LGBTQI community, indigenous persons, and those in rural/coastal

communities. MSCC members who already work with these communities can

support in identifying and creating linkages with them

ii.Opportunities for MSCC Collaboration

1. Translator network and curriculum development for ESL classes

a. Being supported by UWI-DMLL directly and through the language

subcommittee

2. Continued private sector engagement for economic inclusion

activities and employment support

a. Economic inclusion subcommittee, which includes AMCHAM,

TTCIC and TTMA, is surveying private sector to inform strategy for

continued engagement with the migrant and refugee populations

b. Economic inclusion subcommittee is collaborating with recruiting

agencies to develop strategies for employment support for migrants

and refugees

3. Host community engagement and sensitization and youth programming

a. Continued collaboration with DMAD is suggested based on track

record of host community engagement and sensitization, though

additional partners should also be identified

4. Counseling

a. Continued collaboration and support of FIA services is a key

resource, though other partners should also be identified.

5. Volunteer recruitment

a. MSCC members can share volunteer training opportunities with

their colleagues/members and lists of possible volunteers with one

another

6. Increasing migrant and refugee leadership and advocacy is also an area of

possible collaboration for MSCC members

b. Ryu Dan Dojo

i.Lessons Learned


1. Participatory approaches which learn from the expressed needs and ideas

of the beneficiaries, increasing ownership and participation in the program,

are fundamental and work best

2. Including parents and caregivers in any process or programming for

children enriches the experience for all

3. Understanding the community in which you work is essential.

Programming cannot be developed based only on assumptions, but must also

include more in-depth community-based work

4. Important to identify like-minded people who will support your work and

provide necessary support


1. Collaboration with Community Policing Unit and Ministry of National

Security to increase level of comfort within the community to interact with

the police and to understanding their rights

2. Other possible collaborations with the National Crime

Prevention Programme, Police Youth Club in Mayaro, US Embassy for

continued support of programming, Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of

Community Development to identify coordinated programs and services

c. Families in Action

i.Lessons Learned

1. Venezuelan migrants and refugee youth engaged through the programs

have a strong desire to learn English, as this eases their transition process

2. Building trust in the Venezuelan community has been important in seeing

increased accessing of available counseling services

3. Collaborating with CRI partners and other stakeholders, including MSCC

members, yields the greatest impact, as it builds on existing relationships and

interactions with the community


1. Requests for referrals to counseling services from MSCC members and

CRI partners who are encountering and working with community members

in need

a. Suggestion to increase times and locations available for

counseling, especially for Spanish speakers

d. Drama Making a Difference

i.Opportunities for MSCC Collaboration

1. Desired collaboration with Ministry of Education and Ministry of

Community Development to develop programming based on available

services and to increase targeted messaging to and engagement of the host

and migrant/refugee communities

a. Gayelle is offering free airtime between 8:00-10:00am on

weekdays to air content. This could include, for example, a

teacher delivering educational content to children who are not

currently able to access other educational options

2. Possible work with Immigration Division to develop programming that

can better inform both the host and migrant communities about rights,

responsibilities and immigration processes for Trinidad and Tobago

3. Presentations by New MSCC Members

a. Medical Research Foundation (MRF)

i.Largest provider of HIV treatment and care in T&T – 9000 people under care, with

7000 being actively treated

ii.Migrants are treated free of charge, just like T&T nationals

iii.As HIV is now considered a chronic medical condition, there is an increase in co-

morbid conditions seen in an aging population, such as high blood pressure,

diabetes, etc.

iv.Although focus is primarily on treatment of HIV and other STIs, a health fair/clinic is

currently being held to provide health checks for migrants and refugees in addition

to HIV testing and treatment. At this health fair, migrants/refugees can access blood

pressure checks and checks on vital/health indicators, and sometimes medications

for diabetes and blood pressure

v.Opportunities for MSCC Collaboration:

1. Request to build more formal relationship with LWC and other MSCC

members to bring together like-minded stakeholders, advocate for

migrant/refugee community and to reach the underserved migrant/refugee

population


53

b. CARPHA

i.Provide technical support for public health throughout the region and are working

to support research that is being down jointly with LWC and Harvard School of

Public Health to guide public health decision making

ii.Require support from MSCC members to access migrants/refugees to do a survey

which will gather data that will provide support for improving care and treatment

for chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the migrant population

c. Pan American Development Foundation (PADF)

i.Starting projects to focus on increasing access to legal protection, strengthening

social integration, increasing livelihood opportunities and eliminating vulnerability

for the Venezuelan migrant and refugee communities in T&T

ii.Interested in working with the MSCC members to identify collaborations and as

well as avoid duplication of efforts by identifying the populations that are being

served by existing programming

4. MSCC Subcommittee Update

a. Economic Inclusion

i.A baseline survey has been sent out to private sector which will close end of

February. The survey seeks to capture information on interest of private sector in

hiring migrants and refugees as well as understanding any challenges or

information/training that would be needed to better provide employment

opportunities.

1. MSCC members asked to circulate the survey and recommend other

private sector parties who could respond to the survey to increase responses

and ensure robust, diverse response, including agricultural sector, which is

currently employing many migrants

ii.Committee mapping organization and agencies that provide skills training and

recruitment services and agencies’ current efforts to connect with and reach out to

the migrant population

b. Language and Linguistics

i.Survey being developed to put together database on volunteers for translation,

interpretation, and support services (e.g. childcare for adult ESL students)

ii.Committee working on facilitating standardization of curricula for community

language-learning initiatives

c. Health and Psychosocial Services

i.Proposal to form additional subcommittee to address health and psychosocial needs

and services of migrant population

5. Update on Immigration-Related Matters

a. Immigration Division is interested in data from economic inclusion survey to understand

economic engagement of migrants by local private sector

b. All issues related to the registration exercise and any follow-up activities will need to

come from the Ministry of National Security

c. Getting student permits for migrants and refugees is still a challenge due to the legislation

6. Action Items and Next Steps

a. Next MSCC meeting to be held on Friday, March 20, 2020, from 9:00-11:30am. As per

the TOR, DI will arrange the logistics and disseminate to all members

b. DI to map coordinated initiatives among MSCC members to identify results achieved and

collaborations needed for sustainability of the initiatives

c. Economic Inclusion and Language subcommittees to meet separately to advance agreed

objectives prior to March 20 meeting

d. Health and Psychosocial Services subcommittee to be formalized and to meet, agree on

objectives and outline coordination strategies before March 20 meeting


Fifth Session of the Multi-Stakeholder Coordination Committee

Meeting Notes Tuesday, March 31, 2020

9:30 – 11:00 am

Virtual Zoom Meeting A. Opening

Ms. Morgan Simpson, Chief of Party of the Community Resilience Initiative welcomed everyone

and thanked all for attending this first virtual MSCC meeting. The meeting was attended by 21

persons representing 17 organizations and the key introduction points were as follows:


CRI project:

o All grants about to finish – end of March 2020 – but have been successful in

obtaining an extension from USAID, so currently working with the four partners

(Living Water Community, Ryu Dan Dojo, Drama Making a Difference and Families

in Action) to plan new/ updated activities to the period Sep/ Oct 2020.

o All partners activities are being redesigned to be virtual, focusing on social media,

messaging and video conferencing platforms, increase focus on mental health

concerns of the migrant community given COVID-19 impact.

o Continuing focus on existing referral pathways, changes to existing ones and new

referral pathways related to COVID-19

o CRI Fact Cards on Information and Services in TT will be created in the form of

printed calendar/ notepad as well as shared via social media.

Technical Subcommittees:

o Economic Inclusion Subcommittee – Private sector finishing up. Survey

results report will be shared and discussed at the next MSCC meeting.

o Language and Linguistics Subcommittee – Established a volunteer network

consisting of 38 volunteers and planning for a virtual training session to incorporate

them into CRI activities. UWI and Living Water Community have started compiling

material for curricula sharing, standardization and mapping of ESL providers across

the country.

o Health and MHPSS Subcommittee – First meeting discussed the main challenges

for migrants in accessing health care in TT. Key action points will include mapping

services and skills available, translating material and considering tele-medicine.

Findings of Living Water Community migrant survey on COVID-19:

o 226 respondents, so far 57% severely affected, 26% somewhat affected.

o 17% not affected (as of yet), but still reporting concern.

o Primary concerns: shelter, food, and employment.

o Secondary concerns: health related.

o Many have lost their jobs.

B. Key Takeaway Points

The MSCC needs to facilitate referrals in the time of COVID-19, to

determine where the gaps are in services, how we can adapt to the current context.

Realistically, integration activities for the migrant population less of a

priority when unemployment or hunger are far more pressing matters for them.

Need to see more Spanish information related to COVID-19 being

disseminated for the benefit of the Venezuelan migrant community.

CRI can use its social media to promote messages of:

o How social distancing works in a very visual and tangible sense.

o Lack of human touch and ways of dealing with this.

o Ways on how to productively occupy oneself while at home.

o Unity, togetherness and support.

While everyone is on lockdown and kept in-doors, families will regroup and

reconnect in a way that might not have been possible otherwise, but high levels of mental

health, psychosocial and child protection issues will arise as a result.

More clarity needed on Ministry of Social Development’s plan for providing relief

to citizens of TT. It is a fairly new process and it will encounter many teething problems.

TT Government will need to explore ways of providing some type of relief to the

migrant community.

C. Updates from MSCC Members on coping with COVID-19

1. Ryu Dan Dojo

All CRI activities have become virtual:

o Have launched a song about COVID-19 preventative measures which was done

by a Venezuelan migrant child and has been translated into English.

o Martial Arts tutorials is uploaded to YouTube channel every three days.

o Life Skills and Read for Life material is uploaded every four days to YouTube.

Other COVID-19 related support:

o Obtained subsidized food from Xtra foods for hampers of food and basic

necessities and working with Community Police to deliver to beneficiary families.

o Working with local NGO to provide psychosocial support to those in need.

o Marva has been encouraging landlords in the community to offer migrant tenants

some flexibility in paying rent and have pleaded with them to be lenient during this

time of crisis and lockdown.


55

2. Drama Making a Difference

Main focus of DMAD during this time is to get messages out via Social Media and

other platforms that highlight issues surrounding COVID-19 and the migrant crisis.

While the world is on a ‘pause’, DMAD wants to be seen as a ‘ray of hope’.

Has partnered with Is There Not a Cause and La Casita to support activities.

Wants to partner with humanitarian NGOs and lend support to

them in undertaking a food drive and mobilizing for TT citizens to get involved.

Deadline for Poetry Competition submissions: April 4, 2020.

Virtual “One Humanity” show tentatively carded for April 15th, 2020. This event

will commemorate international days and announce winners of poetry competition.

3. Families in Action

Youth programs on hold for now, focusing on

the psychosocial support via counseling and the hotline, because FIA has realized that

the psychosocial needs have increased.

Venezuelan counselor uses Whatapp video for one on one session, while the TT

counselor uses different mediums such as phone, Whatsapp video, Zoom or Skype.

Persons can call 24/7 hotline, speak to a listener and then refer them to

counselor.

Concerned about domestic violence and intimate partner violence, during the

lockdown, perpetrators are at home with their victims and victims cannot reach out for

assistance; calls have decreased on national domestic hotline during COVID-19.

800-Save, the domestic violence abuse hotline has been referring persons to

FIA’s bilingual hotline.

4. Living Water Community

Have been contact by the Ministry of National security to advise that any member

of the migrant or refugee population can access healthcare for COVID-19 without fear

of penalization. This information needs to be shared widely, encouraging non-nationals

to come forward if they have symptoms or have been in contact with someone with

symptoms. However, concern that could still be penalized for being in the streets

without valid IDs.

5. UNICEF

UNICEF regional offices are teleworking, currently focusing on

providing psychosocial support and facilitating online education.

Child Friendly Spaces in collaboration with Living Water are currently closed, but

UNICEF is using this downtime to provide support and training to persons in child

protection, youth engagement and psychosocial support.

Has partnered with PAHO to provide online support training to frontline

workers of the COVID-19 response.

Has developed material in Spanish and being distributed to highlight, among other

things, Child Protection messages, a topic very relevant to the current situation.

The Childline hotline continues, unaffected.

6. Ministry of Social Development and Family Services

Only citizens of Trinidad and Tobago are eligible for the social support

measures offered by the Ministry. TT ID card is a requirement. No relief in place

for migrants.

National Family Service have been understaffed since many of the welfare officers

have been redirected to work on relief distribution support. As a result, the Ministry of

Education has been assisting with providing psychosocial support to fill gap for NFS.

The TT Government is committed to providing the following financial assistance

to those experiencing reduced income for a period not exceeding three months:

o Income support – for those individuals retrenched or terminated from jobs.

o Food support – for those families with children on the school feeding program.

o Rental fee support – for assistance in paying rent.

TT citizens can reach out to the Ministry via:

o Completing forms on the website, or

o Reaching out via telephone: 800-1MSD, 800-OPIC, or Ministry lines 623-2608

Extensions 1120 to 1132.

To become eligible for income relief, the individual’s reduced income must have

occurred on or after March 1st, 2020.

7. The Children’s Authority of Trinidad and Tobago

Operations continue as usual with 24/7 services:

o Registry Unit


o Investigations Unit

o Emergency Response Team

o Bilingual hotline for cases of neglect and abuse of children: hotline is “996”.

Before the COVID-19 lockdown, the Authority successfully assisted

with the placement of a migrant child.

Supervised visits to Community Residences are currently on hold, limiting face to

face interactions. Children are instead being allowed phone calls to family members.

During this time of lockdown with children at home, the Authority foresees

several child protections issues and a growing need for psychosocial support.

8. Counter Trafficking Unit, Ministry of National Security

The lockdown and quarantining of Children’s Homes have created a sense of fear,

especially with reduced staffing numbers.

Increased psychosocial support will be needed for TT

nationals and Venezuelan migrants, especially for the migrants at the critical stage of

lockdown.

9. American Chamber of Commerce

Staff have been on work-from-home status since the 16th of March 2020, with a

few conferences having to be postponed or redesigned to a virtual platform.

Keeping in touch with its members and sharing relevant information as its

received.

10. National Crime Prevention Program (NCPP), Ministry of National Security

All of its forward-facing community activities have been put on hold or are

currently being reworked using online platforms.

Community-level meetings are in progress to determine new ways for

interaction.

NCPP has an active social media presence on Facebook and Instagram and is

willing to consider facilitating distribution of MSCC material through these channels.

11. Pan American Development Foundation (PADF)

All initially planned face-to-face activities have been moved virtually, with

a new focus on the COVID-19 response.

Will be creating information material on gaps of services and will be interested

in obtaining information from MSCC members.

Conducting phone interviews with potential stakeholders to get them involved.

Will be offering an in-house translation service for those who may require, and

this will be offered at no charge to the recipient.

Will provide packages of information via flyers to share with MSCC members.

Welcomes opportunities to translate material or distribute material

via its networks.

Action Items and Next Steps

CRI implementing partners

o Will redesign its face-to-face activities to virtual program mode. During the COVID-19

lockdown, all partners will increase messaging and material via social media and utilize various

online platforms for hosting activities.

Democracy International

o To follow-up with Immigration Division and the TT Police Service to determine the TT

Government’s stance on whether members of the migrant community will be penalized for

being found on the streets without valid identification cards.

o To add contact information for the Office of the Prime Minister’s Gender and Child

Affairs and the TT Police Service’s Child Protection Unit to Fact Cards.

o Economic Inclusion Subcommittee Labor Survey Report will be shared with all MSCC

members via email and will be discussed at the next MSCC meeting.

o Requests for all MSCC members to provide feedback and updates on CRI Fact Cards:

Referral pathways, general updates to information, new information related to COVID-

19. Link to Fact Card Presentation:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mHrxcUv6C-eMo0TSZeq0XTXb89CH0w_S/view

Children’s Authority

o To provide Democracy International with a contact for the Office of the Prime

Minister’s Gender and Child Affairs division.

Ministry of Social Development and Family Services

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mHrxcUv6C-eMo0TSZeq0XTXb89CH0w_S/view


57

o To advise MSCC members with updates for grant assistance for TT nationals, as well as

any relief that might apply to members of the migrant community.

Families in Action

o To work with the Counter Trafficking Unit and Children’s Authority to

provide psychosocial support services.

PADF

o Welcomes opportunities to translate materials and share MSCC materials.

o MSCC members would share materials produced by PADF and will consider tagging PRM

and PADF in posts where PADF assisted in the translation of material for MSCC member

organizations.

o N.B. PRM is the PADF donor, the US Department of State’s Bureau of Population,

Refugees, and Migration (PRM).

AMCHAM

o In discussions about rallying its membership for donations where needed.

Counter Trafficking Unit

o CRI implementing partners will connect with the CTU to propose ways of positively

engaging the children in the homes with activities during the lockdown.

UNICEF

o To share with MSCC members opportunities for online psychosocial training.


CRI Multi-Stakeholder Coordination Committee Meetings

Attendance Report and Trends

# Participating Organizations Session 1 - Sep 6, 2019 Courtyard Marriott

Session 2 - Oct 25, 2019 Courtyard Marriott

Session 3 – Dec 6, 2019 Living Water

Session 4 – Feb 7, 2020 US Embassy

Session 5 – Mar 31, 2020 Virtual Zoom Meeting

1 American Chamber of Commerce Patricia Ghany Neerala Boodoo Neerala Boodoo Neerala Boodoo Neerala Boodoo

2 Caribbean Public Health Agency N/A N/A N/A Dr. Glennis Andall-Brereton (via call)

Absent

3 Children’s Authority of Trinidad and Tobago

N/A Sasha James Sasha James Staria Moore Patricia Bascombe

4 Community Policing - TT Police Service

Susan Peters-Sorzano Susan Peters-Sorzano Absent Susan Peters-Sorzano Absent

5 Counter Trafficking Unit - Ministry of National Security

N/A Alana Wheeler Alana Wheeler Alana Wheeler Alana Wheeler

6 Democracy International

Morgan Simpson Morgan Simpson Morgan Simpson Morgan Simpson Morgan Simpson

Zahra Alleyne Zahra Alleyne Zahra Alleyne Zahra Alleyne Zahra Alleyne

Jade Joseph Jade Joseph Jade Joseph Jade Joseph Jade Joseph

7 Drama Making A Difference Company

Kevin Liverpool Kevin Liverpool Absent Absent Absent

of 64

N/A N/A Andre Dillon Andre Dillon Andre Dillon

N/A N/A Onika Herbert Absent Absent

N/A N/A Kezia Huggins Kezia Huggins Kezia Huggins

8 Embassy of the United States in Trinidad and Tobago

Umar Moulta-Ali Umar Moulta-Ali Absent Umar Moulta-Ali Umar Moulta-Ali

N/A N/A Kervelle Durant-Julien Absent Absent

9 Families in Action Dionne Guischard Dionne Guischard Dionne Guischard Dionne Guischard Dionne Guischard

10 Family Planning Association of Trinidad and Tobago

N/A Absent Absent Absent Absent

11 Immigration Division - Ministry of National Security

Absent Giselle Howard Absent Giselle Howard Absent

12 International Labour Organization N/A Absent Absent Absent Absent

13 International Organization for Migration

Curtra Spence Cherlez Philip Absent Absent Absent

14 Inter-Religious Organization Neal Ryan Rawlins Abbess Germain Charles Jordan

Neal Ryan Rawlins Absent Neal Ryan Rawlins

15 Living Water Community Rochelle Nakhid Rochelle Nakhid Rochelle Nakhid Rochelle Nakhid Rochelle Nakhid


N/A N/A Gina Maharaj Absent Absent

N/A N/A Ganesh Rampersad Absent Absent

N/A N/A Shivonne DuBarry Shivonne DuBarry Absent

16 Medical Research Foundation N/A N/A N/A Dr. Selena Todd Absent

17 Ministry of Community Development, Culture and the Arts

Melissa Williams Ayanna Francis-La Fleur Ayanna Francis-La Fleur Ayanna Francis-La Fleur Absent

N/A N/A N/A Fidel Sanatan Absent

18 Ministry of Education Absent Ann Marie Givarro-Perez

Ann Marie Givarro-Perez Absent Absent

19 Ministry of Health Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent

20 Ministry of Labour, Small and Enterprise Development

Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent

21 Ministry of National Security – International Affairs Unit

Jason Camacho Absent Absent Absent Absent

22 Ministry of Social Development and Family Services

N/A Teneka Thomas-Edwards

Teneka Thomas-Edwards

Absent Teneka Thomas-Edwards

N/A Jennifer Alleyne Absent Absent Absent

of 64

23 Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent

24 National Crime Prevention Programme – Ministry of National Security

Stefan Goalan Stefan Goalan Stefan Goalan Absent Stefan Goalan

25 Pan American Development Foundation

N/A N/A N/A Kamilah Morain Kamilah Morain

N/A N/A N/A Hannah Katwaroo Hannah Katwaroo

N/A N/A N/A Austice Antoine Absent

26 Ryu Dan Dojo

Marva John-Logan Marva John-Logan Marva John-Logan Marva John-Logan Marva John-Logan

N/A N/A Linda Hinds Absent Absent

27 Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce

Absent Gabriel Faria Absent Reagon Stroude Absent

28 Trinidad and Tobago - Venezuela Solidarity Network

Heidi Diquez Heidi Diquez Absent Heidi Diquez Absent

Anabella Dini N/A Absent Absent Absent

29 Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers’ Association

Ilanka Manrique Ilanka Manrique Absent Christian George Christian George


30 United Nations Children’s Fund

Tashana Wint Tashana Wint Absent Absent Absent

Candice Wallace Candice Wallace Absent Candice Wallace Candice Wallace

31 United Nations High Commission for Refugees

Leila Nassif Absent Absent Absent Absent

32 United States Agency for International Development Eastern and Southern Caribbean

Ryssa Brathwaite Ryssa Brathwaite Ryssa Brathwaite (via call)

Ryssa Brathwaite Ryssa Brathwaite

33 University of the West Indies' Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics

Nicole Roberts Nicole Roberts Absent Nicole Roberts Absent

Jo-Anne Ferreira Jo-Anne Ferreira Jo-Anne Ferreira Absent Absent

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