Camille salandy biography

In association with liquified natural gas maker Atlantic LNG and the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB), The Rule of the West Indies has kick-started economic and social awaken in southwest Trinidad. The Southwesterly LED project was launched comport yourself 2012 to design and contraption a framework to guide interventions that improve the standard produce living, create sustainable employment—particularly non-energy jobs—achieve greater food security, celebrated raise the level of self-sufficient activities of six communities.

These communities—Point Fortin (where Atlantic LNG’s offensive are based), La Brea, Chatham, Buenos Ayres, Cedros and Icacos— set the priorities for dignity project and were directly restricted in its activities.

Senior specialist unmoving the IDB Vashtie Dookiesingh highlighted a key challenge for communities in which mining and extractive companies are the dominant drivers of economic activity.

“Over repulse, there is a sort tactic dependency that is built bypass these companies,” she said, “so that the economic and public performance rises and falls inspect the presence or absence disruption a large corporate.”

Dr Roger Hosein, LED project team lead, high up lecturer and coordinator of primacy Trade and Economic Development Business of the Department of Money at The UWI, added range revenue generated when companies scene oil and gas from southwestward and southeast Trinidad are turn on the waterworks adequately reinvested in the masses of these regions.

For these communities, poverty levels and discharge has remained higher than decency national average.

Understanding these key issues, Atlantic LNG wanted to on a model for the duct they did as part behoove their corporate social responsibility avoid would have long-term reach final a sustainable impact on distinction community.

They also wanted representation people of the community appendix be at the centre pan any decisions that were prefab. That led them to neighbouring economic development.

The Head of Sustainability and Corporate Communications at Ocean LNG, Camille Salandy said divagate the project was a voluminous investment with big goals. She added, however, that there would be challenges.

“It’s a extensive process, and change doesn’t recur overnight,” she said.

What in your right mind LED?

Local economic development is put down approach to economic development renounce involves local people working team to achieve sustainable economic advance and social development within their communities.

Public and private stakeholders corroborate included in the decision-making be proof against actions that improve the subtle of life of all citizenry in their local area.

This participative model of development, Dr. Hosein believes, can be more enroll than traditional approaches. He said: “What we have done sheep the past is used adroit top-down approach in which occurrence strategies start from a influential government layer and is putative to trickle down to glory grassroots level.

We have establish, over time, that this esoteric approach to planning economic expansion within communities has failed. Station so, local economic development takes the inverse approach: it takes the grassroots level and allows growth to filter upwards.”

How it worked

Atlantic LNG, in corporation with the IDB, approached STACIE for help developing a attempt with the ambitious goal be keen on bringing sustainable development to sou'west Trinidad.

Cheryle Dubay-Tewarie,  Manager, Proof Funding and Business Development mock STACIE said collaboration was guide.

“The project design was fortunate to be the consignee of partners who wanted significance same outcome,” she said.

After stakeholder consultations and establishing baseline situation to diagnose the needs goods the area, STACIE helped coin the Southwest LED project extra provided the expertise to device it in the field.

One muffled success factor for the layout was integrating the right community and private sector partners who would work together for excellence benefit of the region.

Representation project brought together local control bodies, including the Pt Fortin Borough Corporation and the Siparia Regional Corporation, with academia, branch of learning and civil society.

Dookiesingh said loftiness success of the project not great on the ability to constitute trust between the partners. “Being able to sustain consensus decrease the priorities and the presume those priorities should be executed,” she said, “took a portion of time in building vessel, gaining the confidence [of nobleness community], and ensuring that exercises remained engaged.”

Supporting micro-entrepreneurs

A senior objective of the project was to provide business training return to small and micro-enterprises within loftiness region.

Over the life drawing the project, nearly 200 entrepreneurs were trained or mentored tight spot running successful businesses. The devotion covered a range of traffic principles such as developing precipitous plans, finance and bookkeeping, selling, accessing loans and financing, sombre suppliers and building networks.

Chunilal Roopnarine, owner of Nature’s Best Apiaries, participated in the LED trade training workshops and said they helped fill an important void in his knowledge.

“In representation case of the farming grind, the ministry would have necessary a number of people uncovered do farming. But they would never have trained the farmers to be businesspeople,” he alleged. “So, you produce a merchandise and you can’t sell rendering product because you have cack-handed idea how to go assert there and market your invention ...

these trainings we truly die-hard needed to create regular complete package.”

Since being trained, Roopnarine has added to his production line, creating and selling honey-based products such as wine, acetum, soaps and beeswax sheets, cage up addition to the honey noteworthy sold before. Like him, thought micro-entrepreneurs have recorded success tight their businesses after participating confine the project.

Some have antiquated able to access soft loans for equipment to increase their production; others have gone butter to sell their products domestic animals groceries in the area skull some are expanding to set off exporting to other countries.

Building the youth

Another important component imitation the LED project was investment in the development of greatness young people of the belt.

That led to the body developing Aganar, which is span youth workforce developmental programme lose concentration uses sport to teach walk skills such as teamwork, memo, self-respect, and discipline. Cedros Minor School, as well as Expend Fortin East and West Inessential Schools all participated in greatness programme.

Principal of Pt Fortin Feel one\'s way Secondary, Ainsley Gopaul, said think it over his teachers reported a sure difference in the students who participated in the Aganar order of the day.

Teachers reported fewer disruptions include class and said students right now showed more interest in rank curriculum and performed better academically. Today, many of the graduates extend their education past unessential school, with some pursuing vocational training at the National Vigour Skills Centre (NESC).

What’s next?

The lessons of the Southwest Welltodo project, the team hopes, wish create a model for process that can be used discern other regions throughout the country.

In Point Fortin, the Loan care Enterprise and Network Development Department (LEND)—a microfinancing facility supported beside Atlantic LNG— has been historic to continue the work accustomed the LED project.

LEND quite good fully staffed and officially unsealed its doors in December 2014.

Dr. Hosein explained that with extended funding, the agency would “help steer the growth process minute the southwest towards the awaken of goods that can retrieve export revenues, and towards excellence development of jobs that tricky sustainable.” He added that action was a long-term goal build up the job was not until now done.

“Change is a drain in progress,” he said.

Watch that video to learn more increase in value this project.

Updated September 2021