SOURCES OF FUNDING

 

Funding programmes offered by the British High Commission cover a variety of subject areas and supplement the British Government’s wider development programmes. To qualify for funding, projects must have a positive impact in the fight against poverty, show support for the environment, and be developmental and sustainable.  

 

The Global Opportunities Fund aims to promote action on global issues in areas of strategic importance to the UK.

The British Chevening Scholarship Scheme has been operating in the Eastern Caribbean since 1984 (formerly as the Foreign & Commonwealth Scholarships & Awards Scheme – FCOSAS) and to date nearly 175 people from the Eastern Caribbean have benefited from these prestigious awards. Those targeted are seen as future leaders and decision makers in their respective countries. The studies cover a wide variety of subject areas, and the experience they gain will benefit their countries over time.  Also on offer are Chevening Fellowships, intensive twelve-week courses that focus on particular subjects aligned to the United Kingdom’s strategic international priorities. The fellowships are targeted at mid-career professionals in positions of leadership or influence (or in line with such positions) who are active in the field of the subject to be studied.

 

COMMONWEALTH SCHOLARSHIPS

 

Each year the British Government makes around 500 awards to applicants from Commonwealth countries as its contribution to the Commonwealth Scholarships and Fellowships Plan. These awards can cover doctoral studies, masters degrees and academic or short term professional fellowships. There are also opportunities for distance learning courses and split-site schemes in which part of a doctoral degree is carried out in the United Kingdom. All awards are made strictly on the basis of academic merit. There are no prescribed subjects, but applicants from developing Commonwealth countries must make a strong case for the development impact of their proposed course of study. Further details of the awards and application procedures can be found on http://www.csfp-online.org/hostcountries/gb.html or by contacting the nominating agency in your country [details in the Annual Report]. Applications for the awards in 2008 must be submitted by 31 December 2007.

 

BILATERAL PROGRAMME BUDGET

 

Under this programme, funding is made available to organisations in the Eastern Caribbean which would not normally have access to finance for small programmes that are of benefit to local communities. Areas such as human rights, democracy, and women’s affairs are given special consideration. Projects that help to educate minority groups on their rights are funded under the BPB. In St Lucia recently, more than one hundred participants from secondary schools, youth and sports organizations and NGOs, in collaboration with government agencies held a ‘youth summit’ to devise ways for the island’s young people to join in the fight against crime. Across the waters in Barbados, an NGO with British funding was training volunteers to counsel their peers on the dangers of substance abuse. That effort having realised its objective, led to the establishment of a family education and support group, to provide support for families of people affected by substance abuse.