USAID and IDB Announce $2.4 Million in Awards to Prevent Gender-Based Violence and Offer Venezuelans Opportunities in Entrepreneurship and Education
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) announced $2.4 million for nine new awards under the BetterTogether/JuntosEsMejor Challenge to benefit Venezuelans in the Argentine Republic; the Co-operative Republic of Guyana; the Republics of Chile, Panamá, Perú, and Trinidad and Tobago; and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
The winners will provide critical solutions for Venezuelans inside and outside their home country by delivering accessible education, generating employment, fostering entrepreneurship, combating gender-based violence, fostering women’s economic empowerment, and accessing vital services:
In Argentina and Chile, Incluyeme.com(link is external) will implement an initiative for the social and labor inclusion of Venezuelan migrants with disabilities, by facilitating access to online employability tools, career-development training and guidance on local labor legislation;
In Guyana, the National Coordinating Coalition(link is external) will enhance a digital platform designed to strengthen cross-country partnerships for the successful resettlement and empowerment of Venezuelan migrants;
In Panamá, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society will launch a multi-stakeholder program to educate and engage with men and boys about gender-based violence to promote behavioral change to reduce the risk, and mitigate the impact of, violence against Venezuelan women and girls;
In Perú, Needslist(link is external) will scale its digital platform to match private-sector donors and the needs of vulnerable Venezuelan migrant communities;
Also in Perú, Sesame Workshop(link is external) will support Venezuelan children and families on the move by scaling up access to a transformative, no-cost digital solution that reduces barriers to learning caused by COVID-19;
In Trinidad and Tobago, the Rape Crisis Society of Trinidad and Tobago(link is external) will establish the first after-hours, toll-free, bilingual hotline on gender-based violence for Venezuelans and other survivors who need immediate support, anywhere in the country;
In Trinidad and Tobago, the Together WI Foundation(link is external) will help Venezuelan women enter the specialized garment-production business; the women will have access to markets and employment placement, while also contributing to boosting the local economy; and
In Venezuela, with funding from USAID, two organizations will provide access to vital support services and information in areas heavily affected by the manmade humanitarian crisis in their country.
The BetterTogether/JuntosEsMejor Challenge is a partnership between USAID and the IDB to crowdsource, fund, and scale up innovative solutions to support Venezuelans and communities that generously host them across Latin America and the Caribbean. For more information, visit JuntosEsMejorVE.org(link is external).