After more than 30 years of operation in Dominica and St. Vincent and millions of dollars spent, ChildFund Caribbean (CFC) is leaving the region.
The fund, which was first introduced in Dominica in 1985 as the Christian Children’s Fund, has provided services to hundreds of children in both countries. Recently the organization announced that it will be pulling out of the Caribbean to concentrate on areas of greater need such as Africa and some parts of Asia.
Over EC$50-million has been spent in both countries over the last decade.
At a phasing out ceremony on Monday, Officer in Charge of CFC, Gelina Fontaine, highlighted the organization’s contribution to the Caribbean.
“On an annual basis, Child Fund Caribbean supported over 7,500 children and youth, between birth to age 24 years old, with a diverse range of services and programs,” she said. “Our annual beneficiary count, to include those who benefitted from all sources of funds… range between 20,000 and more than 50,000 children and their families in some years.”
She said millions of dollars have been spent in the two countries in the last decade.
“ChildFund expends EC$3-million on average, on a yearly basis, between our national office, and our three local partners in the two countries combined, totalling, for example, between 1997 and 2016 alone, EC$67-million or US$25-million,” Fontaine stated.
Fontaine announced that local partners have decided to continue sponsoring children, and asked that others join them in being “champions for children.”
Meantime, Minster of Education, Petter Saint Jean, recognized CFC’s contribution the Ministry, through program assistance and implementation.
“ChildFund also assisted in the implementation of the Child-Friendly Schools initiative, through the provision of both human and financial resources,” he articulated. “And lately, they have been implementing the Child Assault Prevention (CAP) program within our primary schools. Through this initiative, our children are learning how to be and how to stay safe, strong, and free…”
CFC offices will be officially closed by the end of August.
ChildFund currently serves over 50-million children and their families worldwide.
Sorry to say but we not poor. A Government spending 30 million dollars in 28 days election campaign we have money.
Those who are treating this article lightly are ignorant of certain facts. Nonprofit organizations that provide their own funding and undertake projects to enhance the lives and wellbeing of people especially children are critically important to places like Dominica and St. Vincent. Our ignorance and cultural biases have and continues to ignore certain segments of the population simply based on class warfare that we inherited from our British ancestry. The absence of this organization will negatively impact us whether or not we’re willing to accept it. The vulnerable amongst us now have one less advocacy group to fight on their behalf.
you people so obsessed with Skerrit you cannot even read news with no political lens. Childfund i pulling out of THE CARIBBEAN. I think the majority of Dominica’s foolish people who know their alphabet are on DNO.
Such a program assisted many children , and still more out there who needs this program . Sad ….
The other crucial contributions from Child Fund were the strong support of the launching of the NGO Coalition for the Protection of Children and Youth and the challenging of the opinion that corporal punishment should continue in schools. CHild Fund has consistantly argued for Parents and Teachers to be educated in more positive ways of disciplining children that beating their hands or buttocks with sticks, whips and belts.
Dominican children are already rotten to the core due to white supremacist evil American and British culture you want to take away corporal punishment so that our children can start mass shootings at schools and the other diseases found in public schools in this country?
The Organization now realize Dominican is not poor after all …all those millions being stached away in foreign bank .so they think its time to pack up
You all just can’t wait for your chance to be the ones to lay your hands on those millions can you? Just wait and you all will do the same, I beg you to promise you will not like all politicians do.
That is their way of saying ‘enough is enough’ Dominicans don’t care about their children because if the did, there would be a national outburst against the alleged incident with a minor that led to the resignation, arrest, charged
Americans take this things very seriously and there is no way groups or anyone will want to support a country whose government ministers are the ones alleged to be inflicting such wounds on their children,
Skerrit was right when he said after Erika, that his reason for postponing WCF was because he did not want friendly governments and tax payers to see us celebrating with a kubuli in each hand, while their tax payers have to send us help. Skerrit was right! Groups and friendly governments heard and saw how we abusing our children and therefore they cannot use tax payers money to support this here
I still am dumbfounded.
Cannot understand what is wrong with this country and its people.
The wor l d is watching to see if the people of the Soufruere costituency going to vote The party that has doenright disresoected them.
Is the victim from that cobstituency ?
This is good news! not bad news as it is written!
They are pulling out because DA and St Vincent are success cases where their services are no longer needed.
Its not a failure its a success.
The article is badly written, I guess the author and other DA people are so used to writing negative things they cant tell when something is positive. SMH
Actually Child Fund is moving out of the Caribbean because the average income in the Region is now over a minimum level. It is a very sad day for both Dominica and St Vincent as NO agency is taking up the sponsorship programme so 4000 children in Dominica and at least another 2000 in St Vincent will no longer have the financial support from sponsors that they had before. There is no child benefit or public assistance available for these children in Dominica. If anyone wants to sponsor a child then Lifeline Ministries can connect you with a family where a child has special needs such as disability or a sick parent ( see http://www.lifelinedominica.org) , but we cannot hope to step into the big shoes left behind by Child Fund.
You are very wrong in your assessment. It tells me you have absolutely no knowledge nor awareness of the operations let alone the benefits of an NGO in a developing country. There are countries more well off than Dominica where NGO`s function. The role of a NGO is to compliment work of government and in Dominica and St. Vincent it appears the roles of these NGO`s were not fully recognised and made to be visible that they work in partnership with government. Child Abuse has been a fight with former Directors of ChildFund for years where that cause was visible. This current corrupt government has ignored the fight of child abuse and thus protecting our children. They made secret their passport business where benefits apparently went to big people and the cause of children and families and deprived communities have been ignored big time. Dominica needs foreign investment and this government have failed its children, families, communities big time. Also ignored its many local advocates.
DA, St. Vincent are not success cases, rather these countries so called national policies are not making a difference and the NGO is not designed to totally fund and take care of national development. Theirs to partner with government but this corrupt one in Dominica, not focus in designing real development programmes but fast food designed bobol schemes and things, NGO will be willing to partner, but DA not ready.
Dominica is a failed state, begging country partners for things we have not seen make a difference, just concrete designed structures no meaningful development programmes. Every day is the same ole nonsense talk from this government.
However under local leadership past 20 years local directors did their best with many child development programmes. It was all over the news. I recall Voices of Abused Children and today the abusers from Captain down to crook all in government, parliament and even educated and politicians champion this cause & cover up. NGO`s have been…
I give up!!
How do you make a voluntary organisation stay in your country if they state that there are other countries more in need?
Why don’t we D/cans do something for ourselves for a change?
We can back up some of our children.
And don’t tell me anything about politics in that idea!!
I see it differently.
It is a vote of confidence in us, Dominicans, that we can take on the torch, and provide the light in our darkest nights.
We dont have to look to anyone but ourselves.
YOu mean flash the light to the many dark areas……? There is no torch to catch, its without batteries and will it know where to start? Well, start on the fifth floor where supremo is and light up the corrupt as you proceed down to every floor where they are
You are a negative person. use your time to think of a way to help someone. Be positive
It would be nice if the exact services that were provided would have been stated rather than generalized. Then we would know where the holes are in services. Govt will not be fulfilling anything. Nobody has the funds and those that do have limited funds. Some of the people that received services from this organization need to comment on how it helped them.
The two particularly valuable services provided by Child Fund were the Roving Caregivers scheme which uses local trained people to visit homes where there are small children and provide paerenting support, and the CAP program which si a CHild Assault PRevention Program which works with primary school children teachers and aprents to raise awareness of child Abuse and facilitate disclosure and reporting. THese two programmes are the focus for the East Federation which is seeking funds to continue them.
Politics surrounds us SMH, do not give yourself a self inflicted wound by bursting a vein. Can I ask you, what is politics, how would you define it. Everything is politics, it shows itself in many different ways.
Wonder if you know of influence into this organisation under this corrupt DLP leadership….do you? I will not specify, time has passed.
The question is, this organisation is gone, it has been announced for years, what has this government done to address or help keep it here. The poverty is high, the abuse of children has increased tenfold and we have the government priority on passports sale with no accountability or involved in gutter mepuis politics. SMH , I hope yo getting the message.
Have you heard anything loud and clear from this CFC should not close. Did they advocate?
SMH
This may have a serious impact on the Dominican Society and economy. I guess government will have to expand their social programs. Interestingly though the two poorest countries Dominica and St Vincent were the beneficiaries and their situations have not improved. Thank you CFC.
please just read without being biased or negative and open your mind to learning and understanding before opening your mouth.
What is being bias and negative by suggesting that this may have a major impact on the Dominica economy?
I suggested that the government may have to expand its social programs, what is negative about that?
Dominica and St Vincent are the two poorest OECS territories, am i lying?
Saying a big thank you to CFC, is that being negative?
Looking is very right, for sure he is right………..
My friend, you doh ready yet, try again
Thank you CC F for the tremendous co tributions you have made.
Thank you. By now we should gave been able to stand on our feet.
DNO, why is ChildFund closing its doors in Dominica?
Did you not read the article. They are pulling out of the region to concentrate on countries with greater need such as Africa and some parts of Asia. Jeez man. Try not to make it political.
not just Dominica…the entire region…and if you read the article properly you would have seen that they said its because they want to focus on other countries such as Africa and some parts of Asia. They think that these countries are more in need than the Caribbean
I wonder why? Why go to these African countries when their corruption and leadershipis is questionable if not equal to that of Dominica.
@ oh boy, u need to read the entire article because it only highlighted Dominica and St Vincent. Am, who is the pm of STV again?
It is a sad day for our children. Missing from that article is the wonderful job that Mr. Francis Joseph did and other local sponsors who supported the children at home and the diaspora.
Everything we had and treasured for many years, leaving us, thanks to Skerrit and his corrupt government. Americans follow news and keep an eye on their penny. They heard how government officials and friends of the government were arrested and charged for an alleged very inappropriate behavior against a minor and, the government of Dominica has done very little to convince anyone that they are interested in fighting for the children. In fact what they hearing is the same as what we are hearing and they heard when top government officials vowed to stand with the alleged offender. The timing of this withdrawal speaks much louder that the words seen in this article.
negativity did you even read the article or did you just come to run your blueness?did you even know about CFC?did you even know that they existed?did you even care? stop bringing politics into everything. go out and try and capture some positivity for yourself cause you clearly need it.!!!!!
Positivity doesn’t solve the problem, it only ignores it.
Politics surrounds us SMH, do not give yourself a self inflicted wound by bursting a vein. Can I ask you, what is politics, how would you define it. Everything is politics, it shows itself in many different ways.
Wonder if you know of influence into this organisation under this corrupt DLP leadership….do you? I will not specify, time has passed.
The question is, this organisation is gone, it has been announced for years, what has this government done to address or help keep it here. The poverty is high, the abuse of children has increased tenfold and we have the government priority on passports sale with no accountability or involved in gutter mepuis politics. SMH , I hope yo getting the message.
Have you heard anything loud and clear from this CFC should not close. Did they advocate?
Read between the lines…….would they give the real reason for ending the programme????
God save Dominica from the overflowing and overwhelming ignorance of people like yourself.
Wow! here we go again. obsession over skerrit. if you have nothing valuable to say…shut your trap hole. and Get a life outside of skerrits
Good to know yours is…..you have adopted your suggestion.