{"id":48,"date":"2009-10-22T16:20:03","date_gmt":"2009-10-22T16:20:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.eyecarecaribbean.com\/site\/eyecarecaribbean\/2009\/10\/22\/caribbean-quarterly-bulletin-quarter-ii-2009\/"},"modified":"2009-10-22T16:20:03","modified_gmt":"2009-10-22T16:20:03","slug":"caribbean-quarterly-bulletin-quarter-ii-2009","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eyecarecaribbean.com\/site\/ecc\/media-items\/caribbean-quarterly-bulletin-quarter-ii-2009\/","title":{"rendered":"Caribbean Quarterly Bulletin – Quarter II 2009"},"content":{"rendered":"

Period: April – June 2009 (Second Quarter).
Author(s): Frank Bowen<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n

1. The operating environment<\/strong>:<\/span><\/p>\n

The operating environment was impacted by several issues, including: <\/span><\/p>\n

1.1 The negative social and economic fall-out affecting Antigua and Barbuda resulting from the troubles of the Stanford Empire. These have now been exacerbated by the recent criminal charges laid against Sir Allen Stanford and Officers of the Stanford International Bank, and also against the Head of the Financial Regulatory Authority in the Antigua, by US Government.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

1.2 The serious challenges faced by CARICOM in advance of its 30th Heads of Government Summit in Guyana, in relation to immigration issues. There are allegations of discriminatory treatment meted out to CARICOM Nationals, in some member countries of the Community. It would appear that the current global economic recession has forced some countries to impose restrictions to intra-regional migration, a key element in the implementation of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy.  <\/span><\/p>\n

1.3 The serious concerns about the possible negative effects to tourism and other regional events of any increase in the number of persons contracting the A H1N1 Virus. This pandemic has already resulted in a premier regional sporting event being cancelled.<\/span><\/p>\n

1.4 The continuing economic decline resulting from the global economic recession has forced several countries to explore areas of support through International Financial Institutions (e.g. International Monetary Fund). These measures have apparently become necessary to finance budget deficits, prevent job losses in the Public Sector and to ameliorate hardships among vulnerable populations.     <\/span><\/p>\n

1.5 The Atlantic Hurricane Season commenced on June 1st and will last until November 30th. Given the destruction wrought by several storms and hurricanes last year, particularly to Haiti, and, to a lesser extent Jamaica, there is guarded optimism that the region would be spared further devastation this season.      <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

2. Significant changes to project plans or programme development:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

2.1 Caribbean:
<\/strong>·    The prevailing economic situation and reduced funding has restricted some activities initially scheduled for the 2009 Biennial General Meeting of CCB. Additionally, Members Agencies have had to reduce the number of delegates or defer participation, due to the high cost of regional air travel.   <\/span>
         
3. Highlights from selected projects:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

3.1 CCB Secretariat:<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n

·      Hosted visit of Sightsavers Officers, Philip Hand, Program Manager for the Caribbean, and Adam Heeley, Manager of Business Performance, from April 14th – 16th, for discussions re: introduction and application of CAT and FAT Tool-kits; followed by a meeting with an extended group, including Representatives from CCB, Eye Care Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica and St. Lucia, to work on development of full Proposal for submission to the EU.        <\/span><\/p>\n

·      The newly recruited Program Officer continues to be involved in an Orientation Program, designed to provide insights and experience of CCB‘s Regional Programs.<\/span><\/p>\n

·    Planning has reached an advanced stage re: hosting of 2009 Biennial General Meeting and Related Activities, scheduled for July 28th – August 1st, at the Marriott Resort in St. Kitts. About forty (40) Delegates from CCB Member Agencies are expected to attend and participate in the deliberations and Elections of Officers for the period 2009 to 2011.<\/span><\/p>\n

·    CCB’s new Logo has been finalized and will be introduced following approval by the Executive Committee and the BGM.<\/span><\/p>\n

3.2 Guyana:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

·    Dr. Rameeza McDonald, who is pursuing studies in Ophthalmology in Paraguay, on a CCB Scholarship, has reportedly commenced her clinical of studies, after completing her Language Course.<\/span><\/p>\n

·    Hosted visit of Adam Heeley of Sightsavers International, from April 20th – 23rd. He, together with CCB’s Treasurer, Londel Benjamin, assisted in:<\/span>
o        introducing QuickBooks Accounting System;<\/span>
o        starting the process of data entry of financial records for 2005 onwards, for completion by staff of Eye Care Guyana (ECG);<\/span>
o        reviewing controls and reporting around income generated by ECG;<\/span>
o        examining financial management and monitoring systems for income and expenditure in Guyana;   <\/span>
o        introducing FAT and consider implications for the overall CCB Financial Assessment.<\/span><\/p>\n

·    In an effort to advance programs for the education of children with visual impairment, a team from CCB and Eye Care Guyana met with the officials of the Ministry of Education (MoE), including the Deputy Chief Education Officer and Principal of Cyril Potter College of Education (the Teacher Training Institution), on May 11th. Exploratory discussions covered: proposed implementation of National Program (by MoE in partnership with CCB\/Eye Care Guyana), to include: establishment of new Resource Units, training of Teachers (eventually leading to the development of a full Degree Program at the University of Guyana), and hosting of a Planning Symposium, to lay the foundation for the partnership. <\/span><\/p>\n

·    Trainees from the Course in Refractive Techniques have completed the Theoretical Phase of the 3rd cohort of training and are currently engaged in the Practicum Phase, which requires five (5) months of supervised practice in an Eye Clinic or Vision Center; five of the Trainees are from Guyana, and one from Jamaica (Mandeville Hospital). <\/span><\/p>\n

·    The continuing efforts to increase the pool of skilled personnel in Eye Health have resulted in the Academic Board of the University of Guyana approving, in principle, accreditation of the Course, Certificate in Refraction Techniques; while that for the Bachelors Degree in Optometry, still under consideration. <\/span><\/p>\n

·    Final preparations are underway for the hosting of Regional Blind Cricket Tournament in Guyana from July 19th to 24th. The participating teams include: 2008 Champions (joint) Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago; Barbados and Guyana. The Windward Islands is unable to participate due to financial difficulties. A fundraising ‘Celebrity Match’ has been included in the Tournament. <\/span><\/p>\n

·    Two Optometrists (Australia and Canada) have expressed interest in volunteering for shorts stints in Guyana in July and September. Eye Care Guyana is finalizing arrangements for their assignment, in order to take full advantage of their services. <\/span><\/p>\n

3.3 Haiti:<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

3.3.1 While Haiti is yet to recover fully from the devastation wrought by last year’s storms and hurricanes, measures need to be implemented to cope with any possible storms of the 2009 Hurricane Season, which commenced on June 1st. Meanwhile, SHAA has continued to implement its programs, despite severe financial and other constraints.    <\/span><\/p>\n

3.3.2 The recent appointment of former US President Bill Clinton as the UN’s Goodwill Ambassador for Haiti, appears to have fuelled great expectations. It would be of immense benefit to the people of Haiti, if he can use his offices and contacts to leverage funding for various developmental programs.            <\/span>
            
3.4 Jamaica:<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n

·    Mandeville Regional Hospital (MRH) – Development of Vision Center: The design for Vision Center has been completed, and it is anticipated that refurbishment of the space will commence once EU funding becomes available.<\/span><\/p>\n

·    The Tracer and Digital Edger which were purchased with the assistance of ICEE for the Vision Center (MRH) have arrived in Jamaica and have been cleared; however, the Program is still awaiting the delivery of frames and lenses. Meanwhile, the Trainee Refractionist, as part of her Practicum, has begun to see patients and prescribe glasses, under supervision. In the interim, an emergency supply of lenses and frames is being procured and the services of a Private Lab contracted to fabricate the spectacles, until refurbishment of the Center is completed. <\/span><\/p>\n

·    District Hospitals in: Black River; May Pen; and Christiana, have been visited by the Executive Director of CCB, with a view to the possible establishment of Vision Centers at each location. That will bring the number of Vision Centers in the Southern Region of Jamaica to four (4).<\/span><\/p>\n

3.5 St. Lucia:<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n

3.5.1 In observance of Blindness Awareness Month 2009, St. Lucia Blind Welfare Association (SLBWA) hosted several activities, which received extensive media coverage, including: <\/span>
·    Low Vision Sensitisation Session at JQ Mall, which included display of LV Aids and Vision Assessment Kit, and Vision Screening;<\/span>
·    Assembly for persons living with blindness and low vision, involving – clients, parents, students and service providers;<\/span>
·    Walk for Sight<\/span>
·    SLBWA Staff Retreat;<\/span>
·    Sunset Cruise Fundraiser.<\/span>
          
3.5.2 Additionally, SLBWA has extended the Reception Area of its Clinic, enhancing aesthetics and client comfort; and, has replenished its stock of frames and lenses, to give clients a greater variety and choice.<\/span>
 
3.6 The Commonwealth of the Bahamas:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

3.6.1 The Bahamas Alliance for the Visually Impaired (BABVI) has elected a twelve-member Executive, including four women, to manage its affairs for the period 2009 – 2011; Desmond Browne has been returned as President.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

4. Evaluations and impact assessment:<\/strong> n\/a<\/span>
        
5. Partnerships:<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n

5.1 ICEE, in keeping with the terms of its partnership with CCB, has facilitated the following initiatives:     <\/span>
·    Regular teleconferences – CCB, Sightsavers and ICEE – to discuss program initiatives and planned support re: Antigua, Guyana and Jamaica;<\/span>
·    Ordering and shipment of Tracer and Digital Edger and other equipment to Jamaica, Guyana and Antigua; <\/span>
·    Provision of Curriculum Modules and other Course Materials re: Certificate in Refraction Techniques, and Bachelor Degree in Optometry.<\/span><\/p>\n

6. In-country Fundraising and Funding:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

6.1 A full Proposal was submitted to the EC on behalf of CCB, entitled, “Promoting V2020 to eliminate avoidable blindness through capacity building”, targeting programs in: Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, and St. Lucia. It is anticipated that a response will be available by August. <\/span><\/p>\n

6.2 In an effort to identify Foundations to be targeted for fundraising, CCB Secretariat has been engaged in advanced research of Caribbean Foundations, with support from Sightsavers International for similar research targeting Foundations in the US. The findings of the research will be short-listed and used for direct contact re: resource mobilization.<\/span><\/p>\n

6.3 CCB has submitted an application to IADB re: funding for a Project: “Introducing Swell Form Graphics and Easy Converter Technologies to the Caribbean – The era of tactile graphics and audio text for all”. The funding, if approved, will be used to introduce the technologies to thirteen (13) sites across the region.<\/span><\/p>\n

6.4 CCB and the West Indies Cricket Council for the Blind (WICCB), along with Sightsavers International, are currently exploring a possible partnership with the International Cricket Council (ICC) during its Twenty20 Cricket Tournament in the Caribbean in 2010. Options are being examined to use the alliance for profile\/awareness raising re: issues of blindness and also for the fundraising. A Project Proposal is being developed for submission to the ICC.<\/span><\/p>\n

6.5 Research on issues of: Social Entrepreneurship\/Social Enterprise.    <\/span><\/p>\n

7. Advocacy:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

7.1 Website Development:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Ongoing development has continued with extensive overhaul and the addition of new features to the Website. It is anticipated that this process will continue during the third quarter. <\/span><\/p>\n

7.2 Blind Cricket:<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n

Preparations are advanced for the Annual Regional Tournament, which will be hosted by Guyana during July 19th – 24th.      <\/span><\/p>\n

8. Future events that may be of interest to the Communications Team:<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n

8.1 Phase II – MRH Development Project<\/span>
8.2 Establishment of Vision Centers at: Mandeville Regional Hospital (Jamaica).<\/span>
8.3 Regional Blind Cricket Tournament 2009.   <\/span>
             
End of Bulletin.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Period: April – June 2009 (Second Quarter).Author(s): Frank Bowen 1. The operating environment: The operating environment was impacted by several issues, including: 1.1 The negative social and economic fall-out affecting Antigua and Barbuda resulting from the troubles of the Stanford Empire. These have now been exacerbated by the recent criminal charges laid against Sir Allen Stanford and Officers of the Stanford International Bank, and also against the Head of the Financial Regulatory Authority in the Antigua, by US Government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[78,79,80],"class_list":["post-48","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-media-items","tag-2009-biennial-general-meeting-of-ccb","tag-ccb-logo","tag-regional-blind-cricket-tournament"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eyecarecaribbean.com\/site\/ecc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eyecarecaribbean.com\/site\/ecc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eyecarecaribbean.com\/site\/ecc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyecarecaribbean.com\/site\/ecc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyecarecaribbean.com\/site\/ecc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyecarecaribbean.com\/site\/ecc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eyecarecaribbean.com\/site\/ecc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyecarecaribbean.com\/site\/ecc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyecarecaribbean.com\/site\/ecc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}