S/GWI Project Proposal - Venezuela

UNCLAS CARACAS 000209 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREF PHUM PREL KDEM SNAR VE SUBJECT: S/GWI Project Proposal - Venezuela REF: STATE 12531 ¶1. Please find below a project proposal for the "Shelter for Victims of Gender-Based Violence" for the S/GWI small grants initiative, as announced in reftel. FundaSucre, a public foundation of the Sucre municipality of Caracas, would be the recipient organization, and this project would support the establishment of a shelter in Caracas to specifically address the needs of victims of domestic abuse. While Venezuela has significant oil revenues, an estimated 37.9% of the population lives below the poverty line, and resources for advancing women's political, economic, and social rights are limited. The text below is a translated and reformatted version of their proposal. This project would support Embassy Caracas's MSP goal of strengthening institutions and protecting human rights. The Political Section at the U.S. Embassy will be responsible for managing the grant and submitting a mid-term evaluation of progress. Our development assistance to Venezuela is limited due to a strained bilateral relationship. This project provides an opportunity to focus cooperation on a non-confrontational topic of mutual national interest, while building leadership tools and resources for women in one of Caracas's poorest areas. Embassy Caracas thanks S/GWI for the opportunity to submit a proposal for this initiative. Shelter for Victims of Gender-Based Violence ¶2. Statement of purpose: The FundaSucre Foundation proposes to use S/GWI's small grants initiative to support the establishment of the first shelter specifically for victims of gender-based violence in Sucre municipality, one of the five political entities in the Greater District of Caracas, with an estimated population of 1.2 million. Physical and mental violence against women is a serious problem in Venezuela, and Caracas is said to have one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the country. In general, Venezuelan attention to the needs of victims of gender-based violence has increased since the promulgation of the 2007 Right of Women to a Life Free of Violence Law. In 2009 the Venezuelan government established a full-fledged Ministry of Women's Affairs. The government has also begun setting up courts specifically designed to handle domestic abuse cases. Shelters and safe-havens, however, are very limited, and women in poor areas have few options. The purpose of this project is to establish the first shelter for women and their children in Caracas' largest slum area, the "barrio" of Petare, in Sucre municipality. The long term goals of this pilot program are to demonstrate a working example of ways to provide refuge for victims of gender-based violence, and to prevent the return of women to abusive situations, within the context of increasing government attention to this issue. ¶3. Summary of proposed program: In partnership with FundaSucre, the public foundation of Caracas's Sucre municipality, this one-year project would contribute to the start-up costs of establishing a pilot program to provide shelter for battered women and their children in one of Caracas's poorest areas, Petare. S/GWI's support would go toward counseling, legal assistance, capacity-building workshops for the victims of abuse, and furniture and supplies associated with the launch of the shelter. Sucre municipality and FundaSucre will pay staff salaries, rent and other expenses, and commit to fund the continued operation of the shelter following the end of S/GWI's support. This pilot program will also serve as an example for establishing other local municipality shelters throughout the city and country. ¶4. Project description: FundaSucre and the Sucre municipality have identified the director of this new shelter and will locate a suitable building in Petare, Caracas's largest slum. S/GWI's funding will be used to furnish the center, pay for supplies, and provide training to staff in advance of the shelter's opening. Once the shelter opens, the grant will support services and training workshops for the victims of abuse and their children. Sucre municipality commits to funding all aspects of the shelter upon completion of the project. The shelter will also provide refuge and services for the children of battered women, considered essential to the ability of many women to make use of such a center. Initially the shelter will have capacity for 10 women and their families at a time, with a projected stay of 30 days. Services at the shelter will include assistance in finding a safe place to live permanently. a. Specific Activities: The specific goal of this project is to assist FundaSucre with the start-up costs associated with a shelter for battered women and their children. The project will fund the identification and furnishing of the center, training of the staff, counseling, legal assistance and workshops and services for the beneficiaries once the project is open. ¶1. Opening the shelter Meet with the community to increase awareness and identify a location Rent location Appropriately configure and furnish space Inauguration of shelter ¶2. Serve an average of 10 women and their children per month Design registration system Develop protocol for welcoming beneficiaries ¶3. Assistance in placing children under the age of 5 in municipality pre-schools ¶4. Offer psychological counseling for women and their children ¶5. Offer legal services to women at the shelter, including explanation of rights and information about court cases ¶6. Provide training and capacity-building workshops to women at the shelter, in partnership with public, private and non-profit organizations ¶7. Hold sports events for the women and their children at the center, in partnership with the Sports Department of Sucre Municipality b. Desired Outcomes and Performance Measures: ¶1. A shelter for women and their children in the Petare area of Caracas' Sucre Municipality ¶2. The shelter will serve an average of 120 women and their children in its first year of implementation. ¶3. Access at no cost to municipality pre-schools for children at the shelter, partnerships between pre-schools and the shelter. ¶4. Access for the beneficiaries to regular psychological counseling, measured by number of appointments ¶5. Access for the beneficiaries to legal counsel, measured by number of appointments ¶6. Capacity-building workshops, measured by number of participants 7.Sports events, measured by number of participants ¶5. Detailed Budget: The budget in USD below is calculated at the official exchange rate of 2.6 Bolivars to the dollar. Sucre Municipality will pay for the salaries of full time employees, rent of the building, and portions of other costs. Proposed S/GWI contributions are in bold. a. Personnel Salaries: 207,888 USD - paid by Sucre Municipality b. Location Rent and Utilities: 45,000 USD -paid by Sucre Municipality c. Furniture for the Shelter: 25,000 USD d. Shelter's Materials and Supplies: 100,000 USD - 50% will be paid for by Sucre Municipality, requested S/GWI contribution is 50,000 USD Food: 40,000 USD Clothes: 5,000 USD Computer and office supplies: 20,000 USD Chemical products : 7,000 USD Hardware tools: 3,000 USD Kitchen supplies: 10,000 Cleaning supplies: 5,000 Medical and other supplies: 10,000 e. Counseling Services, and Capacity-Building Workshops and Events: 50,000 USD - 50% paid by Sucre Municipality, S/GWI contribution is 25,000 USD Transportation: 5000 USD Payments for experts and trainers: 15,000 USD Event space: 10,000 USD Printing costs: 10,000 USD Equipment: 10,000 USD Total Budget: $ 427,888 - Requested S/GWI Support: $100,000 USD ¶6. Description of Recipient Organization - FundaSucre: FundaSucre is the public foundation of Sucre municipality, designed to receive government funds and community and business donations to undertake social and economic development projects in the municipality. With a staff of 134 people, FundaSucre currently manages 52 projects, many of which are designed through community participation and are funded through a variety of donors. While the organization has not previously run a shelter for victims of gender-based violence - indeed there is no such shelter in Caracas now - it has extensive experience managing development projects of many types in Sucre. The foundation works closely with Sucre municipality officials and other non-profit and humanitarian organizations. DUDDY