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