Project STAR making inroads
Initiative hits one-year mark; aiming to raise $2 billion
Published:Saturday | July 29, 2023 | 12:08 AMKeisha Hill/Senior Gleaner Writer
Project STAR, the social transformation and renewal programme, led by the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), in partnership with the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), has after one year made tangible inroads towards empowering individuals in targeted communities across the island.
The strategic and targeted intervention programme, aimed at transforming 10 of Jamaica’s under-resourced communities, has initiated projects for individuals in these communities to attain economic sustainability for themselves and their families. The overall objective is to achieve sustainable violence prevention at the community level.
Keith Duncan, co-chair and project sponsor of Project STAR and immediate past president of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), during a recent discussion about the programme at the PSOJ’s boardroom, said partnering with community residents and stakeholders has resulted in significant engagement and impact within these communities.
The people engaged include youths, adults and the elderly. To date, the programme has broadened access to social services provided by the government, provided job-readiness training, supported the use of sports to improve community relations, and have worked towards improving attendance in schools at the early childhood level.
“We have been able to establish community transformation boards in east downtown Kingston in collaboration with the Social Development Commission (SDC). There are groups working with the government agencies and other private sector groups that are looking at infrastructural development programmes. We are also looking at data sharing and integrative planning among ministries, departments and agencies that have been set to facilitate these processes,” Duncan said.
Project STAR is expected to strengthen social cohesion and resilience of communities, improve strategies and responses to conflict within communities and improve community integration.
Project STAR is now active in three communities: east downtown Kingston, Savanna-la-Mar, and most recently, May Pen. “Through community capacity building, community-owned, community transformation plans the objective is closing the gaps to acceptable delivery of public services to the communities, a coordinated approach with technical partners, such as the Social Development Commission (SDC), HEART/NSTA Trust, the Planning Institute of Jamaica, the Jamaica Social Investment Fund, and The Community Safety and Security Branch (CSSB) of the JCF,” Duncan said.
“The objective is to also build working relationships with the Ministry of Education and Youth and, Ministry of Health and Wellness, Ministry of Labour and Social Security, among other agencies to ensure a sustainable community development model beyond the five-year life of STAR that can be mainstreamed in other communities,” Duncan added during his presentation.
According to Duncan, strong partnerships and coordination across civil society, government, voluntary groups, private sector and other organised groups is integral and will contribute significantly to the transformation process.
OBJECTIVES
During the lifetime of the project, in partnership with the JCF, Project STAR expects to see sustained reductions in major crime of 40 per cent in targeted communities. This will be achieved by economic and social transformation.
“We anticipate to increasing the employment levels in communities by 10 per cent with over 6,500 persons employed through STAR, engaging through support 3 per cent of businesses in each community, satisfying national workforce requirements and capacities to expand, impacting both community-based and national socio-economic indicators that will lead to increased business confidence and opportunities for growth,” Duncan said.
“Through social transformation, the objective is to increasing access to social programmes and human capital development opportunities for 30 per cent of the communities or 19,500 individuals project wide,” he added.
Duncan indicated that the implementation of these transformation programmes will lead to greater social cohesion resulting in reduced crime and levels of violence, an expanded labour force resulting in increased employment and business growth, the upskilling of the workforce and increased economic activity in communities resulting in increased GDP at the national level.
The work of Project STAR has been further encouraged by the support from private sector partners, that have already committed nearly $300 million to the programme to assist with work to be done over the five-year period.
So far, several donors have committed to the initiative including: Sandals Foundation, Scotiabank, Carreras Limited, Musson Foundation, CB Facey Foundation (PanJam), National Commercial Bank, Sagicor Foundation, Sagicor Financial Group, Digicel Foundation, GraceKennedy, Supreme Ventures, Spanish-Jamaican Foundation, Restaurants Associates Limited, Rainforest Caribbean, Barita, Richard and Diana Stewart Foundation, and American Friends of Jamaica.
Project STAR is aiming to raise $2 billion to deliver the project at a scale, with the desired outcomes, and is looking to have a mixed funding approach to achieve this.