$14.3 Million to Support Women’s Empowerment Activities

The Government has allocated $14.36 million to continue the Way Out Project: Jamaican Women’s Economic and Political Empowerment, which is being implemented by the Office of the Prime Minister.

The funds have been earmarked in the 2014/15 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives.

With funding from United Nations (UN) Women, the programme seeks to increase the economic and political influence of women in private and public sector organisations by implementing a sustainable National Policy on Gender Equality (NPGE).

This fiscal year’s allocation will be used to provide 200 household workers with training in Information Communication Technology (ICT) and various other skills by the HEART Trust/NTA; and conduct a public education campaign, including two television commercials, two radio docudramas and a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) feature.

The money will also go towards the publication of a public sector gender mainstreaming manual; building a website for the Jamaica Household Workers Union; conducting island wide ‘Train the Trainer sessions’ for gender and mediation skills development; and launching a new website and a mobile application for the Bureau of Gender Affairs.

Achievements under the project as at February 2014 include the approval of a National Policy on Gender Equality by Cabinet in March 2011; hosting of an International Dispute Resolution Conference; consultations with household workers in seven parishes for skills training; and signing of an agreement with the HEART Trust/NTA for the training of women’s business owners, unemployed women and household workers in entrepreneurship and development.

The programme, which began in January 2011, is slated to end in June 2014.