Deadline for Best Community Competition Extended

The deadline for entering the Better Environments for Social Transformation (BEST) Community Competition has been extended by one week to Friday, February 23.
Chairman of the National Steering Committee for the competition, Jacqueline daCosta, told JIS News that, “We have decided that we would extend the date by a week to facilitate those who need help in getting their forms completed.”
To date some 78 communities have submitted entries. This extension will allow the Social Development Commission (SDC) to further assist other prospective entrants in completing their entries.
As the competition is in its pilot year, the steering committee has made allowance for communities to enter projects, which began within the last two years. “For this year, because the time is short, we will take into consideration any project that any group has been working on or has completed within the last two years in the respective communities,” Mrs. daCosta explained.
She emphasised that the projects must fall in one of the seven categories stipulated in the competition regulations. These are: the built environment; natural environment; socio-economic; hazard mitigation and disaster preparedness; education; health and waste management; and heritage and culture.
Noting the possible benefits that participation in the competition may yield, Mrs. daCosta said that communities that enter stand to attract significant support from donors as “when those who can help see people wanting to help themselves and doing things to help themselves, they are more inclined to get involved.”
Community groups that are not eligible to enter because of the lack of a Community Development Committee (CDC) in their area, are encouraged to prepare to participate in the second staging of the BEST Community Competition, by working with the SDC to establish CDCs where there are none.
Entries are accepted through CDCs and should be submitted to the SDC’s regional offices.