JSIF Receives $1.17 Billion

The Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) will, during the 2008/09 fiscal year, receive $1.17 billion to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable groups in the country.
As outlined in the Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House, this is being done by the continued establishment of an efficient and demand driven mechanism to deliver basic services in order to provide infrastructure to the poor; provide resources to the areas of basic social and economic infrastructure and social services; and expand the government’s institutional capacity to identify, develop, implement, manage and sustain community-based sub-projects.
The Government will provide $341.37 million, while external funding amounts to $621.1 million in loans, and grants account for $222.44 million. External funding agencies include: Caribbean Development Bank, the European Union, the Government of the Netherlands, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries.
Expected targets for 2008/09 include poverty reduction with the implementation of 25 projects; 12 civil work demand driven sub-projects and 13 social services demand-driven sub-projects. The Hurricane Dean Emergency Recovery component will rehabilitate 11 schools, 10 health facilities and several roads in eight communities.
Payments to 43 contracts will be completed under the National Community Development Project. As it relates to the Inner City Basic Services Project, community centres and a wastewater treatment plant will be constructed; households wired in pilot communities; land tenure regularization exercises carried out; roads will be constructed in 12 inner city communities, and social services sub-projects will also be done in the 12 project communities.