Disaster Response Antigua and Barbuda Project #29887

Barbuda Resilience Fund

by International Community Foundation

Project Report | Apr 11, 2019
Update on the Barbuda Resilience Fund

By Marisa Aurora Quiroz | Vice President of Programs

Estuary

It has been almost a year and a half since Hurricane Irma struck the island of Barbuda, damaging 96% of houses and displacing 1,625 people. 155 businesses were forced to shut down, 463 children were left without a school, and 405 vital fishing traps were lost in the fishing-reliant community. However, in this time the people of Barbuda have proved to be strong and resilient in rebuilding their communities.

The Barbuda Resilience Fund at the International Community Foundation (ICF) continues to support sustainable development projects to develop a strong and resilient Barbuda. To date over $500,000 has been invested in home reconstruction and repair, transportation, education, and job creation. Now, as we transition from recovery to resilience, ICF is working with local leadership to continue to advance sustainable development efforts and grow local capacity.

As we approached the start of another grant cycle earlier this year, the ICF team visited Barbuda to meet with local government and to visit 11 sites with community leaders. During the visits we learned of the ongoing challenges and sucesses of rebuilding homes, engaging youth, cleaning up the estuary to bring back wildlife and restore mangroves. The Barbudan community knows what they want and what they need for the wellbeing of their families.

Over the next year, ICF will work directly with local leaders and local government to support the work of the Barbudan community. This year's grant cycle will deploy over $200,000 to 12 community created and led projects that continue to advance and strengthen the community of Barbuda. These projects include reparation of critical water sources, youth engagement, food security, and support to small local businesses.

To date, donors through GlobalGiving have donated over $11,000 to this amazing cause. And we have been able to grow that money. We greatly appreciate your support to the island of Barbuda.

Fisheries Complex

Permalink

Jan 11, 2019
Building Continued Resilience in Barbuda

By Gaby Gonzalez | Program Associate

It has been almost a year and a half since Hurricane Irma struck the island of Barbuda, damaging 96% of houses and displacing 1,625 people. 155 businesses were forced to shut down, 463 children were left without a school, and 405 fishing traps were lost in the fishing-reliant community.

The Barbuda Resilience Fund at the International Community Foundation (ICF) continues to support sustainable development projects on the island with the goal of creating a strong and resilient Barbuda.

Since the Fund’s inception, the Waitt Foundation, the Waitt Institute and ICF have prioritized sustainable and culturally responsive approaches to redevelopment.

In order to do so, we have:

Formed an advisory board of locals to inform and approve programs
Maintained strong relations with the government of Antigua & Barbuda and Barbuda Council members
Held 3 community meetings to solicit feedback
Completed two surveys of 202 Barbudans
Hired 2 disaster relief experts to guide strategy
Had at least two staff members on the ground at all times

In partnership with over 50 local and international partners, we have employed over 45 locals and created 11 programs to assist in resiliency efforts. We have focused on the themes of island cleanup, home reconnection and repair, transportation, education, restoring fishing livelihoods, and hurricane shutter installation.

ICF is in the midst of another grant cycle to deploy thousands of dollars to resiliency projects in Barbuda. To date, donors through GlobalGiving have donated over $10,000 to the cause. We need your support to help launch more projects and programs.

The people of Barbuda are strong and resilient, and we are excited to continue working alongside them to re-build their communities. Please consider donating to the Barbuda Resilience Fund to support the future of the island.

Permalink

Oct 19, 2018
One Year Later: From Recovery to Resiliency

By Angelica Leyva | ICF Program Officer, Environmental Conservation

Sports club - Barbuda

September marked one-year since Hurricane Irma devasted the island of Barbuda and it's community. One year after, we are transitioning our focus from recovery to resiliency. Now that the immediate need for emergency response has subsided, we begin to look towards the future of creating a strong and resilient Barbuda.

To tackle this challenge, the Barbuda Recovery & Conservation Trust (BRCT) will evolve to become the Barbuda Resilience Fund, this fund will be managed solely by the International Community Foundation (ICF) and focus on supporting the sustainable development of Barbuda. The Waitt Institute will resume its work on ocean conservation through Blue Halo Barbuda, to strengthen management of fisheries and protected areas.

Since the storm, the Waitt team and ICF have been working hand-in-hand to create, administer and implement the BRCT in support of Barbuda. With the Waitt team’s experience working in Barbuda and ICF’s expertise in managing and overseeing international funding, we formed an effective partnership. ICF is excited to increase its role in building new partnerships to support Barbuda.

In this past year the following activies were carried out to respond to the needs of the people:

Small Business Recovery: reopen the first businesses post hurricane
CARE Advocates: conducting psycho-social support activities, including childcare services
Codrington Lagoon Cleanup: hired 22 Barbudans to clean public spaces
UNDP Shelter Debris Program: 600 tons of debris removed
Utilities Reconnection: 231 homes reconnected to utilities
Home Repair: 46 homes were repaired
Ferry Transportation: provided transportation between Antigua and Barbuda
Private Charters: free emergency charters for special ocassions
Booyard Sports Club: 82 children were enrolled in an afterschool sports program
Barbuda Learning Space: employed 11 licensed teachers
Antigua Afterschool Tutoring: 42 students enrolled in the tutoring program
Fisher's Livelihood Recovery: Held a training workshop with 25+ local fishermen on sustainable trap designs and fishing practices

The people of Barbuda are strong and resilient, and we are excited to continue working hand-in-hand to build strong communities. Please consider donating to the new Barbuda Resilience Fund to continue to support the future of Barbuda.

Barbuda Resilience Fund

Links:

Permalink

‹ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ›

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.