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Contact:
Claudia Monlouis
Wednesday, March 12, 2003 - A new avenue for overseas assistance was
formally introduced to members of government and civil society, here on Friday,
March 7th, 2003. The Commonwealth Service Abroad Programme (CSAP), a new
initiative of the Commonwealth Secretariat, has invited proposals from Saint
Lucia for assistance in implementing projects that require technical and expert
assistance.
Chief Programme Officer of CSAP Praveen Sardana explained that his visit to
Saint Lucia was primarily to create sensitization about the programme. “What we
do is that we catalyse the Commonwealth Corporation by bringing expertise from
other countries to Saint Lucia on projects that have mass impact, but it works
in two ways because we also draw upon expertise from Saint Lucia to help other
countries,” explained Sardana, adding that the programme is totally dependent on
volunteerism.
According to CSAP’s criteria for providing support, all projects
must be people oriented, have mass impact and contribute to millennium goals
such as the eradication of poverty, development of education, youth and women,
and the conservation of the environment and heritage.
The head of CSAP says that one of the strengths of the programme is in the area
of application of new technologies. Many of its current projects in other
countries are web based and utilize advanced technology applications.
The Commonwealth Service Abroad Programme has a Point of Contact in Saint Lucia
in the person of the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Planning.
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