Transcript Diapositiva 1

Puente in the Caribbean:
An opportunity for mutual learning
Barbados, January 2011
Patricia Díaz, Deputy Director of Program Management
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What have we done in our cooperation in
the Caribbean?
Which capacities have been developed?
How we can improve?
What has FOSIS learned?
What have we done in our
cooperation in the Caribbean?
The Puente in the
Caribbean Program
The program arises within the framework of technical exchange and South-South Cooperation in the
region of Latin America and the Caribbean.
At the beginning of this decade, multilateral organizations show an increasing interest in LatinAmerican Conditional Cash Transfer Programs (CCT). The Chilean Puente Program is widely
recognized by the international organizations. It offers an alternative model of psychosocial
support (with a Rights Based Approach) in order to link poor and vulnerable groups of the population
to the social protection network of the State. The model is considered as transferable to other
countries.
The Social Network of Latin America and the Caribbean (REDLAC) establishes a pattern of horizontal
cooperation, and it is within this framework that a common interest in the technical transfer of Puente
to the Caribbean countries is demonstrated. Three states of the CARICOM are targeted due to their
high levels of social vulnerability.
The OAS, REDLAC’s Technical Secretariat, takes on the coordination of the program.
Puente in the Caribbean –
First Phase
A triangular cooperation program is designed, and is funded by the
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
Chile transfers its know-how in social intervention methodology to
three English-speaking states from the CARICOM (Jamaica, Trinidad
& Tobago, and Saint Lucia).
The program is implemented during 2007-2008 with the active
participation of:
• OAS (Department of Social Development and Employment): coordination and
financial management of the cooperation program
• FOSIS Chile: technical transfer of the Puente intervention methodology
• CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency): funding (technical assistance,
training internships, conferences for mutual learning)
• Jamaica (Jamaica Social Investment Fund), Trinidad & Tobago (Ministry of Social
Development), Saint Lucia (Social Development Fund): implementation of pilot
programs adapted to the social and cultural reality of each country
• UWI (University of the West Indies): systematization and local consulting
Puente in the Caribbean –
Second Phase
• During the closing event of the program’s First Phase (CARICOM Conference on
Social Protection in Trinidad & Tobago – Sept. 2008), a second phase of the
program is announced, which would be completely funded by the Chilean
Government.
• The Second Phase of Puente in the Caribbean is implemented in 2009-2010 within
the framework of the recently created Interamerican Social Protection Network
(ISPN), a multilateral organism for cooperation on social issues between the
American States.
• The CARICOM States are officially invited to participate in the cooperation program
- with the condition that they commit strong political support and financial and
human resources.
• The countries selected for the Second Phase of the Puente in the Caribbean
program are: Barbados, Suriname, St. Vincent & The Grenadines, and St. Kitts &
Nevis.
• At the moment, the Second Phase is finished. Two technical assistance visits from
FOSIS to the Caribbean and an internship of the four countries in Chile have been
carried out. It is still too early for an assessment of the results of this transfer.
Which capacities have been
developed?
Santa Lucía, Jamaica y Trinidad y Tobago
• Support for the development of a network intervention strategy on institutional,
local, and territorial levels
• Review of the user selection process (focalization) and of available public
services
• Implementation of a Family Operator/Family Support Counselor figure, as a
government representative in the provision of psychosocial support
• Transfer of specific Puente elements: psychosocial support for 24 months,
preferential access for Puente families to the network of basic public services,
the family as the intervention unit, integration of the 7 pillars, and the
determination of the minimum conditions.
• Development of training processes for the families in order for them to
increase their personal and family resources (skills and abilities that
contribute to income generation)
How we can improve?
1. Local Consultant
• There is great potential in having support from a local
consultant for issues as systematization, monitoring,
and cultural adaptation of the technical transfer. In
the case of this cooperation, in the First Phase the
University of the West Indies (UWI) was hired for its
comparative advantages.
2. Virtual Forum
• The idea of having a tool to learn and monitor
virtually is necessary. In the First Phase, the forum
was created to connect all of the participants in realtime, but the experience showed that there are
various obstacles to using this tool, such as: cultural
differences, workload, time zone conflicts, languages,
etc.
• For these same reasons, in the Second Phase it was
decided that the forum would no longer be in realtime, and that an OAS staff member would take
charge of the tool, so that various countries could
participate.
3. Role of the Caribbean
Tutor
• Considering the geographical,
cultural, and idiomatic distance
between Chile and the English
speaking Caribbean countries, the
appointment of a Caribbean Tutor
(from the countries of the First
Phase) emerged to complement the
FOSIS Tutors for the countries of the
Second Phase.
• In the second phase, this role was
only applied between Barbados and
Trinidad & Tobago, given that both
countries demonstrated a clear
interest.
What has FOSIS learned?
Personal and technical lessons
Personal and
professional growth
and enrichment
that comes from
taking on the
challenging task of
representing Chile
abroad.
Verification that an
intervention-based
program created for
the Chilean reality
and in a specific
political context
may be adapted
and transferred in a
way that is
pertinent to other
countries.
The inclusion of
new perspectives
and the expansion
of the institution’s
repertoire allows
for corrections and
improvements to
the programs
implemented
regionally in Chile.
Lessons for International
Cooperation at FOSIS
• The Puente in the Caribbean program
serves as a basis for the solidification of
FOSIS’ International Cooperation Model.
• With this experience, a complete model
is developed, which includes actors,
stages, and key roles of the transfer
process. The model is flexible, pertinent,
and applicable to diverse contexts.
International Cooperation
Model
Actors in all transferred programs
Institution that transfers:
• FOSIS-MIDEPLAN
Institutions that receive:
• Equivalent ministries and public institutions in the receiving countries
Local consultant:
• University, academic center, or local private consultant that has expertise in the
pertinent areas
Source of financing:
• Bilateral or multilateral donor (CIDA, GTZ, etc.) for triangular cooperation, or national
resources (AGCI, Chilean Government, etc.) for horizontal cooperation (South-South)
Strategic Partner:
• Organization that sponsors, provides technical coordination, or diplomatic support
(OAS, Embassies, etc.)
Modelo de Cooperación
Internacional
Key activities in Puente in the Caribbean
Training:
• Technical visits to the Caribbean countries, international workshops,
and internships in the field of the counterpart teams in Chile
Follow-up and accompaniment:
• Exchanges during the periods between visits or internships through
the virtual forum
Creation of didactic bilingual materials
(English/Spanish):
• Documents to systematize the transfer program, Family Support
Manual, intercultural adaptation of Puente materials
Institutional lessons for
future cooperation
Previously prepare minimum requirements for the
countries that receive cooperation, in order to guarantee
the sustainability of the transferred programs (this should
be done by FOSIS, along with the strategic partner)
Develop a more in-depth description and profile of the
Tutors’ roles in order to have more clarity about the type
of skills he/she requires
Consider that from the design stage, cooperation programs
should take into account the resources necessary for
publication of materials and language services
Institutional lessons for
future cooperation
Design systems that can guarantee the
compliance of the beneficiary countries with
human and financial resource commitments
Establish within the design state that
resources are commited for follow up and
impact evaluation of the programs installed
in beneficiary countries (this should be done
by FOSIS and the strategic partner)
Thank you!