Second European Union Poverty Reduction Programme (PRP II)

On April 10, 2007 and June 18, 2007 the European Commission (EC) and the Government of Jamaica (GoJ), respectively, signed the 10 million euro Financing Agreement No. 964/JM, for a grant to finance the PRP II, of which the European Commission undertook to provide 8.5 million euro and the Government of Jamaica 1.5 million euro as counterpart funding. The Financing Agreement entered into force June 18, 2007 and came to an end on December 31, 2013. Building upon the relative successes of the PRP I (2001-2006), continuing to learn from experience and drawing upon the commitment and flexibility of non-government organizations, community-based organizations and government agencies, the PRP II endeavoured to help to translate agreed community priorities into practical poverty reduction activities and projects. The PRP II deepened and broadened community participation, which in turn helped to instill a greater sense of ownership of sub projects, thereby contributing substantially to their sustainability.Among the activities that were undertaken under the PRP II are:

1. Implementation of at least 50 sub projects
2. Establishment of benevolent societies, where necessary
3. Strengthening of non-government organizations (NGOs) and Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) through training, workshops, technical assistance and equipment as necessary
4. Capacity building of the Social Development Commission (SDC), through training and technical assistance