"My name is Ruth Spencer and I am the National Focal Person for the GEF Small Grants Program. I have been involved with the Programme for about 2 ½ years and it has been quite challenging. But during my period, we were able to implement three very interesting projects. [...]

The process has been very educational for me. I have been able to observe how groups get their members involved in project development. I will sit and observe if it is a one-person show or if all members in a group get involved in the various components of a project. Since we are aiming at sustainability, it requires each group member to carry his fair share and to understand the project, so that when the tasks and activities have to be undertaken, it can be done so successfully.

The process also involves having workshops, leading groups, involving them in many areas, on-site visits, having them express themselves, see what they have learned for different things. And for Antigua, many activities at the village level would not have been able to be done without this project. We thank the Small Grants Programme for this intervention. There are many more things to be done but we have only a small staff and we want to do more."

Along with the environmental focus, which is very important, the projects now also include poverty alleviation, which obviously speaks to the ability of people in communities to earn an income from projects that relate to the environment. And I think that's where the Small Grants Program really helps. The initial stage of setting up a business is very expensive - there is a lot of trial and error. If you don't have someone like SGP to share the risks with you, it is very difficult for businesses to get off the ground."