A helping hand.

• Author: Conaway, Janelle
• Position: OAS - Organization of American States projects

IN THE TEN YEARS it has been in operation, an OAS poverty-reduction fund has helped to create maps for the visually impaired, develop business skills among rural women, strengthen the competitiveness of small hotels, and give citizens tools to access information about their government.

Around the Americas, more than 900 projects in all have received grants totaling over (US) $94 million through the Special Multilateral Fund of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development, known as FEMCIDI for its Spanish acronym. The fund, made up of annual voluntary contributions by OAS member states, typically disburses around $8 million per year.

The main goal is to support the countries of the region in their efforts to reduce poverty and inequity and provide equality of opportunities. The fund focuses on training people and strengthening institutions.

"FEMCIDI grants ate designed to build people's skills and create long-term opportunities for individuals and communities, particularly those with limited access to other types of support," said Alfonso Quinonez, OAS Executive Secretary for Integral Development. "This is one way the OAS can make a real difference in improving people's everyday lives."

Public institutions and nonprofit private entities may present proposals to be considered for FEMCIDI funding. Projects must fall under one or more of eight priority areas of action. Following are examples of projects funded in each area:

Education--Teachers and other professionals from eight countries participated in a project entitled "Design and Production of Maps for the Blind in Latin America." The project worked with visually impaired individuals to create tactile maps and provide voice-based systems to expand their knowledge of geography and increase their mobility.

Culture--A project in Honduras helped organize, digitalize, and publish historical material...