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Out of the Mountain of Despair, A Stone of Hope

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By Linda Taglialatela

Like you, I miss getting out of the house and visiting with friends and colleagues.  I missed the kites at Easter and the bazaar that showcases the talents of Grenada’s artisans.  My thoughts are with my brothers and sister in the United States, where the epidemic has ravaged communities and pushed my home state of New York to the limit.

I pray for the thousands of families in the Caribbean, the United States, and throughout the world who are grieving the loss of loved ones to COVID-19.  The latest reports indicate more than 146,000 people, including 35,000 Americans, have died.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, DC, surrounded at this time of year by the blooms of hundreds of cherry trees, is inscribed with the words: Out of the Mountain of Despair, a Stone of Hope.

Those words from MLK’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech have taken on greater meaning for me during this pandemic.  I find hope in the innovative ways American and Caribbean residents are coming together as communities to support one another, though still keeping six feet apart.

I find hope in the U.S. companies that are retooling their factories to produce ventilators and personal protective equipment.  I find hope in how Americans and our local and federal governments are leading the fight against COVID-19.  These efforts build on a decades-long foundation of American expertise, generosity, and planning.  We believe it is the right thing to do, and we also know that pandemics don’t respect national borders.  If we can help countries contain outbreaks, we will save lives abroad and at home in the United States.

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That generosity and pragmatism explains why the United States was one of the first countries to help the Chinese people as soon as reports emerged from Wuhan of an outbreak.  In early January, the United States government offered immediate technical assistance to the Chinese Centers for Disease Control.

In the first week of February, the United States transported nearly 18 tons of medical supplies to Wuhan provided by Samaritan’s Purse, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and others.  We also pledged US$100 million in assistance to countries to fight what would become a pandemic – including an offer to China, which was declined.

Our response now far surpasses that initial pledge.  Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the U.S. government has committed nearly US$500 million in assistance.  This funding will improve public health education, protect healthcare facilities, and increase rapid-response capacity in more than 60 of the world’s most at-risk countries.

The United States continues to be the single largest health and humanitarian donor for both long-term capacity development and emergency response.  We want to ensure that commitment is a shared international responsibility and that our contribution is used effectively, but that does not change the fact that America funds nearly 40% of the world’s global health assistance programs, adding up to US$140 billion in investments in the past 20 years – five times more than the next largest donor.  This money has saved lives, protected people who are most vulnerable to disease, built health institutions, and promoted the stability of communities and nations.

In Grenada and the Eastern Caribbean, that means U.S. funding supports the training of medical professionals who test for COVID-19 and establishes protocols in health care facilities to protect against the spread of the disease in these critical institutions.  U.S. aid funds the modeling and forecasts of the University of the West Indies to help us understand when it will be safe to return to work, to school, or to church.  With health ministries around the region, we are paying for contact tracing to reach out to family and friends before the virus does.  U.S. health assistance will help save lives in the countries that I have called home for more than four years.

Our help is much more than money and supplies. It is the experts we have deployed worldwide, and those still conducting tutorials today via teleconference.  It includes trained doctors and public-health professionals who have studied at American educational institutions through U.S.-funded scholarships or participated in U.S. government exchanges.

It is people like Leslie Ann Johnson at GIS and Oslyn Crosby at the National Disaster Management Agency who are working to keep us all informed.  It is not only our government helping the world either.  American businesses, non-governmental organizations, and faith-based organizations have given at least US$1.5 billion to fight the pandemic overseas, including U.S. citizens and American organizations and companies I’ve seen featured in the press every week.

These are the stones of hope.  Some are measured in dollars signs.  Some are easily photographed.  Many are not.  The truth is the United States will aid others during their time of greatest need.  The COVID-19 pandemic is no different.  We will continue to help countries build resilient health care systems that can prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease outbreaks.  Just as the United States has made the world more healthy, peaceful, and prosperous for generations, so will we lead in defeating our shared pandemic enemy, and rising stronger in its wake.

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REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

(CONSULTING SERVICES – INDIVIDUAL SELECTION)

 

OECS MSME Guarantee Facility Project

Loan No.: IDA-62670, IDA-62660, IDA-62640, IBRD-88830, IDA-62650

Assignment Title: Senior Operating Officer (SOO)

Reference No. KN-ECPCGC-207852-CS-INDV

 

The Governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have received financing in the amount of US$10 million equivalent from the World Bank towards the cost of establishing a partial credit guarantee scheme, and they intend to apply part of the proceeds to payments for goods, and consulting services to be procured under this project. 

The consultant will serve as the “Senior Operating Officer (SOO)” for the ECPCGC and should possess extensive knowledge of MSME lending with some direct experience lending to Micro, small and medium-sized businesses, knowledge of the internal control processes necessary for a lending operation and the ability to design and implement risk mitigation procedures. The ideal candidate should possess an Undergraduate Degree from a reputable college or university, preferably in Business, Accounting, Banking or related field, with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in lending, inclusive of MSME lending. The initial employment period will be for two years on a contractual basis. Renewal of the contract will be subject to a performance evaluation at the end of the contractual period. The assignment is expected to begin on September 30th, 2021.  The consultant will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer of the ECPCGC.

The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be viewed by following the attached link below. 

 

https://bit.ly/3iVannm

 

The Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECPCGC) now invites eligible “Consultants” to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have:

  • An Undergraduate Degree from a reputable college or university, preferably in Business, Finance, Banking or related field; and
  • Minimum of 5 years’ experience in MSME lending. Applicants should also have:
  • The ability to design and implement risk management procedures 
  • Extensive knowledge of MSME lending with some direct experience lending to small and medium-sized businesses
  • Extensive knowledge of MSME banking operations
  • Knowledge of the internal controls necessary for a lending operation and the ability to design and implement risk management procedures
  • Experience developing and presenting information in public, including responding to questions in real-time
  • Experience lending to MSMEs located in the ECCU
  • Knowledge of marketing and communicating with the MSME sector
  • Ability to draft procedures to be used in a lending operation
  • Familiarity with the mechanics of a loan guarantee program
  • Exceptional written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills, and
  • Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office suite.

The attention of interested Individual Consultants is drawn to Section III, Paragraphs 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers July 2016, [revised November 2017] (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Approved Selection Method for Individual Consultants set out in the clause 7.34 of the World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers. 

 

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 0800 to 1700 hours:

Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation

Brid Rock, Basseterre,

St. Kitts.

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form by e-mail by August 11th, 2021, to [email protected]

 

For further information, please contact:

Carmen Gomez-Trigg                                                            Bernard Thomas

Chief Executive Officer                                                          Chief Financial Officer

Tel: 868-620-8144                                                                  Tel: 869-765-2385

Email: [email protected]                                          [email protected]