Scottish Government announces latest Small Grants Fund projects
09 March 2016
The Minister for Europe and International Development has announced that 14 Scottish based organisations will receive funding totalling £464,774.
14 organisations, including The Turing Trust, are to receive funds
Humza Yousaf has confirmed awards under the latest round of the Scottish Government’s Small Grants Programme for 2016/17 during a visit to The Turing Trust in Edinburgh today (Wednesday 9th March). The Minister will be joined by James Turing, Alan Turing's great-nephew.
The Minister for Europe and International Development has announced that 14 Scottish based organisations will receive funding totalling £464,774.
Scottish-based organisations benefitting from this funding will work in Bangladesh, India, Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia in a wide range of areas from integrating health care improvements for disabled children, to ensuring access for small scale pond aquaculture fish farmers.
Mr Yousaf said:
“The Scottish Government’s Small Grants Programme helps some of the world’s most vulnerable people. It also provides support to Scottish organisations to help them continue to be good global citizens.
“Today’s funding, which is worth £464,774, will improve the prospects of people in many of our priority countries, including Malawi. This latest round of funding brings the total amount invested, via the Small Grants programme, to more than one million pounds.”
The Turing Trust, which will receive £60,000, aims to promote education by bringing essential learning resources to rural communities across sub-Saharan Africa. It was set up by Alan Turing’s family in 2009 in honour of his remarkable legacy. Today they’re keeping Alan’s legacy alive by providing quality technology and IT training to schools in Malawi, Ghana & Kenya.
James Turing said:
“The Turing Trust is helping make students in rural Africa more employable. By outfitting schools with refurbished IT equipment from the UK and providing teacher training, we can give students a chance to break out of the rural poverty cycle through teaching IT and vocational skills. In refurbishing PCs in Edinburgh we are also helping volunteers at home in doing well, by doing good.
“The £60,000 funding boost from the Scottish Government’s Small Grants Fund will help us to create a customised e-library to complement the provision of community ICT hubs in 200 rural schools in Malawi.”
Chair, Network of International Development Organisation of Scotland (NIDOS), Jamie Morrison, said:
“NIDOS is delighted with today’s announcement from the Scottish Government on the awarding of nearly £465,000 to Scottish organisations working globally in some of the most disadvantaged communities.
“Small organisations are often uniquely well placed to respond to distinct community needs, and the recognition of their valuable contribution to poverty alleviation and economic growth is warmly welcomed.”
Fiona Duncan, Chief Executive of Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland, which administers the programme for Scottish Government, said:
“The Foundation was delighted to support the Scottish Government in delivering this third year of the small grants programme. It was particularly good to see such a wide range of interesting and exciting projects planned for delivery by organisations previously supported under the programme, as well as by new applicants.”
Funding for projects under the Scottish Government’s main South Asia Development Programme and Sub-Saharan Africa Development Programme have also been extended for a further 12 months from 1 April 2016 until March 2017. Ten projects in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa will share in more than £1.3 million from the Scottish Government’s International Development Fund.
The funding through the South Asia Development Programme will continue to support projects like Sense Scotland “Improving Education and Health for Deafblind People in Bangladesh”. The 3 year project has already helped 569 children access education and support services and provided much needed assistance devices to over 98 deafblind people. The extension year will build on this work to improve education and health for children and young people with deafblindness.
Andy Kerr, CEO, Sense Scotland:
“The work we do in Bangladesh changes the lives of so many children and their families. Opportunities are created that otherwise would not exist. Most importantly we are changing the way disability is viewed. This makes our work sustainable in the longer term.”
A public consultation to help shape Scotland’s International Development Fund in the future is currently underway and will run until 20th May 2016. A number of public discussion events are also taking place across Scotland – event details can be found here.
Views are being sought on the programme being more focused geographically in terms of the number of countries the Scottish Government is working in, adopting a more targeted approach in thematic areas and realigning its international development work to best support the new Global Goals.
