Support for the Social Development Agency Project

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The Social Development Agency Project addresses two of the four main core objectives of the Country Assistance Strategy, i.e., to develop and strengthen participative, and decentralized programs to reduce poverty, and fight exclusion, and, to reduce vulnerability of the poor especially in rural areas. The main components will: 1) support subprojects that enhance the social infrastructure of selected poor rural, and urban slum areas, to be based on demand, and, will cover areas from basic education, and primary health care, to literacy activities, and rural drinking water. This should include activities such as construction, as well as training, to help communities coordinate the infrastructure maintenance and operation; 2) support those subprojects enhancing the economic infrastructure in rural and urban slum areas, e.g., irrigation, small markets, and rural roads. Subprojects financing training and non-financial support, of activities directly creating employment opportunities, or expanding micro, or small business, or, that finance operations to new geographical areas, will also be supported: 3) support the capacity of the Social Development Agency's (SDA) intermediaries, to identify, appraise, and implement subprojects; and, capacity building to selected, local nongovernmental organizations will be supported, by assessing, and implementing local development projects; and, 4) finance studies on institutional, and operational aspects of SDA, as well as on enhancing its management, and understanding of specific technical areas, i.e., micro-finance.