SXMElections.com

PHILIPSBURG--Prime Minister (PM) Sarah Wescot-Williams and St. Maarten Development Fund (SMDF) Interim Director Keith Franca signed a Fund Management Agreement Tuesday, August 19, between the St. Maarten government and the SMDF. The agreement formalises their working relationship and outlines their respective responsibilities.

The SMDF was established in May 2012 to ensure the continuity of funding available to local non-governmental organisations (NGOs), as Dutch financing organisation AMFO was in the process of withdrawing.

"Many NGOs in St. Maarten had come to rely on funding by AMFO for the execution of several programmes, especially in the social sector. The government needed to urgently establish an organisation to pick up where they left off," explained the PM. She described it as a "leap of faith to convince government that we needed our own institution and needed to have it funded primarily by the government of St. Maarten."

Franca said that the SMDF now proudly funds all of the NGOs that received assistance through AMFO, as well as a number of new entries. Ten of them had been "on the cusp" of running out of money.

A total of NAf. 1.6 million was funded in 2013 to 10 organisations, while the 2014 budget has been set at NAf. 2.9 million. Half of the 2014 budget has already been received, which has been used to fund 13 organisations.

Franca thanked the Departments of General and Legal Affairs for their cooperation, which worked together with SMDF for at least a year to put the agreement together. "I'm proud to say that the agreement is two steps above the subsidy ordinance and basically outlines, in a very clear fashion, our responsibilities to government and the responsibilities of government to us."

The PM added that, in the future, an aim is to have stronger synchronisation between government's own budget for social programmes and the fund that manages the distribution for social funding.

The SMDF is primarily involved in afterschool activity programmes, but covers a wide range of social causes. Funding recipients include Ujima Foundation, The I Can Foundation, Safe Haven, Meals on Wheels and the Key to Freedom drug rehabilitation programme.

Its goal is to mediate in the development and financing of projects and programmes that will contribute to St. Maarten's social/community development. The fund "believes that the role of the NGO field is crucial to the development of St. Maarten and continuous support must be given to this sector to strengthen the organisations and to finance their endeavours. The survivability of this sector is sustained through the vision and passion of community-minded citizens, but ultimately can only realistically be realised through financial contributions of individuals, companies, financing organisations and companies."

The signing of the agreement was publicised to underline "the work that has been done to bring us thus far," and to make sure that everyone understands their role, said the PM. It was signed in the presence of Acting Secretary General of the Ministry of General Affairs Erno Labega and Founding Member and Chairlady of the SMDF Richelda Rodriguez Emmanuel, who is also the director of the Court of Guardianship and has been part of the board of Reda Sosial for a number of years.