Chile to host Caribbean Agents at OAS Workshop On Social Protection Strategies

SANTIAGO, Chile – The Organization of American States (OAS) will conduct a Social Protection Internship in Santiago, Chile, from November 12 to 20 for social protection agents from Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Lucia and Jamaica, the three countries chosen for this pilot program.

An intensive ten-day workshop, the internship represents a critical phase in the “Network-Based Capacity Building on Social Protection Strategies in the Caribbean” program, being implemented by the OAS Department of Social Development and Employment in collaboration with the Chilean Solidarity and Social Investment Fund (FOSIS).

The two-year program is funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) as part of a broader support to the OAS for Integral Development in the Latin America and Caribbean region. It seeks to strengthen social protection strategies in the Caribbean, utilizing the Chile Puente program as a model.

The Santiago Internship is being conducted with support from the University of the West Indies, and involves lectures and discussion with program implementers as well as small group sessions. Among other activities, the Caribbean interns will participate in field visits to communities and families that have benefited from the Chile Puente Program in the regions of Santiago, Talca and Antofagasta.

FOSIS Executive Director Pablo Coloma Correa will inaugurate the internship program along with Francisco Pilotti, Director of the OAS Department of Social Development and Employment.