Neighbors, Partners, Friends Campaign Toolkit

NEIGHBORS, PARTNERS, FRIENDS.

MESSAGING AND SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLKIT

INTRODUCTION

On October 27, 2020, USAID launched its new communications campaign, “Neighbors, Partners, Friends.”

For decades the American People, through USAID, have been partnering with the Caribbean people to move education, health, economic development, and prosperity forward, so they are able to have opportunities to better their lives and to promote stronger and more vibrant communities.

This campaign will highlight these investments, feature stories from the field, and share vibrant voices from the Caribbean region.

The United States and the Caribbean are a community, with many shared values and interests. What affects one, affects all of us. We have a long-established investment in seeing the region succeed. We are neighbors, partners, and friends.

Please use the key messages, graphics, social media content, and resources below as part of this campaign.

KEY MESSAGES

The American people, through USAID, are partnering with the people of the Caribbean to move education, health, economic development, and prosperity forward, so they are able to have opportunities to better their lives and to promote stronger and safer communities.

Today’s young people are the leaders of tomorrow. Empowering them with tools to succeed impacts our region. What affects one will affect us all, and as neighbors, the American and Caribbean people share similar interests. We are neighbors, we are partners, we are friends.

USAID invests in the Caribbean by training young men and women on entrepreneurship and marketable skills while simultaneously fostering a business environment that will leverage their skills to promote innovation, partnerships, and economic growth.

USAID partners with the Caribbean region to bring communities together to address issues of common concern, including the prevention of youth crime and violence. USAID also helps strengthen government institutions and civil society organizations' ability to prevent violence and promote safety and security for all.

USAID provides timely and effective humanitarian response, delivering disaster relief and lifesaving assistance and standing with our neighbors when disaster strikes.

Assisting the Caribbean in responding to hurricanes is not enough. We are also strengthening the capacity of the Caribbean people so they are more resilient and prepared for the impacts of natural disasters and reduce the risks associated with them.

THEMATIC MESSAGING

OVERALL

In the past five years alone, USAID has invested $650 million in the Caribbean region.

USAID is partnering with the Caribbean nations, catalyzing growth of clean energy and energy efficiency markets; promoting youth development; strengthening citizen security; and providing impactful changes to the education system at the primary level.

The American people and USAID respond in the Caribbean’s time of need. We are helping the region respond to emergencies, including hurricanes, fight COVID-19 and build resilience to climate variability and natural disasters.

The United States and the Caribbean are a community with many shared values and interests. What affects one inevitably affects all of us.

Together, we can strengthen resilience to disasters, make communities more vibrant and expand economic opportunities in the Caribbean. We are neighbors, partners, and friends.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

In the last five years, USAID has provided approximately $171 million to support entrepreneurship through its economic growth activities across the Caribbean.

USAID is supporting young entrepreneurs by providing training, partnering with the public and private sector, and connecting entrepreneurs to markets where they can promote and sell their goods.

Since 2015, USAID has trained more than 60,000 young people across the Caribbean in workforce development programming.

USAID is working with the private sector and empowering local small businesses promoting energy resilience and energy independence across the Caribbean; encouraging private sector investment in the region, and improving local small businesses’ knowledge and skills.

Through collaboration with the private sector, USAID can harness innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship to promote economic growth and opportunities across the Caribbean.

STRONG AND VIBRANT SOCIETIES

USAID works hand in hand with Caribbean countries and communities to provide improved social, educational, and economic opportunities for at-risk youth, promoting stronger communities.

In the last five years, USAID has provided almost $241 million to support strong and vibrant societies across the Caribbean.

To promote strong and vibrant societies, addressing crime and violence is critical. Since 2015, USAID has reached nearly 200,000 at-risk young people across the Caribbean through crime and violence prevention programs.

Strengthening democratic governance and investing in democracy, human rights, and civil society advances a free, vibrant, and strong Caribbean.

Education helps promote stronger, safer, and more prosperous societies. In the past five years, USAID education programs in the Caribbean have reached nearly one million school children and young people.

HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE AND RESILIENCE

During emergencies and natural disasters, USAID provides life-saving humanitarian assistance—including food, water, shelter, emergency healthcare, sanitation and hygiene, and critical nutrition services to the Caribbean.

In the last 5 years, USAID provided more than $194 million in humanitarian assistance to respond to 14 hurricanes and complex emergencies in the Caribbean.

Working together with host-country and regional partners, community organizations, and the private sector, USAID helps countries to develop skills and procedures that will reduce their risk before a disaster, and recover quickly if one hits.

Since 2016, USAID has provided more than $53.5 million to support disaster risk reduction activities in the Caribbean region to help countries prepare for, respond to, and mitigate the impact of disasters.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, USAID has provided more than $21 million to fight the pandemic in the Caribbean.

USAID delivers equipment, technical assistance, training, capacity building, communication materials, health systems strengthening, and life-saving diagnostics and treatment so that partner countries will be better prepared to respond to global health crises.