Rural Women in Saint Lucia Benefit from Chocolate Training Initiative

The Associative Internship capacity building workshop was aimed at advancing the Associative Internship methodology (AIM) introduced in 2016 by leveraging its utility in enhancing communication and adoption through peer-to-peer learning. The objective of this activity was to demonstrate the value-adding function of suitable administrative and governance processes in commercial/entrepreneurial development.

The St Lucia Network of Rural Women Producers (SLNRWP) was supported by the Alliance for Rural Communities in Trinidad and Tobago (ARCTT) to address areas of weak management skills, participatory procedures, management of agricultural and entrepreneurial risks, and internal control systems which were revealed by the internship assessment. ARCTT supports a number of rural chocolate producers in Trinidad and Tobago.

"The core strength of the approach for the workshop was in supporting peer-to-peer learning as an approach to building capacity of partner producer groups as well as improving the likelihood of adoption of recommended good practices," said Brent Theophile, IICA's National Specialist in Saint Lucia. 

Through the Associative Internship, SLNRWP was strengthened in governance procedures, member engagement and coordination, and establishing market linkages. Capacity was also built in chocolate production which culminated in the first ever rural community chocolate bar in Saint Lucia.