The Caribbean Conference of Churches (CCC) has been unanimously selected to be the recipient of the National Coalition on Caribbean Affairs’ (NCOCA) United States of America (USA) 2006 International Service Award.

 This award is given to a person or entity that has worked at international level and whose work at that level has been beneficial to the Caribbean Region. It will be presented at the NCOCA’s ninth Annual Weekend Activities which has been organised under the theme Caribbean Images 2006: Religion and Developmentandtakes place October 7-8.

The award is in recognition of the CCC’s contribution as the Regional Ecumenical Organisation (REO) of the Caribbean, which has been serving the region’s people through its various initiatives - programmatic and otherwise - since 1973.

Such initiatives have been critical in the Region’s development. In recent times these have included: a cluster of Human-Development programmes, otherwise known as Priority Regional Initiatives (PRIs), comprised of Drug Demand Reduction, HIV/AIDS Response, Violence Mitigation and Youth, Family Life and Gender Affairs; a cluster of Sustainable Socio-Economic Development Programmes with a focus on Disaster Mitigation, Preparedness and Response; an Advocacy and Communications Programme; an International Relations Programme; and its Regional Ecumenical Institute (REI) which will be offering a Master of Theological Studies (MTS) from June 2007.

CCC’s General Secretary, Gerard Granado will receive the 2006 International Service Award on behalf of the organisation, at a special Awards Banquet at the Hilton Hotel, Maryland on        October 8. At the NCOCA’s request, he will be a presenter at a related seminar “Religion and Development”.

Granado, who expressed his happiness at the recognition of the organisation’s work explained that: “As the Regional Ecumenical Organisation, we have strived to be faithful to our mandate which is two-pronged, focussing on promoting both ecumenism and social change, two elements that are intricately intertwined.”

Dr Oluwakemi Linda Banks, CCC president

He went on to say that: “Throughout the organisation’s history, careful environmental scanning has ensured that our initiatives are relevant and that methodologies are appropriate. Such careful diagnosis has allowed us to truly meet the needs of our constituency and in so doing live out our mission which is theologically rooted.”

The NCOCA, which was founded in 1997 to address issues impacting Caribbean communities within the United States of America and in the Caribbean region, has bestowed these awards yearly since 1998.

The NCOCA itself consists of a number of organisations and individuals throughout the United States who work together to promote the interests of Caribbean communities within the Caribbean Region and the United Sates (US). The organisation also works closely with counterparts in Canada, the United Kingdom (UK), Europe and Latin America.

This year, the contributions of Dr Oluwakemi Linda Banks are also being recognised as she has been selected for its special Pinnacle Award which is given to a person of Caribbean birth or parentage who has achieved and maintained excellence in his/her field of activity over a protracted period of time. Dr Banks, who is a psychologist by profession, is currently serving her second five-year term as a member of the CCC’s Praesidium.

The CCC General Secretary congratulated Dr Banks saying that: “The organisation expresses its heartfelt congratulations to Dr Banks who has served the region in her individual capacity, and through the CCC, with unreserved dedication, personal sacrifice and as a true ambassadress. The CCC is indeed blessed to have such a committed, dynamic leader as one of its Presidents.”

Dr Banks continues the line of celebrated personages who have received the prestigious Pinnacle Award. These include: Professor Rex Nettleford, former Vice Chancellor of the University of the West Indies (UWI); Sir George Alleyne, Director Emeritus of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau of the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and current Chancellor of UWI; The Honourable Colin Powell, former US Secretary of State; and Sir Garfield Sobers, West Indies cricket icon.