Meet USAID’s Mansfield Blackwood
Helping to build a safe, prosperous, and resilient Eastern and Southern Caribbean for more than 25 years
It was a bright morning when young Mansfield Blackwood was at primary school in Jamaica and a helicopter flew over and landed nearby. Tins of butter were being off-loaded for distribution to needy communities nearby.
Despite his lifelong love for aviation, what was indelibly printed on his mind was not the aircraft’s dramatic landing, but the USAID handshake stamp on those tins, colored in blue and red.
Who would have known then that Mansfield would spend the greater part of his professional life working with USAID across 12 Caribbean countries for more than 25 years? In his current role as a Partner Country Systems Advisor at USAID’s Eastern and Southern Caribbean Mission, Mansfield is an expert in both regional affairs and general development needs. His work covers a snapshot of critical issues affecting the region — ranging from juvenile justice reform and education to climate change and disaster response.
“My decades of field experience at USAID have convinced me that development aid should include a mixture of tangible and intangible assistance to support growth in the region,” Mansfield says. “For instance, you can measure assistance in terms of primary schools built, but what goes on inside — such as working to reduce the region’s elevated school drop-out rate as a driver of youth unemployment and crime — lays the foundation for future success.”
After secondary school, Mansfield studied civil engineering at the University of the West Indies (UWI) and later earned a master’s degree in business from UWI. He’s had a lifelong desire to help people and improve the way they live their lives whether by applying his civil engineering acumen to planning, construction and maintaining facilities or by working with at-risk youth to build their skills and confidence.
Today, Mansfield is especially proud of the work USAID/Eastern and Southern Caribbean has done in juvenile justice reform. Since the global financial crisis of the late 2000s, stagnant economic growth and high levels of youth unemployment contributed to an increase in the crime rate, especially among youth.
According to the 2012 United Nations Caribbean Human Development Report, young people are both the primary victims and perpetrators of crime in the region. Victims of violent crime are mainly between the ages of 18 to 30 and from lower levels of income, while 80% of prosecuted crimes were committed by people aged 17 to 29 years.
As a result of USAID’s ongoing commitment to juvenile justice reform, five out of six members of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) passed child justice reform legislation and introduced diversion and rehabilitation programs that provide youth with psychosocial support, and life and work skills, promoting new life paths. More than 570 children have been diverted from the courts since 2016 and thousands more are able to benefit from these transformational programs.
Mansfield notes, “The Reform to Child Justice bills protect children from being classified as criminals at an early age and therefore affords them improved chances to succeed in their respective countries.” These reforms have had a life-changing impact in the lives of at-risk youth and their families.
Mansfield is also proud that when climate disasters strike in the region, USAID steps up. Following Hurricane Ivan in 2004, USAID provided more than $40 million to Grenada to resuscitate the economy. More recently, the Agency supported recovery efforts in Dominica and Antigua & Barbuda following Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 and 2018.
An important aspect of Mansfield’s work in partner countries is addressing the impact of climate change across the Caribbean. Given the unique vulnerability of the Caribbean region to climate change and natural disasters, USAID investments in reducing the risks and impacts are vital for the countries of the Eastern and Southern Caribbean.
Since 1973, USAID has provided more than $1 billion to the region to foster economic growth, social development, and climate resiliency. From the early support focused on basic needs, such as the “butter drop” that Mansfield remembers from his youth, to support for building the resilience of vulnerable youth, families, and communities, USAID remains a committed partner in the region.
“As you can see, USAID has been there for the people of the Caribbean in so many ways,” Mansfield noted.
To him, and the communities served by USAID/Eastern and South Caribbean, the blue and red handshake stamped on butter tins is more than just eye-catching branding. They are symbols of the United States’ commitment to improving lives, strengthening livelihoods, and growing together as neighbors, partners, and friends.
Says Mansfield: “From a professional and personal standpoint, I understand that the futures of the United States and the Caribbean are interwoven, and what affects one inevitably affects all of us. Given our deep ties, and all the challenges faced by small-island developing nations, I am grateful that USAID will continue to be a part of my life and the lives of so many in the region.”
About the Author
Ayesha Lett is the Development Outreach and Communications Specialist at USAID Eastern and Southern Caribbean located in Barbados.
