Rondel Fonrose

  Building Stronger Communities: How Social Capital Can Transform Small Business in Trinidad's CTT Region Unlocking the hidden power of connections to drive economic growth in Couva, Tabaquite, Talparo When we think about what makes businesses thrive, we often focus on the obvious things: capital, skills, and market access. But something equally powerful is frequently overlooked – the web of relationships, trust, and community connections that can make or break a small business. This is what economists call "social capital." It might just be the secret ingredient missing from Trinidad and Tobago's recipe for sustainable economic development. Why CTT Matters: A Region in Transition The Couva Tabaquite Talparo (CTT) region sits in the heart of Trinidad, home to 178,410 people who've witnessed their local economy transform dramatically over the past decades. Gone are the days when sugar cane dominated the landscape. Today, CTT buzzes with retail shops, personal servi...

  The $2 Billion Investment Trinidad & Tobago Can’t Ignore When the Techier Community Centre opened in Point Fortin, something powerful happened. Adult literacy soared by 35%. Three small businesses launched. Youth crime dropped by 20%. This isn’t just a feel-good story—it’s a blueprint for national transformation. Across Trinidad & Tobago, government investment in community development now tops  TT $2 billion a year . That’s not just building centres—it’s building people, purpose, and possibility. We’re talking about over 400 active community spaces, 20 free mediation centres, sport grants reaching nearly 250 grassroots groups, and infrastructure that touches education, health, and local enterprise. This is 3.4% of our GDP going straight into social infrastructure—on par with some of the world’s most developed countries. But this isn’t just about facilities. It’s about  social capital —the trust, cooperation, and shared vision that hold a community together. Medi...

Sports  programming in Trinidad and Tobago  is a practical approach to fostering social cohesion, reducing crime, and enhancing youth development . These  programs are administered under the larger  community justice  agenda — social inclusion, violence prevention, and  community  resilience. Sports, as an inclusive force, in  a  multi-culturally vibrant  society  like Trinidad and Tobago,  promote inter -cultural  communication , shared identity, and  trust  among the members of society .  Programmed sports, in disadvantaged  and  excluded groups , allow adolescents to form genuine relationships and engage  in  prosocial  behaviours .  If developed with purpose, sport becomes the vehicle along which adolescents' lives may gain direction, responsibility, and belonging—constitutive social capital factors . Sports  programs offer  healthy  altern...