Assessors to collect data on living conditions
The PPA is one of five components of the Country Assessment of Living Conditions (CALC) funded by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and facilitated through the Organisation of the Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Social Development, Ms Petrona N. Davies, commended the trainees at the start of the training programme.
She said, “The PPA is a critical component of the CALC [which uses] the CDB’s enhanced Country Poverty Assessment [methodology] that is currently being used. The PPA will complement the other components of the assessment of living conditions by collecting qualitative data to provide a clearer understanding of the underlying causes and manifestations of poverty.”
Ms Davies added, “Over the course of this week you will be exposed to tools and resources available for implementing the PPA effectively and we are extremely grateful to the OECS and the CDB for making the investment so that these tools can be available to us here in the Virgin Islands.”
The Permanent Secretary emphasised that the ultimate responsibility of eradicating poverty lies with the Government of the Virgin Islands and encouraged assessors to tailor the assessment tools to the unique needs of the people of the Territory.
Deputy Chief Social Development Officer, Stacie Stoutt-James also added that the Government remains committed to improving the lives of residents and will ensure that their voices are heard.
The week-long workshop began on October 29 and is co-facilitated by OECS Social and Gender Analyst, Mrs Amonia Paul-Rolle, who has 20 years of experience in social development work and CALC implementations in Dominica; and Social Worker, Ms Angelle Smith, who was previously trained as a PPA trainer.
The Ministry of Health and Social Development says it aspires to provide a caring and integrated system of health and social services that facilitate human development and quality of life in the Virgin Islands.
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