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Trinidad and Tobago’s Response to Impacting

Global Events Global Economic Crisis (2007-present) preceded by the Global Food Crisis (2006-2008) negatively impacted on the ability of countries to provide effective social protection programmes to vulnerable populations.

These events may retard the steady progress achieved in reducing global poverty in line with the MDGs, which set specific targets to halve world poverty by 2015.

The Government of Trinidad and Tobago remains committed to realising its vision of achieving sustainable human & social development.

Ongoing social programmes have been streamlined and prioritized in order to ensure efficiency in the delivery of social services.

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T&T Framework for Sustainable Development &

MDGs

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Poverty Statistics in T&T

Level of Poverty and Vulnerability lines

TT$ Per Month TT$ Per Annum Revised Poverty Line 2009/2010

Indigence line $255.00 3,060.00 479.75

Poverty Line $665.00 7,980.00 1247.34

Vulnerability Line $831.25 9,975.00 4

Social Sector Investment & Unemployment Statistics

The steady decline in unemployment over the past decade from 12.2% (2000) to 5.0% (2009) is testimony to the availability of social intervention programmes that provide sustainable employment opportunities and training targeted at the most vulnerable in society.

Allocations to the social sector have ranged from TT$7 billion (9.8% of GDP) in 2004 to TT$15 billion (16.1% of GDP) in 2008. 5

Government Ministries involved in Poverty Reduction

Ministry of Social DevelopmentSocial Welfare; TCCTP; PRP

Community Development

CDFWomen in Harmony

Export Centres

Education School Nutrition

ProgrammeSchool Transport

Agriculture, Land & Marine

Resources

YAPA

Public UtilitiesHardship Relief

ProgrammeNSDP

Local Government

CEPEP

Health

C-DAPFinancial Aid to

Necessitous Parents

Planning Housing & the Environment

SquatterRegularization

Accelerated Housing Programme

Science, Technology &

Tertiary EducationMuST

Retraining Programme

Works andTransport

URP

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Areas of Social Programming in T&T Food Security & Income Generation

Targeted Conditional Cash Transfer Programme (TCCTP) & STEP-UP Micro-credit & Entrepreneurship

Micro-Enterprise Loan (MEL) Micro-Enterprise Grant (MEG)

Employment-related training Women (Women in Harmony, Non-traditional Skills Training Programme) Youths (YTEPP, HYPE, YES, CCC, OJT) General (MUST, Retraining Programme)

Social Welfare Old Age Pension Disability Assistance Grant Public Assistance Grant

Poverty Reduction Programme Regional Social & Human Development Councils (RSHDCs) Community-based Tele-centres)

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Food Security & Income Generation

Trageted Conditional Cash Transfer Programme

Programme Logic

Participation of families

living in Poverty in the

TCCT Programme

Exposure of family members to Skills Training in areas required by the market

Exposure of the family members to Life Skills Development Sessions

Increased Income earning capacity of the

family

Short term cash transfer/access to

other grants

Transformation of families living in

Poverty into self-sustaining entities with

improved quality of life

for all members-strong

families

OverallGoal

Direct Psycho-social support based on Family Casework

Reduction in psychosocial

barriers to development of family members

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S

Social Empowerment & Transformation Programme-

Uplifting People

Developmental Programmes

Developmental Programmes

Life SkillsLife Skills

EmploymentOpportunities

EmploymentOpportunities

SocialProtection

Programmes

SocialProtection

Programmes

FINFIN

Client Assessment

Eligibility

Family Worker and client will begin to examine the key areasof family life and construct the STEPS to a higher standard of living. Minimum conditionsestablished.

Minimum ConditionsAchieved

Graduation

STEP-UP9

THE END

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