Dominica has been allocated US$4.5-million (more than EC$10 million) under the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF) Seventh Program.
The program was launched here on Wednesday under the theme “Adding Value and Strength to our Communities”.
Portfolio Manager of the BNTF, Darren Newman Belgrave, says poverty reduction in Dominica is top on the agenda.
“There will be more focus on longer term benefits, much more focus on community ownership and leadership, and increased economic activities. We cannot ignore the unemployment of our youth in the region. Economic growth is under 3 percent and we are looking at unacceptable levels of poverty,” she said at the launch of the program.
She said thee resources will also create much better conditions for the people most in need.
According to Belgrave, the BNTF will focus on three core areas, namely education and human resource development, water and sanitation and community access and drainage.
Meantime Acting Community Development Minister, Johnson Drigo, says since its introduction in 1980, the BNTF has played an integral role in governments’ intervention towards poverty alleviation in Dominica.
“The program continues to be a vital safety net for social protection providing much needed basic infrastructure and opportunities for increased employability for citizens,” he said.
Drigo also noted that the BNTF is one of government’s key instruments for achieving its poverty reduction goals.
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said government has taken every opportunity to stimulate economic growth and employment in Dominica.
“From the country poverty assessment completed in 2009, it has been determined that poverty in Dominica is linked largely to low or inadequate income. It is in that context that government has taken every opportunity to push activities that will create economic growth and employment,” he said.
Positive Mind, made a good coment about paying people monthly, that is too long to wait for someone to get paid, myself included, also when people wait for 31 days/even 34 days, time they get their salary it is finished, people cannot save a dime in DA, the cost of living is high and the salary is pocket money. I wonder what the Government and people in charge are doing, don’t they read the comments, so they can buck up?
Any chance of re-paying the Chinese government? While the Chinese government helps Dominica and other countries, it is practicing religious suppression in its country for years.
Another suppression is a one-child policy. If you listen to and read the news you will know what this entails and how they treat their nationals on this matter.
The Chinese government dictates to Christians when and where Holy Mass is held. It is according to its rules and regulations. Some bishops and priests have been imprisoned; some were never heard of.
When Pope John Paul II was alive, he challenged the Chinese government to make known their crimes. Their crimes are serving Our Lord Jesus Christ.
This week I heard on US Catholic Radio that many of their soldiers surrounded a Catholic Corpus Christi Procession to prevent the procession from going through the streets.
These countries as Dominica do not know and do not visualize what they have found themselves in to accept help from China. Get out of China’s help. China is a communist/suppressive government. Do not do business with such governments that operate as Hitler. Take note! I am warning you! In the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ I have stated this.
good
very interesting it would would be good to know how every single cent is spent!
There are the people who screams at the top of their voice labour power. Dominica labor party Government agenda is to build sea defence walls, (waste of money) and take loans. How much more poverty we can see in our small beautiful land!
poverty reduction! where is the plan to reduce poverty? why can there be an outline as to how this money is going to be spent and in the process reduce poverty? where is the transparency? how can the public hold these people accountable?
And the country still in poverty, even worst than b4. The government are jus using those businesses 4 their own needs, n then they blamin it on poor ppl. I seein more young ppl on the side of the road day by day. Crime on a rampage. Arghhhhhhhhh. Only GOD knows. Plz do somethin to help the future of tomorrow. I fed up, from hand to mouth. Ah magway sa.
The unemployed people on the side of the roads are able bodied, so therefore, they can do something, anything. Cut grass, pick fruit, labouring, anything. People always want someone to do something. It’s time for us to stop blaming and get off our backsides and do something. Stop being so negative and look for positve solutions to help the country.
in a country where more than a third of the population is unemployed and the poverty is at 29%(cdb) plus a government that employs foreigners (Chinese) before locals. how can a layman be inspired or optimistic about this situation. we are a small economy and government is the major driving force of the economy, so why is it that people here are accepting the failures of this administration like they are achievements? they have and are failing the Dominican society.
Openeyes Observer; would you send your child to colledge to cut grass? pick fruit or labour?
Why are we so quick to always scrutinize and judge……..The program is helping one way or the other. It may not benefit the whole country on vast measure but it helps either way.
And it true that there are a lot young people just sitting by the road and not doing thing. All they want is fast money so they go into selling drugs and stealing from individuals. Some of us think that we above certain jobs and therefore do not want to be employed in that capacity. We need to go back some of the values we were taught. The Haitians come in an do all the odd jobs while we say that there are no jobs available.
STOP BLAMING THE GOVERNMENT FOR EVERY. WE NEED TO START LOOKING AT OURSELVES AND THE DECISIONS WE CHOOSE TO MAKE.
Cacarat do you send your child to college to turn around and beg for handouts from Government? or sit down and do nothing because this and that job is “beneath” them? that’s niggeritis.
Best to work an honest days work regardless of what that is. What exactly does your pastor/priest preach to you every weekend?
@cacarat, I would not send my child to college to cut grass or to do Olevel for three years in “DEEP” when your child go college without even passing CXC, spending three years and still in “DEEP” because they cannot pass cxc of course they should cut grass or become farm labourers. Either that or they could use their innovation, learn a skill and occupy themselves otherwise. All you sending children to college to be lawyer and doctor when they could not even pass high school then you blame the govt, stupes.
Cacarot. Yes, I would send my child to college to cut grass, which in fact I did. My child started out cutting grass, cleaning peoples cars and homes and doing whatever he could to earn money and inspire himself to start up his own business – actally cutting people’s grass until he starting his own landscape business. There is no excuse. We were poor, but did not spend our time looking outside of ourselves, we saw how we could make things better for ourselves, our children and our country. Life is short, so go do something to make life better for everyone.
Those funds will be used as a election campaigning tool…
so it will be fruitless, same ole stuff..
Change of Regime by discarding the termite infested flooring of dominica…
the opportunities involve making sure party ppl get job first. I’ve seen it first hand. What about the rest of the unemployed ppl now?
“From the country poverty assessment completed in 2009, it has been determined that poverty in Dominica is linked largely to low or inadequate income. It is in that context that government has taken every opportunity to push activities that will create economic growth and employment,” says PM Roosevelt Skerrit (Yet you insist on not giving Civil Servants their dues!) Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! We are now in 2013 Mr PM and both unemployment and poverty have now risen to “unacceptable levels” according to Portfolio Manager of the BNTF, Darren Newman Belgrave, above – are you accepting that you and your government have failed us? Good lord with this man!
Government and private sector needs to pay employees every two weeks or twice a month so the money could keep circulating. I think that will help a lot. people get payed once a month and by the time the next paycheck comes, it’s just to pay what they credit(quaydee) throughout the month. It is high time that we get to the next level.
Same old story, that’s why they Black list them. Give jack his jacket Skerrit, make sure the money is used rightly for that purpose.
“From the country poverty assessment completed in 2009, it has been determined that poverty in Dominica is linked largely to low or inadequate income” so how is 4.5 million gonna fix this.
I pray to God that there’s a way proper way to track exactly what is being done with those funds. I hope there will be programs in place that people can access, proper nutritional and health access program. And I hope, that people who lives they are trying to make better, are encouraged to participate in programs to help themselves and not just sit back and ask or take handout. Some of them need encouragement.
Election coming…….
Please spend wisely: in order to eradicate poverty in The Nature Isle, I trust this is not a political funded to whereas all of Dominicans are touched by The program “Adding Value and Strength to all our Communities”.
look a pwetty woman
Kan eye meat you
poverty must be reduced
want to work with you to end poverty
best wishes
She really cute we boy
Thoseyez so sexy
She married nuh
I will join you to end poverty everyday
You are indeed a sweetie
Waw DNO domnika have enuff sexy looking pips we boy
See that face and she hv a great physic also
Look a bel-tay that fighting against poverty
with you, poverty most lose.
swooooooooh tee cally mwahhhhhhhhh!!!!!
FIGHT POVERTY.
WHAT A SMILE!!!!
Please spend wisely: in order to eradicate poverty in The Nature Isle
let this funds be given to Dominican irrespective of what party one support,we have seen recently that, a commodity important as fertilizer was control, and members of the government was driving around giving to their support bags and even non farmers received
allu tired use us d poor malaway. alas
Here is praying that this money is used wisely and not half of it being given out to the ministers and only callers ofkari Fm and the Reds in Dominica this should be used for ALL Dominica no matter what party one supports. Hope the ministers agree that they have enough