SOCIAL SECTOR INVESTMENT PROGRAMME
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SUSTAINING GROWTH, SECURING PROSPERITY
CHAPTER 3: NATIONAL SOCIAL SITUATION
• Sensitisation and information dissemination
to the public on the progress of key initiatives
undertaken by Government;
• Intelligence gathering in communities as
a means of being proactive in anticipating
problems and responding to the needs of
citizens.
During the period under review:
• 280 people benefitted from the People’s
Bridge of Hope;
• 378 persons benefitted from the Direct
Effect initiative;
• 100 persons benefitted from the Poverty
Reduction through Empowerment Social
Strategies (PRESS on).
E. URP social component
The
Unemployment
Relief
Programme
(URP) Social targets citizens who experience
hardship and/or are at risk (e.g. senior citizens,
unemployed single parents, persons with
disabilities and persons living below the poverty
line) for provision of housing and house repairs,
support, clothing and assistance in times of
natural disasters. The following was achieved
under the URP Social for the fiscal 2013:
The Disability Support Programme
This Disability Support Programme is aimed
at training and employing persons from
affected families in the day care of children with
disabilities. It is aimed at parents who usually
encounter difficulty in sourcing appropriate care
options for their children whenever they have to
work. Currently, over 200 mothers of children
with Cerebral Palsy are employed in the provision
of care for their special needs children. These
parentshavenowdevelopeda“MyChildBusiness
Complex” Project with training and employment
centres at 5 locations across Trinidad engaging
in furniture construction, agriculture, welding,
food preparation and catering.
F. National Social Development Programme
NSDP is a social intervention strategy imple-
mented to provide assistance to underserved/
deprived citizens and communities, with the
overall aim of improvement in their quality of life.
The NSDP was placed under the portfolio of the
Ministry of the People and Social Development
in July 2011. The following are the achievements
for fiscal 2013:
• Approximately 380 persons benefited
under the Electrification of households, with
expenditure totalling TT$671,569.92;
• Approximately 471 persons benefited
under the Minor House Repair assistance
component, with expenditure totalling
TT$1,988,105.22;
• Approximately 471 persons benefited
under the Sanitary Plumbing assistance
component, with expenditure totalling
TT$2,643,949.58;
• Expenditure under the Electrification and
Lighting of Community Facilities totalled
TT$221,101.21;
• Expenditure under the Water supply for
Community facilities component totalled
TT$935,500.52.
2. A
DDRESSING
N
EEDS OF
V
ULNERABLE
AND
E
XCLUDED
G
ROUPS
A. The Aged
The GoRTT values the contribution of our
seniors to national development, and is
therefore committed to creating a social
security system that adequately addresses
their overall well-being. The Division of
Ageing is tasked with overall responsibility
for the coordination of initiatives on ageing
in Trinidad and Tobago. In conjunction with
other government agencies, the division has
consistently catered to the needs of the senior
citizens through the implementation of several
projects, programmes. During the period
