~~Adz:Left~~BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS - October 30, 2006): The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis is about to begin a process of information gathering that would be used to design and implement social and economic policies and programmes aimed at improving the quality of life of Kittitians and Nevisians.
A Country Poverty Assessment Study will be official launched on Thursday, November 2, 2006, at the Ocean Terrace Inn, and it will mark the start of a series of activities leading into 2007. The study is being undertaken by Kairi Consultants and is being funded by the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis and the Caribbean Development Bank.
The Poverty Assessment Study is comprised of four components: (1) The Survey of Living Conditions and Household Budgetary Survey, (2) The Participatory Poverty Assessment, (3) The Institutional Analysis, and (4) The Macro-Economic Analysis. According to information reaching SKNIS, the Survey of Living Conditions is expected to start on November 20 and is expected to last four months.
~~Adz:Right~~ The Participatory Poverty Assessment will commence in January 2007 and will also run for a period of four months. Sample sizes of approximately 6.5 percent of households on St. Kitts and about 10 percent of households on Nevis will be used to achieve a valid and successful survey.
The Study is being spearheaded by a National Assessment Team (NAT) that is comprised of representatives from Government ministries and departments, the Private Sector, Non-Governmental Organizations, Community and Faith-based Organizations, as well as political parties.
The November 2 launch will be followed by a one-day workshop for NAT members, and it will be used to finalize the November 20 start of the enumeration process.
Residents are encouraged to give their full support and cooperation to the numerators as the information collected will be of critical importance in the Government's planning processes. The first Country Poverty Assessment was conducted in 1999/2000.
