October 18, 2016: The Ministry of Social Development and Family Services will in the near future, launch a national campaign to create greater awareness among the citizenry on the topic of poverty. As the Ministry joins with the United Nations and the rest of the world in commemorating International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2016 (IDEP), a series of activities have been planned for the month of October to support this year’s theme which is: “Moving from humiliation and exclusion to participation: Ending poverty in all its forms”. This year’s theme highlights the importance of recognizing and addressing the difficult situations and circumstances endured by many persons and families living in poverty.
Through its Poverty Reduction Units, the Ministry will be hosting a Regional Film Festival and YouTTnPoverty Campaign to commemorate the day. The YouTTnPoverty campaign and competition is a conversation platform for citizens of Trinidad and Tobago to confront poverty and to express their opinions on this social issue; thereby, giving development practitioners a starting point for understanding how poverty is conceptualized by the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.
The Regional Film Festival project aims at encouraging the discussion of poverty by engaging staff, clients and other stakeholders of the Ministry, as well as the populace in discourse around various poverty-centred short films. The Ministry of Social Development and Family Services has also embarked on the development of a National Poverty Reduction Strategy (NPRS) which aims to forge a working definition of poverty upon understanding its multi-dimensional manifestations in Trinidad and Tobago.
Minister of Social Development and Family Services, the Honourable Cherrie-Ann Crichlow-Cockburn, in her commemorative message to citizens of Trinidad and Tobago on October 17th, informed that the Ministry’s Social Mitigation Plan, which is being developed to cushion the effects of the economic downturn on the vulnerable in our society, after widespread consultation with many stakeholders, was a clear example of how the Ministry has included the voice of persons who live in poverty and other challenging circumstances to contribute to decision-making and policy development.
The Ministry looks forward to continuous engagement of citizens on the issue of poverty, as it develops & manages the implementation of a relevant poverty reduction strategy for the country, to end poverty in all its forms.
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For further information please contact:
Corporate Communications and Education Unit
Ministry of Social Development and Family Services
868-623-2608 ext. 5402