BVI can’t get aid without up-to-date census data
Health Minister Vincent Wheatley has underscored the critical importance of the national census, revealing that the British Virgin Islands (BVI) continues to miss out on international aid due to the lack of up-to-date population statistics.
Field officers tasked with collecting census data frequently encounter resistance from residents unwilling to disclose personal information required for the process. However, Wheatley warned that such reluctance has serious consequences.
“I think only two OECS countries have up-to-date census data. When I travel to international meetings, it’s one of the first things they ask for: ‘Can I see your census data?’. If you’re trying to get aid from any country, they’ll tell you that with no census data, you don’t qualify automatically,” Wheatley explained.
He continued: “I can’t overemphasize the importance of the census enough. It (the absence of up-to-date census data) is holding us back from getting a lot of international aid so please cooperate when they come to your home.”
Echoing his concerns, Junior Minister for Financial Services, Trade and Economic Development, Lorna Smith, encouraged residents to prioritize their participation in the census and emphasized that there are many ways to make the process more manageable.
Meanwhile, Director of the Central Statistics Office (CSO), Raymond Phillip, has announced a new deadline of June 2025 to complete the long-overdue national census.
Phillip noted that while a recently enacted law that imposes penalties for withholding census information has had some impact, overall progress remains slower than anticipated.
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This is confirmation that the VIP and natalio Wheatley mash up the BVI economy with his party and Vybz Kartel quarter million USD spending that we need aid.
The census questions are to intrusive. The questions being asked can also be used to identify the respondent. With the history of victimization in the BVI no wounder people are reluctant to answer. Then you hear the Census people talk s**t about issuing fines for not participating or responding. When the government clean up their act and start working for the people of this country and start addressing the issues that matter to the people then the population will be more inclined to participate with government.
Most people in the BVI are non belongers so why bother with a census. Just hand over the list of the 10k+ registered voters to any aid providing agency and leave the rest of the people here alone.
They still havent canvassed Nanny Cay, either this time or last.
Same as Pockeood Pond.
No one came
Hahahaha. Try OYI in VG.
Nada
We don’t know how to conduct/produce a census. Do an administrative records census. At least you’d have something to deliver.
We are outnumbered in our homeland
Ah the cencus.
The financial reports.
The Good Governance.
The COI.
How the VI wants those but our present leaders do not.
Nice car .
Nice boat.
I understand your not currently working and never have , no wonder people are nervous about questions being truthfully answered.
That’s what the banks are there for…… There are persons that may have not gone to the banks and perhaps they have saved for what they desire over a number of years.
Yes, there are those that do have the above you mentioned that are not working so it’s more than obvious what they may be into but the majority of persons are hard working abiding citizens who are working and have acquired the necessary assistance to get the nice homes etc.
People here don’t want to understand this.
They think everything persons acquire in this country is ill gotten.
People working hard for what they need, want and already have.
I did the census and I thought some of the questions were very intrusive. However I did give my information which I trust is being held confidently.
It took over an hour and I am just one person much less if it was a household.
This is what it looks like when a government is ineffective, inefficient and has little or no clue how to engender basic trust & confidence from persons in the community in order to conduct a basic census. It’s also not rocket science to understand why there is resistance from residents & Virgin Islanders to providing data. We’ll need to get Captain Obvious to break that down for Cousin Vinny and his colleagues who is clearly so out of touch with the Virgin Islands community as a WHOLE that they fail to understand that this is what happens when you alienate, mistreat and take for granted the majority of the people who live in your county….most of whom are marginalized in some way either for being average Joe Virgin Islanders who are not part of the blue blood and/or elitist classes, and residents who work hard contribute and are told as well as shown that they do not belong hey…. ain’t it funny that the same majority of people living in the Virgin Islands who you mistreat and take for granted, are the same people you need to do your census so you can get AID….STUPES….
Both my mother and I did the census and I didn’t think any of the questions were intrusive. Most people have most of that information asked for on their social pages anyway. I think it was a total of about 25 minutes to do both of us . My friend Joleen was adamant she would not do it but when she saw the questions she said no problem and she was about 20 minutes to complete .
YOU SHOULD BE , BUT IN YOUR CASE , YOU DON’T HAVE ANY . YOU TALKING ABOUT ” OUR” COUNTRY – YOUR DAD WAS A GARROT ) SO WALWYN BORN HERE AND YOU AND SKELIE THROWING LOW BLOWS AT HIM BECAUSE HIS PARENTS ARE FROM ANTIGUA , WHAT IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT YOU ? YOU ACTING LIKE YOU OWN THE COUNTRY ( YOU ARE A HALF BREED ) BOTH OF YOU JUST DISPLAYING YOUR XENOPHOBIC MENTALITY TO CREATE CONTROVERSY AS A DISTRACTION .( WHICH IS TRULY SHAMEFUL ) BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY , ITS ABOUT THE COUNTRY AND THE BEST INTEREST OF THE PEOPLE / YOU CALL HIM A REBEL , WHAT YOU CALL SKELIE WHO CANNOT EVEN FILE A MOTION OF NO CONFIDENCE / BUT WAS VERY ARTICULATE IN USING SARCASM ON WALWYN WITH HIS THRUSHIES REMARKS WHICH WAS ENJOYED BY NAT-AL-EO AND HIS CROONIES . STRANGELY , HE WASN’T BORN HERE ? YOU SHOULD TEACH YOUR BUDDY SKELIE HOW TO FILE A MOTION OF RESPECT FOR OTHER PEOPLE / BLACK OR WHITE