Residents told speak up, living conditions being tested

Residents are being urged to speak their minds regarding living conditions in the British Virgin Islands (BVI).

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Social Development, Petrona Davies, said a number of meetings are being held for the voice of the people to be heard, adding that the people’s voice will help Government better tailor policies and programmes to meet the people’s needs.

Davies made the comment because the BVI has been selected among three territories in the region to participate in the preliminary testing phase of the Country Assessment of Living Conditions.

The assessment, which will be done in collaboration with the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), is scheduled for completion in 2018.

Consultants are visiting the BVI from May 15 to 19 to field test the Institutional Assessment, and the Participatory Poverty Assessment tools.

“The CDB model of the assessment involves the use of a triangulated approach that includes a Survey of Living Conditions/Household Budgetary Survey, Participatory Poverty Assessment, Macro Social and Economic Assessment, and an Institutional Assessment,” said the Government Information Service.

It added: “Some information will be gathered via a series of community meetings the public is encouraged to attend. This information will be fed into the final design of the Country Assessment to be completed in 2018. The first meeting will be held on Tuesday (May 16) at the Gertrude and Christina Warner Community Centre in Purcell Estate, and Wednesday (May 17) at the Althea Scattliffe Primary School. Both meetings will begin at 6pm.”