Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 7, 2024 (SKNIS): During her appearance on the March 06 edition of ‘InFocus’, Minister of State responsible for Social Development, the Honourable Isalean Phillip spoke about the many benefits of the Livelihood Improvement Family Transformation (LIFT) programme that is set to launch on April 01, 2024.
LIFT is a social assistance programme implemented to transition and evolve the previous Poverty Alleviation Programme (PAP).
“One of the things that we are looking to do is to be able to provide additional assistance in the form of more money to families and households,” said Minister Phillip, adding that the LIFT programme has raised its cash transfer amounts from EC $500 to a maximum of EC $600 per month.
The minister further explained that through the case management of PAP beneficiaries, it was observed that many households comprise multiple family units.
“We are looking to see how we can support more families by providing some level of assistance which ultimately would put more money into the household,”she added.
Minister Phillip emphasised the importance of maintaining transparency and fairness in the process. To achieve this, the government has opted to digitise the application procedure, ensuring that eligibility criteria and other requirements are clearly communicated to applicants, thereby minimising instances of fraud. Furthermore, seniors who are currently benefiting from the PAP will be seamlessly transitioned to the LIFT programme.
Another benefit mentioned was the inclusion of empowerment opportunities.
“We would have piloted some empowerment self-development sessions during the last phase of the PAP experience, where we engaged persons in workshops around small business and entrepreneurship for those who are interested, and match persons with the Ministry of Employment and Labour for them to get some tips on job hunting, interviews, those kinds of skills,” she said, while explaining that a key component of the LIFT programme involves assessing participants to understand their interests and needs.
The aim, Minister Phillip said, is to link them with comprehensive services. This includes directing them towards training sessions and skill development opportunities provided by partner ministries, ultimately supporting their path to independence.
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