The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

MINISTER of Social Services Melanie Griffin yesterday revealed that her department spent roughly $500,000 to prepare students attached to its Renewing, Inspiring, Sustaining, Empowering (RISE) Programme ahead of the 2016-2017 school year.

Mrs Griffin said the tentative estimates compiled by her office have revealed that about half a million dollars has been spent through the initiative on school uniforms and shoes for students.

The RISE initiative, which was introduced by Mrs Griffin in June 2015, aims to improve the health and education of those enrolled and cut their levels of poverty.

The initiative - a conditional cash transfer programme - affords beneficiaries several cash grants throughout the calendar year as a result of mandates being met and achieved.

The pilot part of the initiative saw officials execute their screening activities in which families were accessed to determine their level of need; a determination of a monthly base rate (a set sum of money allotted to that family on a month to month basis for help); and now, the onset of the conditional grants - additional funds provided to families on the basis of health and educational parametres established when accepted into the programme.

Over the last month, families enrolled in the programme received a series of “gift cards” per school age child, redeemable at several local department stores. With these cards, parents were afforded the opportunity of purchasing needed school uniforms and shoes.

Beneficiaries of RISE had to undergo an intense screening process upon enrolling. As a part of compliance aspect of the programme, families will have to give the Department of Social Services a monthly status report.

While Mrs Griffin didn’t indicate how many students are benefiting from the programme, she did highlight the “co-responsibility” nature of the initiative.

“We are moving in a new direction with the RISE Programme, it will put a co-responsibility on the family and the Department of Social Services whereby we expect a change and modify the behaviour of the clients. It is no longer a system of handing out assistance every year and not looking to engineer changes in the lives or finances of those we are assisting.”

“The compliance aspect of the RISE Programme will follow in the coming weeks to ensure that the education and health conditions of the programme are being adhered to. We have to break the generational poverty stigma attached to these families and that is what we are attempting to do through this programme,” she added.

As of August, 380 households in New Providence and North Andros had enrolled in the programme since the scheme’s official launch in March.

An agreement was reached between the government and the Inter-American Development Bank in August 2012 resulting in the implementation of a $7.5m social safety-net reform project.

The initiative is considered a joint effort between the Ministries of Social Services, Education and Health.

Proponents of the initiative claimed that if implemented correctly, the new conditional cash transfer project could transform the way the Bahamas views social welfare and greatly impact those who depend on public assistance.