Voices of Children on Poverty in Trinidad Consultation Report on Multidimensional Poverty Voices of Children on Poverty in Trinidad Consultation Report on Multidimensional Poverty March 2018 Voices of Children on Poverty in Trinidad: Consultation Report on Multidimensional Poverty Published by UNICEF Office for the Eastern Caribbean Area First Floor, UN House Marine Gardens, Hastings Christ Church Barbados Tel: (246) 467 6000 Fax: (246) 426 3812 Email: [email protected] Website: www.unicef.org/easterncaribbean This Study was commissioned by the UNICEF Office for the Eastern Caribbean Area and the United Nations Development Programme, Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, Curacao and Sint Maarten. Authors: Karl Theodore, Althea LaFoucade, Vyjanti Beharry, Christine Laptiste, Patricia Edwards-Wescott and Haleema Ali-Sisbane (2018) All rights reserved. 2018 CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................................................................ 4 LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................................................................... 4 FOREWORD .................................................................................................................................................................................. 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................................................................... 7 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................................................. 8 ES.1 Background .............................................................................................................................................................. 8 ES.2 Objective of Study ................................................................................................................................................. 8 ES.3 Methodological Overview .................................................................................................................................. 8 ES.3.4 Findings ...................................................................................................................................................................... 8 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................................................14 1.1 Overview .................................................................................................................................................................14 1.2 Objective of the Study .......................................................................................................................................15 1.3 Methodology .........................................................................................................................................................15 1.3.1 Selection of Respondents for the FGDs ..................................................................................................16 1.3.2 Recruitment of Respondents ....................................................................................................................16 1.3.3 Logistics ..........................................................................................................................................................16 1.3.4 Pre-Focus Group Discussions Procedures ..............................................................................................16 1.3.5 Protocols for the Focus Group Discussions with the Children .........................................................17 1.3.6 Focus Group Discussions ...........................................................................................................................17 2. PROFILE OF THE CHILD PARTICIPANTS ..................................................................................................................18 3. VOICES OF THE CHILDREN .........................................................................................................................................18 3.1 Overview .................................................................................................................................................................25 3.1 Career Aspirations ................................................................................................................................................25 3.3 A Good Life .............................................................................................................................................................26 3.4 Definition and Perceptions of Poverty .........................................................................................................28 3.5 Education ................................................................................................................................................................31 3.6 Health, Health Care and Nutrition .................................................................................................................32 3.7 Living Conditions and Community ...............................................................................................................34 4. ACTIVITY - DEFINING AND DEPICTING POVERTY ..............................................................................................36 5. DEPICTIONS OF POVERTY USING THE DRAWINGS OF THE CHILDREN ......................................................38 6. DEFINITION OF POVERTY AND CONCLUDING STATEMENT ...........................................................................44 REFERENCES ..............................................................................................................................................................................45 APPENDICES ..............................................................................................................................................................................46 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1: Distribution of respondents by region ......................................................................................................18 Figure 2.2: Age distribution of respondents ..................................................................................................................19 Figure 2.3: School enrolment ..............................................................................................................................................19 Figure 2.4: Availability of resources for school ..............................................................................................................20 Figure 2. 5: Source of meals during school hours ........................................................................................................21 Figure 2.6: Modes of transport to and from school ....................................................................................................21 Figure 2.7: Computer needs by region ............................................................................................................................22 Figure 2.8: Access to computer ..........................................................................................................................................23 Figure 2.9: Access to the Internet ......................................................................................................................................23 Figure 2.10: Place of accessing healthcare .....................................................................................................................24 Figure 3.1: Career aspirations of the children................................................................................................................25 Figure 4.1: Definitions of Poverty (1) ................................................................................................................................36 Figure 4.2: Definitions of Poverty (2) ................................................................................................................................37 Figure 5.1: Depictions of Poverty (1) ................................................................................................................................38 Figure 5.2: Depictions of Poverty (2) ................................................................................................................................39 Figure 5.3: Depictions of Poverty (3) ................................................................................................................................40 Figure 5.4: Depictions of Poverty (4) ................................................................................................................................41 Figure 5.5: Depictions of Poverty (5) ................................................................................................................................42 Figure 5.6: Depictions of Poverty (6) ................................................................................................................................43 Figure 6.1: Local Multidimensional Definition of Child Poverty .............................................................................44