McKenzie hails Access Financial’s poverty reduction initiative

Local Government and Community Development Minister Desmond McKenzie had high commendations for Access Financial Services when the company launched its latest innovation designed to reduce poverty among Jamaican families on Wednesday, June 28. Dubbed Access-Ability, the programme is the local version of a global initiative called Poverty Stoplight, founded by Fundación Paraguay, that has already been rolled out in almost 50 countries.

“This programme has the potential for major impact in our communities and we want to thank Access Financial and other private sector companies who are doing their part to bring about the change we want to see in Jamaica. This administration has created the environment for these kinds of initiatives to do well. But no matter how good the government is, or the Prime Minister, and my Prime Minister is very bright, but no matter how good the Government is, if you think for one moment that Government can do it alone then you are sadly mistaken,” said McKenzie as he delivered the keynote address at the launch event held at the Courtyard Marriott in Kingston.

A release to the media notes that the Access-Ability programme is designed to activate the potential of Jamaican families and communities to lift themselves out of poverty. “Like the Poverty Stoplight, it uses a self-evaluation survey tool which incorporates questions across six dimensions, allowing families to define specifics around what it means to ‘not be poor’. Survey participants will assess their status in the key areas of income and education; housing and infrastructure; education and culture; and health and environment, among others.

EXTREME POVERTY

Administered on a tablet, the easy-to-use tool breaks down the key areas into relatable indicators that are illustrated as images representing situations that define extreme poverty (red), poverty (yellow), and non-poverty (green).”

“Access-Ability uses the Poverty Stoplight system which puts the power back into the hands of families to assess their own situation and carry out personalised strategies to move them from red and yellow to green. It is our hope that by using this tool, and participating in the process, more Jamaicans will get a clearer picture of what they need to do and get access to the right support to improve their lives,” Access Financial’s Acting Chief Executive Officer Hugh Campbell noted.

Beyond its ability to empower families, Access-Ability is already creating a network of stakeholders referred to as ‘Solutions-providers’ to help support the development of families and implement the actions on their individual Life Map which charts the way forward.

“For many of our families who have taken the survey, income is a key deficit, so Access is working with them to see how we can support their entrepreneurial efforts. For others, its education so we’ve engaged with HEART Trust/NSTA and the Ministry of Education to see how best to create easier access to what they need. In fact, we’ve invited several government and private sector organisations to join this collaborative effort to move our people forward on their own terms,” Campbell added.

Social organisations, community and faith-based groups which are also interested in collaborating for the common goal of poverty elimination may also join the programme to provide support.