Country Paper Presentation by Mr Dana Chengan MACOSS 25 TH November 2016 Think Tank Meeting on the SADC Regional Poverty Observatory and National gtgt Poverty Observatories CONTENT ID: 583338
Download Presentation The PPT/PDF document "The National Poverty Observatory Maurit..." is the property of its rightful owner. Permission is granted to download and print the materials on this web site for personal, non-commercial use only, and to display it on your personal computer provided you do not modify the materials and that you retain all copyright notices contained in the materials. By downloading content from our website, you accept the terms of this agreement.
Slide1
The National Poverty Observatory Mauritius
Country Paper
Presentation
by
Mr.
Dana Chengan, MACOSS
25
TH
November 2016
Think
Tank Meeting on the SADC Regional Poverty Observatory and National
>> Poverty Observatories Slide2
CONTENT
Poverty in Mauritius
Overview and Report
Poverty Observatory
Contribution of CSOs to fight Poverty.
Institutional Support and Funding Agencies
Government Policies and support
Conclusion
RecommendationsSlide3
Poverty in Mauritius
No extreme poverty in Mauritius
the proportion of the population living below the poverty line as defined by the World Bank, namely below $1.25 (PPP) per day, is non-existent in Mauritius
Yet - relative poverty is growing slowly and the income gaps are widening as a result of diversification and structural changes in the economy
Government has put in place poverty abatement programs
However, the substantial financial resources invested in these programs are yet to show measurable results
Absence
of monitoring
mechanismsSlide4
Poverty in Mauritius
Mauritius is portrayed as a social, economic and development success story in Africa.
Since its independence in 1968, it has constantly heightened the democratic processes, improved its infrastructures and communications technologies; enhanced the health and education systems.
It has made remarkable progress in maintaining its economic growth and an improvement in the standard of living – annual rate of 5% of growth over the past quarter
century.Slide5
Poverty in Mauritius
This evident
growth is the result
of extensive social programs and safety nets financed by the welfare state which include
free health services and free education,
universal
old-age pension, free transport for the elderly and full time students, and various social services which have contributed to better the life of individual.
Side by side there has been significant
social progress
which is validated by higher life expectancy at birth, universal primary and secondary education and higher level of adult literacySlide6
Poverty in Mauritius
Statistics Mauritius – 2012 Household Budget Survey
Definition of poor family - “a family consisting of 2 adults and 2 children and receiving less than Rs 13,310 (370 USD) as monthly revenues”
However, more than 9% of Mauritian families fall into this category (
33,600 families out of 335,000)
Children were more prone to poverty. Estimated 42,100 children in relative poverty out of a total of 285,900 children
In 2008 the National Empowerment Foundation (NEF) carried out a survey and identified 229 pockets of poverty hosting about 7,200 households living the lowest level of relative poverty. Slide7
World Bank Report ( 2014)
Mauritius has been doing well in terms of the twin goals of reducing extreme poverty and improving the well-being of the bottom
line - 40
% of the population.
They indicate that extreme poverty is
negligible
In absolute terms, poverty has declined from 8.5 percent in 2006-2007 to 6.9 percent in 2012, associated mainly with the stable and strong economic growth experienced
In relative terms poverty has increased from 8.5% in 2006-2007 to 9.8% in 2012 associated with an increase in income disparity between the medium household and those below the medium.Slide8
Root Causes
of Poverty
The most vulnerable one are most particularly those who:
Are uneducated or has a low level of education
Are poorly empowered to adapt to changing economy and technical improvements
Have household headed by women with great risk of social exclusion
Have family head addicted to drugs and alcohol
Are unemployed and facing difficulty to accede to employment opportunities
Are facing hunger with one meal or a poor diet per day
Have no convenient shelter and Hygiene
Are marginalised and are subject
to social ills such as prostitution and drugs Slide9
In relative poverty
Revised
estimates of poor households & persons are based on figures rebased according to 2011 Population Census data - CSO 2011Slide10
Feminization
of Poverty
Those more exposed to poverty and economic vulnerability are female headed households, young people (particularly children
)
Many women are still employed in low skilled, low paid jobs
Expiration of multi-
fibres
and AGOA agreements in the textile industry, most textile industries became uncompetitive and closed down while some have
automated their system.
Declining exports caused the EPZ to lose 25% of its
labour
force over the past years leading substantial unemployment levels among women.
Female entrepreneurs have difficulty
in taking benefits to
credit
facilities and empowerment.
Many housewives in rural areas do not have decent revenue or are still dependent on their working husbandsSlide11
Poor - By profile of head
(CSO 2011)Slide12
Pockets of Poverty
Many single headed (female) households
Five to eight children
Only one room
Along with Free education, the government is providing a lunch to the children
Most children do not attend
school; No
proper breakfast and
clothing
Most
of the poor in the
pockets of
poverty are squatters.
Low
skills and
educational attainment
furthering the
lack
of opportunities;Slide13
Poverty Observatory in Mauritius
2009 – Mauritius Poverty Observatory launched
by the Minister of Industry Science and
Research
The
Observatory aimed to
analyze the impact of policies and projects on the population and to assess what works and what did notIt would study poverty with the participation of the poorIt
would adopt a qualitative methodology to (make it possible to) understand poverty
It would
operate as an independent observer of the on-the-ground
situation
MRC (Mauritius Research Council)
conferred
the responsibility of the
NPOSlide14
Poverty Observatory in Mauritius
However, the poverty observatory did not last
long.
Reasons for failure
Studies
not detailed
enoughFindings vague without proposed solutionsI
nappropriate and different to
local conditions. Slide15
Poverty Observatory in Mauritius
2015
- the
C
abinet
has agreed to the setting up of a Poverty Observatory under the aegis of the Ministry of Social Integration and Economic Empowerment The Observatory would, among others:
Act as
a repository for Information on poverty.
Commission research
and studies on poverty and social development
Coordinate the process of monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of
a
Marshall Plan on the eradication of
poverty
Advise
the Minister of Social Integration and Economic Empowerment on policies that reflect the changing parameters of poverty and its impact on vulnerable groups.Slide16
Contribution of Civil Society in the fight against Poverty
MACOSS is an umbrella organisation for NGOs with currently 370 members
It promotes social and community development with the participation of its Member Organisations and volunteers
MACOSS acts as a facilitator for NGOs and develop capacity building
MACOSS , in collaboration with UNDP, launched the PEN (Poverty Eradication Network) in 12 Poverty-driven areas in Mauritius since 2015. This initiative will also support the Marshall plan.Slide17
Contribution of Civil Society in the fight against Poverty
Support to Non-State Actors
The underlying goal of the
Cotonou
Agreement governing the European Union’s cooperation with the African-Caribbean-Pacific (ACP) group of nations is to reduce and eventually eradicate poverty, in line with the objectives of sustainable development and the gradual integration of the ACP countries into the world economy
Within this context,
Cotonou recognises the complementary role of Non-State-Actors (NSAs) in the development processDecentralised Cooperation Programme – a joint effort between the Government of Mauritius and the EUSlide18
Contribution of Civil Society in the fight against Poverty
Grants ranging from
Rs
400,000 to
Rs
1,000,000 allocated to NGOs for the implementation of Social projects with particular focus on poverty alleviation. (2013)
462 million for 434 projects with NGOs on alleviation of Poverty since 2015.10
th
EDF - DCP - Direct Support to Micro-projects for Poverty Alleviation and encouraging partnership approach among NGOs - Mauritius - 2014Slide19
Contribution of Civil Society in the fight against Poverty
The PEN project
Creating Ownership - The fundamental approach is to strengthen the local/community based system, develop local economic sector and empower the people in their living environment.
Assist in empowerment.
Capacity Building to lead, to analyse, to take decision according to their needs and requirements.
Develop local solutions (for adaptation)
Collaborative approach with Private Sector, NGOs, Public Institutions, Technical Institution
Facilities - Education, sports, infrastructure, equipment and technology
Develop
a ‘feel good Factor
’
Sharing
of best practices.Slide20
Support to NGOs
CSR Policy
Private sector contribution – 2% of profits with new Strategies and policies in view.
NGO
Trust Fund financing
micro
projectsLove Bridge Project a community and humanitarian program which aims to be part of a long-term vision to foster nation building and to promote positive human values and support.
Special collaborative programme for support to women and children in distress
International funding (US, Australia, etc.) Slide21
The National Empowerment Foundation (NEF)
A government
owned
Institution
It implements
programmes
and projects to support vulnerable persons and families to move out of poverty and empower them with a view to integrating them into mainstream societyThe main objective of the NEF is to provide a range of
programmes
and
services :
adults follow a training and employment
programme
and as a result engage in
activities
leading to a decent income
children go to school and succeed in their studies
families
enjoy an improved living
environment
communities
lead a
demand-driven
development process resulting in an improved quality of life for community residents
marginalized groups become successfully integrated into
the societySlide22
NEF – Executive Arm of the Ministry
Between 2009 – 2012 trained and reskilled 13,875 unemployed person under the training and placement program out of which 7,447 were successfully retained for employment
16, 573 school children from vulnerable families in Mauritius and around 5,000 in Rodrigues benefitted from school materials
3,000 children of pre-primary and primary schools are benefiting from the package of services that includes among other things free meals, transport, free schooling and school materials
Literacy& Life skills training are delivered to people of deprived regions to help rebuild the human and social capital.
Micro enterprises( cattle rearing in
Panchavati
– community based
programme
)
Support to improve academic performance and reduce dropouts
Aids prevention and support
Assistance to women and children in need or abusedSlide23
The National Empowerment Foundation (NEF)
NEF activities are implemented district wise with the support of NGOs under the following broad pillars:
Placement and Training
Housing and Community Empowerment
Child and Family Development Programme Slide24
The
Government
Global Policies
In
September 2000,
the government
of Mauritius took an important step ahead in the quest to eradicating poverty by committing to the United Nations Millennium Declaration along 188 member states of the United Nations.
Accordingly, the Government introduced several targeted empowerment and poverty alleviation programmes to empower the disadvantaged and improve accessibility to social services which are implemented through various Ministries and other
institutions
Mauritius
being a welfare state injects billion of rupees yearly
for
social
development
Widening the circle of opportunities to target the most vulnerable groups holds a significant position in the Government of Mauritius policies as indicated by its ten year economic reform programme (2006-2015). Slide25
Government
Programmes
-
Accordingly, the Government introduced several targeted empowerment and poverty alleviation programmes to empower the disadvantaged and improve accessibility to social services which are implemented through various Ministries and
institutions
The
Cabinet has also agreed to the introduction of the Social Integration and Empowerment Bill in the National Assembly soon. The object of the Bill is to promote social integration and empowerment of persons living in absolute poverty within the philosophy of enhancing social justice and national unity to: (a) combat absolute poverty
;
(b) provide support and other services to persons living in absolute poverty;
and
(c) support persons living in absolute poverty to integrate the mainstream society.Slide26
Poverty Alleviation
Programmes
1995
: Trust Fund for “La
lutte
contre L’exclusion”- restyled as TFSIVG below now NEF1997: Committee on Poverty set up by the President of the Republic (this is only advisory)1999: Trust Fund for the Social Integration of Vulnerable Groups (TFSIVG)- restyled to EAP then to NEF1999
:
Lévé
Debouté
(Self-help Project) in Rodrigues-completed
1999
: A
Nou
Diboute
Ensam
- A poverty alleviation
programme
funded by EU-ongoing
2000
: International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-Phases I, II & III-ongoing”
2005
:
Decentralised
Co-operation
Programme
(DCP) funded by the EU and which is ongoing
2006
: National Empowerment Foundation (NEF); formerly, the Empowerment
Programme
- fully operational
2008
: Eradication of Absolute Poverty (EAP)- absorbed by National Empowerment foundationSlide27
Social aids/pension to needy people
Basic Retirement Pension (BRP)
Basic Widow’s Pension (BWP)
Basic Invalid’s Pension (BIP)
Basic Orphan’s Pension (BOP)
Guardian’s Allowance
Child AllowanceInmate Allowance
Other social aids Slide28
Government measures
Budget 2016/2017
Measures to combat poverty
Marshall Plan against poverty
New CSR Framework
A
Social Integration and Empowerment Bill will be presented soon by the Minister. The object of the Bill is to promote social integration and empowerment of persons living in absolute poverty. The Bill will provide for the setting up of such empowerment programmes or schemes as may be necessary to -
(a) combat absolute poverty
;
(b) provide support and other services to persons living in absolute
poverty
to integrate the mainstream society.Slide29
United Nation Development
Programme
UNDP in partnership with the government developed the Social Register in Mauritius tools.
The main purpose of the SRM project is to improve the targeting efficiency of social
programmes
so that limited programme resources primarily reach the poor (i.e. minimizing leakage to non-poor) and the poor are not excluded (i.e. minimizing under-coverage of the poor).
The SRM initiative was introduced to modernize public resources management and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of government spending. Slide30
Social Register In Mauritius
It was designed to become an exhaustive and centralized database of social
programme
beneficiaries with the following objectives:
Better target
beneficiaries.
Manage social programmes in an integrated way.Better harmonize the criteria for the different social programmes run by different ministries.
Analyse
cyclical and structural poverty reduction policiesSlide31
Marshall Plan against Poverty
Minimum guaranteed monthly income
Cash award for successful completion of studies at different levels for students coming from less fortunate families
Increase in monthly grant under crèche voucher scheme
Pilot project for integrated academic teaching and community engagement in 5 ZEP schools
Increase in meal allowance for students attending ZEP
Decent housing
Construction of 2700 housing units over the next 3 years
Rehabilitation programme of NHDC housing
Exemption of Land Transfer Tax on the Provision of Social Housing to Employees Slide32
Marshall Plan against Poverty
Special needs children
Removal of age limit for Basic Invalidity pension will be removed
Scholarship scheme for 5 students to pursue tertiary studies locally with a monthly stipend
Grant in aid to NGOs will increase by more than 50%
Monthly rental allowance for victims of accidental fire
Increase in Funeral grant
National Empowerment Foundation will be restructured
Setting up of a National CSR Foundation managed jointly by public and private sectorSlide33
New National
CSR
Framework
National CSR Foundation
Contribution of private sector (1% of profits in 2016/2017 and 1.5% of profits as from 2017/2018)
Priority areas
Poverty alleviationEducational supportSocial housing
Supporting
persons with severe disabilities
Health
problems
(substance
abuse and poor
sanitation)
New guidelines for funding
Projects by NGOs
Projects by private sector/ foundationsSlide34
Conclusion
Poverty alleviation has seen a proponent of actions all around the world.
In some parts of the world it has shown good results while at other instances it is stagnant.
People's initiatives and voluntary action have helped in identifying the key elements in
programme
design.
There is an urgent need for continuous innovation and willingness to break away from the routine and conventional way of doing things.
The elements identified by this study
may be
critical for the design of poverty alleviation
programmes
. It provides
a sound basis for bold experimentation in this vital area of the development process of
a nation state.Slide35
Conclusion
A holistic approach
adopted to alleviate and eradicate poverty.
The involvement of some local NGOs intensively engaged in poverty reduction appear to have performed reasonably well and has changed the life of the poor to some extent through community action and participation
strategies
In Mauritius, NGO contributions in poverty reduction are reasonably limited. Their works
are relatively appreciable
in the context of the very slow progress in alleviating
poverty.
In order to address the limitations and to enhance their performance, there is need for strengthening local institutions and linking with development agencies, scaling up innovative development program, building synergy with the government and the private sector, and engaging in advocacy for pro-poor development
policy
The NGO capacity in dealing with these challenges will determine NGO contributions in alleviating poverty.Slide36
Recommendations
Definitional Issues:
A determination and setting up of a factual and representative measure of poverty in Mauritius would be the first
factor.
Relevance
of
Policies All the policies administered have to be followed in terms of their effects, influences and implications.
Setting up of an
“
Observatoire
de la
Pauvreté
”
;
with a
system of tripartite forum should be set up involving the government organizations, NGO representatives and business organizations/ donor agencies to assess the situation every three months
.
The
Social Register
tools to be made operationalized by the Ministry of Social Security, National Solidarity and Reforms
Institutions and the NPO.
A social Audit report on Poverty alleviation projects (with checks and balances).Slide37
Recommendations
National Minimum Wage:
Implementation of a
national minimum wage
to reduce the worsening economic and income inequality to avoid shocks such as inflation which quickly push people into poverty.
Social Entrepreneurship:
One potentially promising strategy for improvement in poverty alleviation programmes is to encourage and support social entrepreneurship
Re-skilling
Programme
for women need to be innovative, with extensive support and marketing strategies. More outreach and onsite
programmes
must be developed for low literate women.Slide38
Recommendations
Focused Youth Employment
Programme
:
Government need to conduct
periodical audit
in the economic and social sectors and forecast the human resources that will be needed for a period of 5 years. Youth Career Initiatives/ Life Skills: Innovative and high-impact approach need to be adopted to deal with youth unemployment and ensure career opportunities.
Women Empowerment and microfinance schemes:
The most vulnerable to poverty are women and children; therefore women should not only be involved as the main target but also as the main agency of program interventions. Slide39
Recommendations
Building Synergy among Agencies:
Government need to engage into more serious dialogue with the civil society to build
resilient partnership
to deal with poverty to avoid duplication of programs and wastage of resource.
Strengthening
local institutions and building linkages with development agencies: there is an imperative need for NGOs in ‘moving from development as delivery to development as leverage’ (Edwards et al., 1999). Specialized Training and Professionalization of NGOs:
It is widely confirmed by many studies that strengthening capacity is the best way for NGOs to make a lasting impact on poverty (Edwards,1999). Slide40
Recommendations
Scaling up the program intervention:
Without scaling-up the program intervention, the successful performance of NGOs remain little in a wider economic and institutional environment which is detrimental to the poor (
Uvin
et al., 2000). NGOs need to become larger, more professionally managed, and more efficiently programmatic institutions
.
Engaging in policy advocacy: Advocacy in the area where NGOs lack proficiency. NGOs need to combine their delivery of services with advocacy activities.
Checks and balances:
Checks and balances, transparency, accountability, good governance are words that are increasingly used in democratic countries. Therefore, the need of checks and balances, transparency and accountability is highly crucial to ensure an equitable and sound development
.
Periodical meetings with Stakeholders to review progress. Slide41
Thank You!
“Overcoming poverty is not a task of Charity, it is an act of justice”
Nelson Mandela