Called the socio-economic needs assessment (SENA), the National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB) – in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labor (VSA) and the Department of Statistics (STAT) of the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) – is conducting a household survey to gather data on various social and economic conditions.
As the living and employment conditions of many persons may have changed since the passing of Hurricane Irma and the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, this exercise aims to collect up-to-date and accurate data to develop policies that can better serve the Sint Maarten community. The SENA’s results will be the foundation of data-driven policy development that caters to the country’s current needs.
Additionally, the collected data will assist in the development of an integrated social registry system, which will improve the VSA Ministry’s ability to coordinate social programs, proactively identify beneficiaries, and respond to disasters and other external shocks. The system will also reduce the administrative burden on applicants by eliminating the need to registering for multiple social services.
The survey will be done in two phases.
The first phase will run from March 5 to May 31, 2022. Data collectors will visit 3,000 randomly selected households between the hours of 8:00am and 7:00pm. Data collectors must present a government-approved identification badge before the start of the interview and are required to follow the COVID-19 protocols established by the Government of Sint Maarten.
If approached, persons are encouraged to participate by honestly answering the questions asked about themselves and their household. The information provided will remain anonymous and confidential.
The second phase is expected to start in August 2022.
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