The Government has allocated $36 million for the Poverty Benefit Scheme to assist more than 23,000 households in this financial year.
Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Rosy Akbar said that the Fijian Government provides the Poverty Benefit Scheme (PBS) to support families in the form of cash transfers and cash value for food items.
“In 2013, the PBS replaced the Family Assistance Program (FAP) and this has emanated following the partnership between the Ministry and the World Bank to review and streamline the social protection programs in Fiji,” Minister Akbar said.
“Anyone can apply for this Government assistance, however, it’s the assessment process that determines whether one will be eligible to receive it. Evidence gathering is undertaken through home visits and is a compulsory component of the application process under the Poverty Benefit Scheme."
“Upon the completion of the home visits, a scorecard is derived and the threshold score will determine whether the family is rated as eligible and can be assisted through the Poverty Benefit Scheme. This system is objective in the sense that it’s the evidence recorded from the questionnaires which ensure that only deserving cases are assisted. The allowances per household will depend largely on the number of dependents and case by case assessments with the $50.00 food voucher remaining the same and complementary to the cash allowances."
She added that the Poverty Benefit Scheme will ensure that a maximum of four members in a household are assisted and this program targets the ‘poorest of the poor’ and those living in destitution.
The PBS targets households that are living in poverty using an automated system that determines the eligibility of an application to receive assistance from the Department of Social Welfare under the Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation.