The government’s continuing concern about the well-being of vulnerable groups is very much evident in Budget 2014.
Vulnerable groups include children, youths, single parents, the elderly, the homeless and the indigenous peoples.CHILDREN
Efforts to ensure the well-being and safety of our children continue unabated. In 2014, a sum of $382.5M has been allocated to consolidate efforts made towards the delivery of childcare and protection services.
Approximately 300 day care facilities are expected to be assessed and the staff advised and trained on regulatory requirements for licensing. In addition, training will be conducted in all regions to equip approximately 2000 parents and primary care givers with skills and information to improve their parenting capacity.
Increased emphasis will be placed on strengthening inter-agency collaboration, increasing support to families, and raising awareness to prevent, detect and address instances of child abuse.
One Stop Centres which offer psychological support and video recording facilities will be expanded.
Further efforts will continue to be directed at strengthening the skills and capacity of those children who are ready to be phased out of the formal care system and to live independently, through the operationalisation of the halfway home.

YOUTH
Government will continue to support the development of vulnerable youth across the country by empowering them with skills and knowledge to improve their own livelihoods and contribute to the nation’s development.
In 2014, it is expected that over 3,500 youth will benefit from training under the National Training Programme for Youth Employment (NTPYE), the Apprenticeship Programme and the Youth Entrepreneurial Skills and training (YEST), along with other training programmes conducted by the Board of Industrial Training (BIT) .
In addition, the hinterland training programme under the BIT, which is expected to target 150 persons, started in January in three communities in Region 9 – Achiwuib, Kradanawa and Annai, in order to build capacity in carpentry and joinery.

SINGLE PARENTS
In 2014, the commitment to supporting the livelihood of single parents countrywide will continue.
A total of 770 single parents are targeted to benefit from government training programmes covering a wide range of areas.
Moreover, in collaboration with the private sector, training will commence on basic entrepreneurship, networking, branding promotion and advertising and packaging for the benefit of 50 single parents.
This training is expected to strengthen the capacity of beneficiaries in managing and sustaining their businesses in order to further reduce the default rates of borrowers under the Women of Worth (WOW) initiative.

ELDERLY
In 2014, focus will be placed on continuing the training for patient care assistants in both private and government controlled homes for the elderly.
Emphasis will also be placed on improving the standard of care being offered at the Palms Institution, with the view to establishing best practices to be used by all private homes.
In addition, having recognised that our programmes must go beyond financial assistance for the elderly, another priority area for 2014 will be to address their psycho-social needs.
Centres for the elderly will be established in various communities in order to ensure that our senior citizens are engaged in activities that promote their physical and mental health.

HOMELESS
Government remains committed to providing a sense of hope and belonging for the poor, vulnerable and disadvantaged members of society, including the homeless.
In 2014, street dwellers will continue to benefit from services provided at the Night Shelter.
In addition, the Hugo Chavez Centre for Rehabilitation and Re-Integration, commissioned in 2013, will accommodate 100 males and 80 females, and will provide services including training for its occupants in fulfilling its mandate to reintegrate the homeless into society.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
This year will see continued Government interventions to enhance the livelihoods and development of Amerindian communities countrywide.
To this end, $796M has been allocated for the continuation of YEAP expanding to Regions 2,3,4,5,6 and 10.
Under the One Laptop Per family (OLPF) initiative, work will continue on the construction of 100 hubs in 100 villages for the benefit of 57,000 persons, and one person in each village will be trained in basic computer skills and maintenance.
In addition, over 470 students will benefit from the $66.6M allocated to the Hinterland Scholarship Programme.

OTHER VULNERABLE GROUPS
Efforts continued to be directed towards disadvantaged individuals through the public assistance programme and toward employment seekers through the Central Recruitment and Manpower Agency
(CRMA).
A sum of $15.2M was spent on improved software which permits job seekers and employers to upload their applications or vacancy requests to the website.
In 2013, the website was used by job seekers and employers alike.
A total of 3,189 individuals were interviewed and 2,596 were employed. It is expected that over 3,000 individuals will gain employement in 2014 under the expanded efforts of this agency.