With the Caribbean widely believed to be the region hardest hit by the still rampant COVID-19 pandemic, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) late last week finalized a loan agreement with Govt. Trinidad and Tobago to provide funding for a social society. a defense initiative targeting citizens most affected by the pandemic.
According to a regional media report, the US $ 25.5 million loan is designed to ensure “basic quality of life standards for vulnerable people in the immediate period and during Trinidad and Tobago’s economic recovery.”
The IDB loan has two components, namely, the expansion of additional / emergency cash transfers to beneficiaries of three existing programs provided by the Ministry of Social Development and Family Services (MSDFS), namely, Food Assistance Program, Older Pensions, and Aid Grant Disability.