While there has been condemnation of the babycare grant proposed in the 2014/15 budget, it can be quite a useful initiative if it is well planned and executed.Even as details of the programme are still being worked out by Finance Minister Larry Howai, there has been a torrent of negative comments and a very common view, expressed on radio talk shows and in letters to newspapers, is that it will only encourage underprivileged women to have babies they can't afford to support.
On one hand there are lavish expressions of support for strong, healthy families and the virtues motherhood, followed by the unfortunate suggestion that low-income women should be punished for having children.That very myopic view of the initiative has been turning national attention away from the grant's potential to give babies a better start in life and provide much needed support and interventions to poverty stricken mothers.
Data on impoverished mother and babies–if up-to-date statistics were readily available in this country–would probably show the extent of the lost productivity, negative health and education outcomes, and increased criminal justice expenditures that are incurred when this segment of the population falls through the cracks. A properly planned and managed support service for single mothers and their babies can make a big difference in many households where there is a daily struggle to make ends meet.
The reality is that a significant number of families in T&T are headed by single mothers who are unemployed or under employed and therefore mired in poverty. It is in T&T's best interest to help lift them out of poverty and the babycare grant is just one step in that direction.However, it needs to be about more than handing out $500 a month to ensure babies of impoverished mothers are properly fed and clothed. As child rights activist Diana Mahabir-Wyatt suggested, there should be some component of the programme where the mothers can be taught to be better parents. As well, there should be space for the Family Planning Association to work with women to help them plan when and how many children they can have and avoid unwanted pregnancies.
The system should be set up in a way that ensures it is available to all mothers and babies in need of such support. It must also be structured in a way that prevents abuse and the inefficiencies that tend to plague many of the social welfare programmes in this country. A means test must also be done to determine who should be beneficiaries of the programme, with follow ups and reviews at regular intervals.In addition, the initiative can be tailored to suit individual circumstances, with proper records kept of services provided and any other interventions. Efforts must also be made to measure the progress and success of the programme, nipping problems in the bud so that social and economic benefits can be realised over the medium to long term.
Given the high infant mortality rate in the country, any system that offers healthier and happier outcomes should be welcomed.