59.1% of DR households lose income due to coronavirus

Santo Domingo, RD

 According to a survey prepared by the United Nations regarding the social and economic effects of the current coronavirus pandemic in the Dominican Republic, 59.1% of households expressed having suffered a significant reduction in their income sources due to the ongoing health emergency.

The study was carried out through the “Red Actúa,” which comprises agencies, funds, and programs of the United Nations System, community organizations, and institutions of the Dominican State.

The main reason for the economic change in households was the decrease in income or wages, with 36.7%. Other factors were the temporary loss or suspension of jobs, 18.8%, and the permanent loss of employment, 9.3%.

To measure the socio-economic effects of the covid-19 pandemic on the most impoverished population of the Dominican Republic and improve response and recovery, the United Nations System surveyed to measure the impact SEIA (acronym in English), in collaboration with non-profit associations, community-based organizations and the Unique System of Beneficiaries (SIUBEN).

Among the findings of the survey, the needs expressed by the surveyed households to recover their well-being stand out: Regarding access to food, 76.7% of the surveyed households indicated that they are concerned about not having enough food, reporting having seen the need to buy cheaper food (45.8%) and reduce the number of meals per day (26.8%).

Regarding education, the survey shows that 84.8% of the children and adolescents enrolled in an educational center before the pandemic were able to continue their studies remotely or virtually. It was also found that most households have more access to smartphones (77.9%) than to computers or tablets (24.5%), so the most common study method was through WhatsApp, used in 90.2% of surveyed households.

We will continue to share more results from the SEIA survey through the media in the coming days.

The survey was conducted through a network of local organizations to 6,359 households nationwide during July 2020. It will be repeated in the coming months to measure how families’ socioeconomic situation evolves, which will allow the State to design Evidence-based interventions necessary for the recovery and socioeconomic reactivation of communities.

DETAILS

Survey.

Its implementation was carried out under the leadership of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the participation of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Joint Program of the United Nations on HIV / AIDS (UNAIDS) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), along with a network of 28 non-governmental organizations.