PATH (Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education)
PATH is Jamaica's flagship conditional cash transfer programme, administered by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, providing bi-monthly cash grants to poor and vulnerable households to improve educational attainment and health outcomes and to reduce child labour. It targets children, pregnant/lactating women, the elderly, persons with disabilities, and the adult poor within qualifying low-income families, selected via a Proxy Means Test. Since launching nationwide in 2002, it has grown into the country's largest social safety net, currently reaching roughly 350,000 beneficiaries. The programme is funded by the Government of Jamaica with loan support from the World Bank (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development) and the Inter-American Development Bank.
Conditional Cash Transfer, Caribbean, Jamaica, Flagship National Program, World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, Proxy Means Test, Multi-category Household Benefit
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- Ministry of Labour and Social Security (Government of Jamaica)
- City
- Kingston
- State / Province
- Kingston Parish
- Country
- Jamaica
Contact
- Phone
- +1 876 922 8000
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Active
- Application status
- Rolling
- Number of recipients
- 350,000
- Funding type
- Government
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Total Amount
- 75,600
- Avg. Per Month
- 1,575
- Payment frequency
- Variable
- How long the program lasts
- 48 months
- Distribution Type
- Cheque (collected at Post Offices), Debit/Prepaid Card (NCB Keycard Cash via ATM/Multilink network and Point of Sale), Electronic Transfer (via remittance service providers), mobile money and direct funds transfer were under exploration as of the program's most recent public update
- Benefit details
Benefit amounts vary by beneficiary category and are paid in six bi-monthly cycles per year (on or before the 15th of February, April, June, August, October and December). As of June 2024: children under 6 receive J$2,200/cycle; students in grades 1-9 receive J$3,150/cycle; students in grades 10-13 receive J$3,150/cycle; elderly (60+) receive J$3,300/cycle; pregnant/lactating women, persons with disabilities, and the adult poor each receive J$2,650/cycle; the programme-wide minimum benefit is J$1,100/cycle. Rates are periodically increased by government budget allocation (e.g., a 28.8% budget increase for FY2024-2025). Affiliated one-time Post-Secondary Grants (J$15,000-J$30,000) and annual Tertiary Bursaries (J$100,000, renewable with a 2.5 GPA) are available to former PATH secondary-school beneficiaries.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Eligibility is based on household poverty as determined by a Proxy Means Test (PMT) administered through the Beneficiary Identification System (BIS); families scoring at or below the program's poverty cut-off are provisionally selected, pending verification. Within qualifying poor families, individual members may receive payment under one of five categories: children (birth through completion of secondary school), pregnant/lactating women (up to 6 months postpartum), elderly members (60+), persons with a certified permanent disability, and the 'adult poor' (family heads aged 18-59 in households with no other eligible category). Continued receipt of children's benefits is conditioned on maintaining at least 85% school attendance (ages 6+) or compliance with the Ministry of Health's preventive visit schedule (under age 6).
Demographics
- Minimum age
- 0
- Education level
- Preschool, Elementary, Middle School, High School
Health
- Disability status
- Yes
Geography
- Countries covered
- Jamaica
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Complementary program enrollment required
- Post-Secondary Education Grants, Tertiary Education Bursaries (optional affiliated interventions available to former PATH secondary-school beneficiaries)
Application Process
- How to apply
Applicants visit the Ministry of Labour and Social Security office in their parish of residence to complete an application interview; the process may also occur at designated centres, in communities, or in the homes of elderly applicants or persons with disabilities. Required documents include the family head's birth certificate, valid ID, and Tax Registration Number (TRN), birth certificates for all children in the household, and birth certificates for household adults aged 60 and over.
- Selection process
Demographic and socio-economic data collected during the application are entered into the Beneficiary Identification System (BIS), which applies a Proxy Means Test to derive a family poverty score. Families scoring at or below the established cut-off are provisionally selected; final selection is subject to verification of the information provided during the interview. Approved families are certified for a 4-year benefit period, after which they must reapply and be reassessed.
