Early childhood in the Caribbean - Bernard van Leer Foundation

6
environment for children, including those in
poverty or otherwise at risk. We found that
while national policies have paid attention to
the Convention, the same certainly cannot be
said of day-to-day practices.
However, it also became apparent that children’s
welfare is strongly dependent upon economic
and social stability, in other words upon factors
in the realm of the nation.
The countries
Trinidad and Tobago is a twin island state made
up of the Caribbean chain’s two most southerly
islands. Dominica is at the centre of the chain
and is a single island. They are small island
developing states, as recognised by the United
Nations, with a common history dominated by
colonisation and slavery. Trinidad and Tobago
has a high level of concern about violent crime,
drugs, kidnappings and other forms of social
disorder. Dominica has a more secure climate
socially, but not environmentally. It is in the
track of Caribbean hurricanes which cause
extensive damage. Trinidad and Tobago is south
of the track but is still prone to floods and
earthquakes.
Economically, Trinidad and Tobago is an
oil producer and the richest economy in the
region. Dominica has been badly affected by the
collapse of its banana industry. Both countries
have populations founded in immigration,
including the descendants of slaves and
indentured labourers, while Dominica has
a small Carib population descended from
the area’s pre-Columbian inhabitants. Both
countries have high levels of poverty which state
support only partly alleviates. Although they
have both ratified the Convention their children
are yet to enjoy many of the rights it guarantees.
The communities
We studied two communities in each country.
They show a mix of ethnicity (Afro-Caribbean,
Carib and Indo-Caribbean), wealth and poverty,
vulnerability and urban and rural settings.
In Trinidad, we looked at Trincity and Caroni,
while in Dominica we looked at Tarish Pit and
Atkinson.
Trincity is a planned development of 6,000
households near Port of Spain, the capital.
About half of the people are of African descent
and they tend to be managers and other
professionals. It was founded in 1970 and has
few old people. It is well-resourced, as shown by
the fact that the state primary school is poorly
attended as parents tend to send their children
to fee-paying schools. There are about 10
pre-school centres.
Trincity is well supplied with amenities
such as power, clean water, sewerage and
telecommunications. Homes are modern.
But the newness of the development means
that there are few social networks and little
community spirit. Indeed, people feel vulnerable
to crime and have steadily installed more
alarms, guard dogs and other security measures.
Caroni is a small rural community in central
Trinidad. Its historic base was the Caroni sugar