Last September 2021, the Zero Extreme Poverty Philippines 2030 (ZEP2030) Cebu Local Convergence Team, composed of the Central Visayas Network of NGOs (CENVISNET) and the A2D Project, traveled nine (9) hours to reach Camotes Island in the northeast part of the province of Cebu. 

Camotes Island is a ZEP2030 area where civil society, business, and academe will converge efforts for poverty alleviation in the area. Camotes Island has a population of 102,996 individuals (2015 Census) with a poverty incidence of 38.4%. Fishing and local tourism are the primary sources of livelihood for the locals.

The team conducted a series of workshops on Family Profiling in the 15 barangays of San Francisco, Camotes Island using the Poverty Probability Index (PPI). A total of 190 volunteers from the community health team gathered and actively participated in the workshop.

The PPI is a poverty measurement tool that includes household characteristics and asset ownership which can be used for assessment of and strategic decision-making for poverty alleviation. 

The majority of the participants appreciated the PPI tool as it allows them to identify poor and extremely poor families in their respective barangays. Although they have experienced conducting surveys, participants found the PPI tool to be unique and easier to use.

Currently, the Community Health Team (CHT) volunteers in San Francisco, Camotes Island continues the conduct of family profiling and target to cover an initial 5,000 families for the month of October 2021.