Unbound Basic Needs Price Index Launched as First Measurement to Understand Impact of Inflation on Those Living in Poverty
Unbound and UNESCO-Mesoamerican Centre for Theoretical Physics Partner to Track Daily Goods and Services Consumed by a Specific Population
Kansas City, Kansas, May 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- International non-profit, Unbound, and Mesoamerican Centre for Theoretical Physics (MCTP), a UNESCO Category 2 Center, have partnered to measure how inflation affects those living in poverty. The Unbound® Basic Needs Price Index™ will be the first measurement to provide critical financial data that is truly impacting women, children and families living in poverty, which is currently not being tracked by other standard economic indexes.
“An important benefit of this research is the amplification of the voice of people living in poverty and to provide critical information that will drive policy decisions,” says Daniel Pearson, Unbound chief international program officer. "Historically, there has been a void in gathering the data that provides a true picture of people living in poverty. Our Unbound Basic Needs Price Index methodology will give greater voice to the people we serve.”
This unique gathering of data on daily goods and services will be provided by families in the Unbound programs. This new index provides a more robust measurement by including purchases directly from farmers, bartered goods and services, which is not captured in other economic indexes. MCTP will conduct rigorous multidisciplinary analysis and monitor economic conditions and behavior changes over time. The Unbound Basic Needs Price Index aims to share reports every six months with baseline results expected in fall 2023.
“The alliance with Unbound will strengthen the strategic presence of MCTP to fulfill its mission of stimulating science and development in populations in need,” said Eli Santos Rodriguez, assistant general coordinator of the MCTP.
Unbound provides economic support to families through child and elder sponsorship. This new methodology and data will provide Unbound a better understanding of the impact of direct cash benefits to local families served by Unbound.
MCTP and Unbound are piloting the project in Chiapas, Mexico, where Unbound serves over 7,300 sponsored friends and their families. The study will be expanded in the coming years to include Central America and the Caribbean, South America, Africa and Asia.
ABOUT UNBOUND
Unbound is an international nonprofit that delivers more than $100 million in personalized support to children, elders and their families living in poverty in Latin America, Asia and Africa. Rated the highest child sponsorship charity in the United States, more than 92 percent of Unbound’s expenses go toward program support. Unbound has consistently and responsibly challenged poverty in new and innovative ways since its founding in 1981 and is the only major U.S. nonprofit that offers elder sponsorships.
ABOUT MESOMERICAN CENTRE FOR THEORETICAL PHYSICS (MCTP)
The Mesoamerican Centre for Theoretical Physics (MCTP) was created in collaboration between the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) and the Autonomous University of Chiapas (UNACH) in order to establish a regional headquarters of the ICTP in Central America, the Caribbean and Mexico. MCTP activities range across the various countries of the region. These countries share a common language, some of the greatest biodiversity on the planet and common problems, so scientific and technological research need to be integrated into a regional and international scheme based on cooperation and expanding opportunities.
Attachments
Tara Hefner Unbound 9136532852 TaraH@unbound.org Alexis Villanueva Mesoamerican Centre for Theoretical Physics +52 961 288 8699 info@mctp.mx
