How does the Poverty Stoplight work?
Changing reds and yellows into greens
There's an app for that!
Using an app on a phone, tablet or computer, families take a visual survey to produce a poverty map that allows them to see the details of their poverty on a dashboard. Families select images, categorized as red, yellow or green, that resemble their reality for each poverty indicator. Through its geo-tagging capabilities, the app then generates poverty maps for entire communities, allowing stakeholders to make targeted efforts and to better channel resources in a joint effort to eliminate poverty.
Being part of the movement to eliminate poverty is a collaborative effort. Partners receive access to the visual survey and various training materials used to map multidimensional poverty in their communities.
The definition of poverty varies depending on location. Modifying indicators to make them relevant to the communities being evaluated is the key to successfully adopting the Poverty Stoplight.
- FAMILIES
- ORGANIZATIONS
Surveys can be performed using the Poverty Stoplight app on smartphones, tablets or computers. When the survey is finished a clear picture of a family’s strengths and weaknesses is apparent.
Step 1
Because every family is poor in its own way, every family and individual needs to address different aspects of poverty in their lives. Working with mentors, families develop a plan to move their survey results from red and yellow to green.
Step 2
Once a plan has been created, the family begins to implement their specific plan to overcome poverty. The mentor provides opportunities and access to additional resources.
As the family continues to implement the plan they have made, mentors periodically visit them to assess the situation and encourage them by following a life map, which is a written plan that allows families track their progress.
The Technology
The Poverty Stoplight offers several options to access the visual survey. Currently, partners have the option of using the Poverty Stoplight Platform, web survey or the mobile app.
The Poverty Stoplight Platform (PSP)
A suite of web and mobile applications designed exclusively to administer Poverty Stoplight surveys, generate real time reports, assign tasks and produce interactive life maps. The PSP is the technological backbone of the Poverty Stoplight methodology, developed by Fundación Paraguaya.The Mobile Application
Using a smart phone or tablet, the mobile app allows data collection through a web and Android application (available online and offline).The Web Survey
All technologies allow each organization independent access to the Poverty Stoplight system. Participating partners receive access to the Poverty Stoplight with their own account and various user profiles.