COTABATO CITY (PIA) — The Bangsamoro government, through its Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD), is continuously strengthening its programs focused on reducing poverty in the region.
Through the Unlad Pamilyang Bangsamoro Program (UPBP), a total of 83 beneficiaries recently underwent entrepreneurial skills training and received livelihood assistance.
UPBP is one of the newest programs of the MSSD that aims to improve the well-being of poor households in the Bangsamoro region through the provision of livelihood seed capital and skills training.
MSSD Minister Raissa Jajurie, in her earlier speech, underscored the salient features of the program, which seeks to uplift the lives of poverty-stricken households across the region.
“Iba ito sa mga relief assistance na ibinibigay natin na one-time lang sa kanilang pangangailangan. Ang targeted nito yung mga pamilya na gusto natin na over a period of time ay umangat yung kanilang buhay,” she emphasized.
(This is different from the relief assistance we provide, which is only a one-time aid focusing on the families that we want to uplift over a period of time.)
Each beneficiary received P20,000 in scale-up seed capital, along with livelihood starter kits tailored to their respective trades.
The kits included essential tools and equipment, such as sewing machines, malongs, cooking pots, frying pans, steamers, blenders, rice cookers, meat grinders, water jugs, umbrellas, and casseroles, depending on their chosen trade.
The beneficiaries were also provided with information on key business strategies, including entrepreneurship, financial literacy, value chain development, branding and marketing, government support for agribusiness initiatives, and disaster risk reduction measures.
Eman Panondi, provincial social welfare officer of Maguindanao del Sur, underscored MSSD’s dedication to fostering economic independence among Bangsamoro families.
“This program empowers families to become self-reliant. With these starter kits and seed capital, we enable them to establish sustainable livelihood activities that contribute to the local economy,” he said.
The MSSD’s process of selecting beneficiaries is based on poverty levels in their area and the results of the Social Welfare Development Indicators (SWDI) survey, which measures the status of each respondent’s family. (With reports from MSSD-BARMM).
