CALAMBA CITY (PIA) – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) continues its rollout of various community-driven development programs to address poverty in Calabarzon.
In an episode of the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas forum, Dr. Barry Chua, Regional Director for Region IV-A, stated that the DSWD focuses on providing capacity development programs among other long-term assistance.
This includes the ‘Tara, Basa Program”, an education assistance program that empowers college students to become Youth Community Development Workers. These students will then be tasked to teach reading skills to Grade 1 students, particularly those who are non-readers.
“We are also welcoming the mothers of these youth, who will receive cash incentives if they attend our training.”
Chua added: “There is an ongoing capability-building initiative for the program implementation. We are pilot testing [this program] in Quezon and Bacoor, Cavite. We are assessing the components of the program, and the preparations and capacity building for this are ongoing.”
Mylah Gatchalian, Assistant Regional Director for Operations, underscored that the move to institutionalize their community-based development programs is supported by the CALABARZON Regional Development Council—which focuses on planning and policymaking related to regional development.
Thru the RDC, the implementation of the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) will push through as it aims to reach more beneficiaries, particularly in the provinces of Batangas and Quezon where high poverty incidence was observed.
KALAHI-CIDSS aims to help poor communities identify challenges related to reducing poverty by giving them control over resources to address local poverty.
Gatchalian noted: “We believe that through community empowerment, we can further push for development that we want to achieve through the Poverty Alleviation Program.”
The officials later announced that additional funding is earmarked for nutrition programs to prevent health-related illnesses such as stunting.
DSWD said that their institutionalized programs such as the cash-for-work program including the Project Lawa at Binhi, which employs individuals to construct water sources and irrigation reservoirs, will push through after positive gains and feedback.
It is implemented in partnership with 32 local government units to provide skills training for the poor and mitigate the effects of climate change.
The conduct of forums like the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas was then commended by the DSWD, as it serves as a vital platform to effectively promote and inform the public on the programs that they may utilize for their growth and development. (PB/PIA-4A)
