DSWD trains women for micro-enterprise endeavors

DSWD Secretary Corazon ‘Dinky’ Soliman. Photo courtesy of DSWD Facebook page.

MANILA — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said over the weekend that it continues to undertake efforts in preparing women-beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) for micro-enterprise endeavors.

According to DSWD Secretary Corazon J. Soliman, through its Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP), the DSWD is facilitating vocational and technical enhancement skills training for household members, especially the mothers benefitting from the program.

Soliman cited as an example the town of Kapalong, Davao del Norte wherein 31 4Ps women recently completed Cookery National Certificate II conducted by the Endonela Institute of Technology Foundation Inc. (EITFI).

“With this timely opportunity, participants are now equipped with the ability and the confidence to earn as they cook,” she said.

The DSWD chief said she is confident that as the 4Ps household women undergo the 345-hour training conducted by Dante Cadayona as cooking coach, the beneficiaries will be inspired to make use of their newly-acquired skills in generating employment and income.

She noted that through the training, the participants can be mobilized to engage in micro-enterprises such as carinderia management and catering services.

In conducting the training, one-fourth of the training cost is sponsored by the partner school while the remaining amount comes as a scholarship grant from DSWD.

Most of the new graduates from the training expressed their gratefulness for the DSWD’s continued support in helping them change a period of uncertainty to hope and confidence that they can achieve greater things to make their lives better.

“Kaya namin ang pagbabago dahil sa tiwala at pagkakataon na ibinibigay ng gobyerno sa amin. Salamat sa DSWD (We can change for the better because of the trust and the opportunity given us by the government. Thanks to DSWD),” are the usual words of the beneficiaries of the skills training.

According to the DSWD chief, the training of the participants from Kapalong town was the third conducted by EITFI in cookery for 4Ps recipients there.

It may be recalled that DSWD also facilitated the same training for 77 heads of 4Ps beneficiaries who are also typhoon survivors in Montevista and Compostela towns in Compostela Valley province.

To date, these beneficiaries are already earning income by accepting food orders from neighbors and friends for special events. This was learned during a home visit to them by social workers who checked how they make use of their acquired skills in improving their life status.

In addition, a social worker quoted one mother as saying that she is now increasing the family income without having to leave their home for a longer period by selling home-cooked food.

The 4Ps is a poverty alleviation program of the government implemented by DSWD that provides cash grants to poor households with children 0-18 years old provided they comply with the conditions of the program such as sending their children to school, bringing them to health centers for check up, and attending the Family Development Sessions.

SLP, on the other hand, is a program designed to capacitate and develop the entrepreneurial and socio-economic skills of poor households through income-generating opportunities by enhancing their access to basic social services, and employment so that they can enhance their lives and move towards the goal of self-sufficiency.

“It is our way of ensuring that the poor will have higher chances to pass the bridge that will connect them to productivity and become partners of the government in inclusive economic growth instead of just being mere recipients of the program,” the DSWD chief said.