Marking the 10th year of its Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) cited how its capacity-building program has changed the lives of its beneficiary participants.
DSWD Secretary Rolando Joselito D. Bautista said the SLP, formerly known as the Self-Employment Assistance - Kaunlaran (SEA-K) Program, continues to provide opportunities to the vulnerable, marginalized, and disadvantaged individuals, families and communities to enhance their livelihood assets, and to improve their capacity to use their resources more productively.
"Ang programa ay patuloy na binabago ang mga kalahok nito patungo sa pagkakaroon ng matagumpay na kabuhayan. Ito ay sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay ng oportunidad sa mga kalahok na magkaroon ng kapaki-pakinabang na trabaho at pati na rin sa pagsisimula at pagpapalawak ng kanilang nasimulang negosyo (The program continues to transform its participants towards having a successful livelihood. This is by providing the opportunity for participants to have sustainable livelihood as well as to start and expand their enterprises),” he said in a message during the 10th year of SLP anniversary celebration on Wednesday, July 8.
SLP is a capacity-building program that helps the beneficiaries acquire the necessary assets so that they can start or maintain their sustainable livelihood activities, and help improve their socio-economic well-being.
Under the SLP, the beneficiaries are given the option to take either the micro-enterprise development (MD) track, or the employment facilitation track.
The micro-enterprise development track provides seed capital assistance to the recipients to continue or expand their business or microenterprise, while the employment facilitation track is aimed at preparing and assisting Filipinos to access appropriate employment opportunities.
The program seeks to capacitate the beneficiaries so that they could determine which track to choose and ensure the continuity of their sustainable livelihood activities.
“Sa loob ng isang dekada naitaguyod ng programa ang adbokasiya nito na may kaugnayan sa sustainable livelihood at pagpapalakas ng mga livelihood assets ng mga kasapi nito upang magamit ng tama at wasto para sa ikaaunlad ng mga pamilya at pamayanan ng kalahok (For a decade, the program has lived up to its advocacy related to sustainable livelihood and strengthening of livelihood assets of its members so that they could use these properly for the good of the families and the communities),” Bautista said.
The Barangay Biga Women Workers Association of Biga, Toledo City, Cebu is among the SLP program beneficiaries.
Despite the implementation of community lockdowns in Cebu, their women members managed to earn a living through their egg-laying enterprise funded by SLP under the MD Track.
The DSWD said under the MD Track, SLP associations or individual participants may be provided assistance under three modalities. These are the Seed Capital Fund which enhances financial assets; Skills Training Fund which enhances human assets through technical-vocational and life skills training; and, Cash for Building Livelihood Assets which rebuilds or enhances natural and physical assets necessary for livelihood operations.
Valentina Razola, one of the members of the workers association, said because of the SLP-funded business, she was able to provide the basic needs of her family.
“Noong naging miyembro ako ng asosasyon, nabigyan ako ng pagkakataon na kumita para makabili ng mga pangangailangan ng pamilya ko” (When I became a member of the association, it gave me a chance to earn on my own and to provide for the needs of my family), she said.
The DSWD said Razola became the main provider for the needs of their family because her husband’s job as a construction worker was affected by the work stoppage due to the imposition of the community lockdowns.
Another SLP beneficiary, Irene Antenero who is a mat weaver from San Francisco, Cebu, laments that it is difficult to earn a living during the pandemic.
"Mahirap ang buhay namin. Kumukuha lang kami ng kamote o saging sa labas ng bahay namin para may maibenta kami sa mga kapit bahay kasi mahina ang kita namin sa paggawa ng native mats. Mahirap talaga kumita dahil sa pandemic kaya kailangan namin matutong dumiskarte (Our life is hard. To earn money, we just took crops from our backyard like camote tops or bananas and sell them to our neighbors. It was hard to earn a living during the pandemic. Orders for our native mats were scarce and we need to improvise to survive),” she said.
The DSWD said Antenero got P5,000 cash assistance to buy materials for her business through SLP’s Livelihood Assistance Grant (LAG). The LAG provides financial support to eligible families whose livelihoods were affected by the pandemic and the implementation of community quarantines.
This year’s theme of SLP anniversary celebration is “Isang Dekada ng PagSibol.”
During the anniversary celebration on Wednesday, the SLP recognized Top Performing DSWD Field Offices as to Fund Utilization for 2020.
The DSWD announced Wednesday, July 7, that the program will launch the SLP Padayon Graduation Approach which will target pilot in Western Visayas, Northern Mindanao, and Soccksargen (South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, General Santos).
“It aims to gather evidence-based information on how to advance the delivery of SLP interventions towards ensuring improved socio-economic conditions of its program participants,” it said.
The social welfare department said the program “will also launch the PUNLA: SLP e-Learning which will promote the use of asynchronous learning development methodologies and mechanisms to stimulate awareness, knowledge, skills, and support competency building and capability enhancements regarding SLP process and stages, SLP Gender and Development, and other thematic learning areas, among others.”