The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) cited the need to continue improving the mechanisms and systems put in place for the Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (EPAHP) to further reach more beneficiaries.

This was stressed by DSWD Secretary Rolando Joselito D. Bautista during the second anniversary celebration of the EPAHP on Dec. 10 via online video conferencing.

As a convergence program, the EPAHP intends to mitigate hunger, ensure food and nutrition security, and reduce poverty in urban and rural communities, including marginalized communities.

It groups 28 government agencies and two international partners—the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UN-FAO), and the World Food Programme (WFP).

Bautista took the opportunity to congratulate and thank the member-agencies for stepping up efforts to combat hunger and malnutrition, promote sustainable agricultural practices, and ensure food security in the country.

“As we celebrate the milestones of the program, we are reminded once again that unity and collaboration among national government agencies is a vital component in the success of any anti-poverty initiative,” Bautista said in his message.

“However, it is imperative that we continue to improve the mechanisms and systems surrounding our collaborative efforts to mitigate hunger and poverty. This includes the need to support policy recommendations and other operational interventions to reach more beneficiaries from the poor, marginalized, and vulnerable sectors, “ he added.

The DSWD’s involvement in EPAHP zeroes in on the implementation of various pro-poor programs. These include the Supplementary Feeding Program (SFP), Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP), delivery of disaster response management programs, projects and services to victims of disasters, and the provision of food supplies to clients of Residential Care Facilities (RCFs).

The DSWD said it has already completed the feeding cycle for 2020 under the SFP.

“More than 1.7 million children were provided with nutritious meals and 52,013 children were also provided with fresh milk from local dairy farmers through the partnership with the National Dairy Authority and Philippine Carabao Center.”

The Social Welfare department reported that for 2021, the SFP has so far served more than 1 million children with nutritious meals and 8,048 children with fresh milk.

Meanwhile, as of October 2021, the RCFs have served 7,364 clients following the allocation of more than P68 million for food supplies.

On the other hand, the SLP has been consistently capacitating SLP Associations through the provision of seed capital fund, assistance for employment facilitation, and provision of capability-building and skills training with the assistance of other EPAHP partners.

“Some 35 SLPAs were engaged as service providers for the SFP, centers and offices of DSWD, catering to 231 Child Development Centers and five DSWD Centers and Offices,” the DSWD said.

“The SLPAs were able to participate in the trade fairs of the Department of Agriculture and other private partners,” it added.

The DSWD, as the lead agency in disaster response, likewise vowed to ensure the provision of family food packs and non-food items to families hit by disasters and calamities.

It also implements the Risk Resiliency Program which provides grants in exchange for community works through the Cash-for-Work modality which is aimed at strengthening the resiliency of the natural ecosystems and the adaptive capacity of the vulnerable groups and communities to short and long term risks.

“As of October 2021, the DSWD was able to serve 392,439 beneficiaries from Regions CAR, NCR, I, II, III, IV-A, VI, X, XI, XII, and Caraga.”

The DSWD said through the EPAHP, it will further strengthen the government’s efforts to achieve food security, reduce poverty, and end hunger and malnutrition.