BAGUIO CITY – Twenty five women who were victims of domestic violence underwent livelihood training conducted by Technical Education And Skills Development Authority-Benguet in line with the celebration of International Women’s month.
The program was in partnership with the Development Authority-Benguet, INAluyon-Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center-Women, Children Protection Unit (BGHMC-WPCU), and Baguio City School of Arts and Trades (BCSAT).
The three-day skills training included Bread making-dough and food processing through face-to-face under the Community-Based Program held at BCSAT Hotel on March 9-11.
Jimmicio Daoaten, provincial director of TESDA Bengue, said the project aims to equip women with knowledge and livelihood skills that they can utilize to start small-scale businesses for themselves, develop financial independence, and empower women through employability.
According to Daoaten, TESDA has been providing special skills training for women to empower them and expand their opportunities for social and economic development.
INAluyon is a Women’s Support Group of BGHMC-WPCU for physically and mentally abused women. The group in their holistic approach to case management offers services to these women in aid of their healing and recovery. However, access to these services was stopped because of pandemic.
The group INAluyon was created in response to the challenge of providing psychosocial care to women victims of violence amidst the pandemic. Most of the trainees have experienced physical and /or sexual violence from their partner or any perpetrator.
“The INAluyon group had a proposal with TESDA Benguet and when we saw their client type we immediately partnered with them,” said Daoaten.
The beneficiaries expressed their gratitude to TESDA for the livelihood skills training they learned to have better employment opportunities that could provide additional income for them and their families.
“With this new skill you taught us it will help us to find a job and start a small business, some of us may have been hurt but we cannot be broken because women are a diamond tougher than nails and a jewel in the rock, a woman is made of steel, you can bend her but she will never be broken,” said one of the trainees.