The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) collaborated with national government agencies and private institutions to implement the Local Adaptation to Water Access and Breaking Insufficiency through Nutritious Harvest for the Poor projects (Projects LAWA and BINHI).

The projects offer cash-for-training and cash-for-work to the poor and vulnerable sectors affected by El Niño.

“The Project LAWA and BINHI aims to strengthen the adaptive capabilities of poor and vulnerable families during periods of severe drought, ultimately mitigating the impact of food insecurity and water scarcity brought about by the El Niño,” DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said in a statement on Tuesday, Feb. 20.

Projects LAWA and BINHI will be implemented under the DSWD’s Risk Resiliency Program through cash-for-training and work (RRP-CFTW).

A memorandum of understanding (MOU), which will be signed on Feb. 22, will outline proactive measures to reduce the economic vulnerability of communities to the effects of El Niño.

Aside from the DSWD, the MOU signatories include the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Agriculture,, University of the Philippines-Los Baños, and the United Nations World Food Programme.

Gatchalian pointed out that the launching of Projects LAWA and BINHI will help elevate climate change to the forefront of political discourse and ensure its continual prioritization in policy.

The project will provide learning and development sessions on climate change adaptation and mitigation and disaster risk reduction, as well as cash-for-work and cash-for-training to beneficiaries in priority areas affected by El Niño, based on the climate outlook of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.

These areas also have the highest number of poor families, based on the “Listahanan 3.”

The intended beneficiaries comprise households headed by farmers, fishermen, indigenous peoples, and other families vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters, as determined by Listahanan 3 or through evaluation and approval by the Local Social Welfare and Development Office.

Each beneficiary will be given the opportunity to participate in CFTW activities for 10 to 25 days with the corresponding daily wage based on the prevailing regional daily minimum wage rate range of the project area.

The beneficiaries will be involved in water efficiency projects, including building a small farm reservoir, renovating and repairing water harvesting facilities, maintaining multipurpose water infrastructure, diversifying water sources, aquaculture, and hydroponics.

Others will engage in communal vegetable gardening, urban gardening, school-based and community-based vegetable gardening, community-based diversified integrated farming, planting of disaster-resilient crops, planting of fruit-bearing trees and mangroves, and vermicomposting.