More than 1,000 beneficiaries of the 15-day skills training, under the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP), receive their certificates of completion and starters kits during their graduation ceremony.

Zamboanga City – A total of 784 Indigenous Peoples (IP) covered by the Modified Conditional Cash Transfer Program (MCCT) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)  and 305 beneficiaries of the agency’s Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) here have recently graduated from their 15-day vocational technical skills training.

The graduates who were trained on Domestic Work, Food Processing, Electrical Installation and Maintenance, and Motorcycle and Small Engine Servicing received their certificates of completion and starter kits during their graduation rites at the gymnasium of Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences and Technology last week.

The DSWD has allocated P20,000 for each beneficiary or a total of P15,680,000  for the program which covers training costs, allowances, and starter kits for all the beneficiaries.

The training was made possible through the DSWD’s partnership with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) who will soon schedule an assessment for the national certification of the above-mentioned courses.

In addition, the SLP will provide Micro-Enterprise facilitation for the graduates of Motorcycle and Small Engine Servicing, and Electrical Installation, while a service provider will grant guaranteed employment facilitation for the graduates of Domestic Work.

The ceremony was graced by DSWD Field Office -IX Director, Atty. Araceli F. Solamillo.

Meanwhile, DSWD Secretary Judy M. Taguiwalo said that the DSWD will continue to improve social services and appropriate assistance to the poor and vulnerable sector of the society, including IPs.

“There is a serious need to increase the assistance we provide to our IP brothers and sisters. The DSWD has to exert more effort to improve the access of IP communities to the department’s  existing programs and services; we also have to develop livelihood programs designed especially for them,” the Secretary said.

MCCT for Indigenous Peoples aims to empower, promote and protect IPs from the adverse effects of the development process. SLP,  on the other hand,  seeks to help lift households out of poverty by helping them develop micro-enterprises or providing assistance for them to access employment opportunities.  ###