Internally displaced persons (IDP) affected by the Marawi City siege graduate after completing their skills training under the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) in Mahad Markazi Evacuation Center, Balo-i, Lanao del Norte.

Nine months after the war that displaced thousands of families in Marawi City, internally displaced persons (IDPs) have now obtained news skills they can use as they exert efforts to rebuild their lives and recover from the trauma of the war.

Earlier this month, around 2,615 IDPs in Lanao del Norte completed their skills training on painting, carpentry, driving, welding, computer servicing, cooking, dressmaking, haircutting, electrical installation and maintenance, masonry, pipe making, and welding under the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP).

SLP is a community-based capacity building program that aims to improve the socio-economic condition of poor Filipinos by facilitating opportunities for development and management of resources viable for micro-enterprises and employment facilitation.

The program was conducted in partnership with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and other private partner organizations.

“Nagpapasalamat kaming sa lahat ng namumuno  sa programa. Makakatulong ang mga napag-aralan namin ssa paghahanap namin ng kabuhayan at mga trabaho (We are grateful for the opportunities given to us. The new skills we learned can help us to find new jobs),” said Cairodeng Carim, one of the IDP graduates.

The skills training program is one of the efforts of the government to assist and empower IDPs as they reestablish their lives.

Apart from the training, the DSWD provided Pre-Employment Assistance Fund amounting to P5, 000 for each IDP graduate. The trainees also received toolkits from TESDA to assist them as they start new means of livelihood.

As of 21 February, the affected families have already received a total of P764,585,081.57 worth of relief assistance from combined resources of the DSWD, DSWD-ARMM, ARMM-HEART, LGUs and various non-government organizations (NGOs).

There are also 64 evacuation centers still open in 17 municipalities in Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur.

Meanwhile in a separate statement, DSWD Undersecretary for Legislative Liaison Affairs and Special Presidential Directives in the Mindanao Region Luzviminda C. Ilagan said that the “DSWD is rebuilding lives so it is not just material things that we’re giving to people we aim to help — we want to help them return to normalcy and even improve their economic status and independence. We want them to see the possibilities of a good future for their families,” she said.

She also reminded IDPs not to lose hope and to continue to collectively work together for the benefit of the rest of the community.

“Let us share our resources, share our generosity, at tulungan natin na ang mga tao ay maka-access din sa ibinibigay ng iba’t-ibang ahensya (Let us share our resources, share our generosity and help others to access the resources provided by other agencies),” she said.

“Hindi tayo dapat mawalan ng pag-asa. Tayo ay magtulungan. Moro, Maranao, Kristiyano, IP, pag nandito sa Marawi tayo ay magkapit-bisig (We should never lose hope. Let us work together, Moros, Maranaos, Christians and IPs here in Marawi),” she ended. ###