Social Welfare and Development Acting Secretary Celia Capadocia-Yangco (right), assisted by Sorsogon Governor Sally T. Lee and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Country Director Renaud Meyer, leads the groundbreaking ceremony for a multi-purpose building which will be constructed in Barangay Guruyan, Juban, Sorsogon.

The DSWD has provided P500,000 to the local government unit for the construction of the multi-purpose facility, which will be used as day care center,  women’s center, senior citizens center, evacuation center and for other community activities.

The construction of the multi-purpose facility is part of the DSWD-UNDP Bicol Recovery Project, a two-year program designed to assist families and communities severely affected by the series of typhoons that hit the Bicol Region since 2006. The components of the project are provision of shelter assistance, livelihood support, technical and vocational skills and capability building on disaster preparedness and mitigation.

Some 570 families from the provinces of Albay, Camarines Sur and Sorsogon are currently benefiting from the DSWD-UNDP Bicol Recovery Project.

In another development, Acting Secretary Yangco turned over a check for P150,000 to Neighborhood Assistance Shelter Association (NASA) Guruyan Self-Employment Assistance-Kaunlaran Association president, Mrs. Purificacion Dugan as livelihood support to the women’s group. Also in photo are Governor Sally Lee and Director Renaud Meyer. ### (DSWD-Social Marketing Service) 08 March 2010