The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is set to streamline and ease the process of application for the agency’s Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP).
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian gave this assurance during the interpellation of Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Quimbo at the House Committee on Appropriations’ deliberation of the agency’s proposed 2025 budget last August 21.
“We’ve commissioned technical experts. Focus group discussions have been done to try to eliminate unnecessary steps. If you will give us until the end of the year, we will furnish this committee and your office a comparative step by step procedure of what it used to be and what it will be,” the DSWD Secretary responded to Rep. Quimbo’s inquiry.
The DSWD is also set to partner with the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to conduct capacity building of SLP beneficiaries to provide them with the necessary skills to start-up or run their micro-enterprise or identified livelihood.
The Department also launched a five-year livelihood sustainability plan for the SLP called ‘Sibol’ which represents the step-by-step growth in the journey of SLP participants toward an improved well-being with equitable access to livelihood assets and resources.
Under the sustainability plan, the program participants will need a longer incubation period, starting from Year 2 to Year 5 through intensified capability-building activities and additional livelihood incentives for livelihood sustainability and resiliency.
The SLP, being one of the core poverty reduction programs of the DSWD, continues to be the lead livelihood capability-building program of the Department for the poor, vulnerable, and marginalized households and communities.
The DSWD’s livelihood program helps improve the participants socio-economic conditions by accessing and acquiring necessary assets to engage in and maintain thriving, sustainable, and resilient livelihood.
The program operates in two tracks: Micro-Enterprise Development (MD) Track and Employment Facilitation (EF) Track.
The MD track focuses on the establishment of microenterprise through provision of financial capital, enhancement of skills, as well as building/re-building physical and natural assets.
The EF track provides assistance to qualified member/s of poor households who preferred employment rather than engaging in microenterprise. #