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DSWD IX Director Zenaida Arevalo presides over the meeting with Mr. Simon Hill of ILO taking part in the discussion
DSWD IX Director Zenaida Arevalo presides over the meeting with Mr. Simon Hill of ILO taking part in the discussion

To ensure continued support to the evacuees of the recent armed-conflict in Zamboanga City, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) with other government agencies and non-government organizations (NGOs) which compose the Livelihood Cluster convened to discuss livelihood initiatives for the evacuees.

During a recent meeting, member-agencies of the  cluster identified cash for work and provision of seed capital as the most viable forms of livelihood assistance for the evacuees.

DSWD Regional Director Zenaida Arevalo said that the cluster already identified possible cash for work activities that would enable the evacuees to earn for their families.  These include the declogging of drainages and assistance in the clearing operations.

“What is unique about this cash for work program for evacuees is that aside from the wages, they will also have health insurance and social security benefits which the International Labor Organization (ILO) is proposing to shoulder,”  Director Arevalo revealed.

Beneficiaries of the cash for work will be earning P214.00/day, 75 percent of the regular minimum wage in Zamboanga City. The DSWD submitted proposals to the Office of the President for the funding of the said program which shall benefit 23,000 family heads for a maximum work of 30 days. The cash for work will start immediately once the proposal is approved by the Office of the President.

For the provision of capital assistance, the cluster sees it necessary to provide skills training prior to the grant of the seed capital.  This is where TESDA comes in for the skills enhancement and capability-building efforts.  Initial skills training on hair-cutting, bead-craft making and massage therapy were started in some evacuation centers specifically in JFE Sports Complex and Tetuan Central School.

Aside from the DSWD, other members of the Livelihood Cluster are: International Labor Organization (ILO), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI),  Technical Education and Skills Authority (TESDA), the City Social Welfare and Development Office, and the City Engineer’s Office.