Livelihood Aid for the Ilonggos: BRAC International, a leading nonprofit organization that aims to empower people and communities in situations of poverty, illiteracy, disease, and social injustice, is celebrating its 50 years. Some of its initiatives in empowering marginalized people and helping them conquer extreme poverty are its Education Program, Ultra Poor Graduation Initiative, and Covid – 19 Response. Moreover, BRAC Philippines has touched the lives of over 406 Ilonggos as their beneficiaries.
“BRAC International is a leading nonprofit organisation with a mission to empower people and communities in situations of poverty, illiteracy, disease, and social injustice. Our approach is grounded in the conviction that people living in vulnerable situations can be agents of change if they are empowered with the tools, skills, and hope they need to change their lives. We design proven, scalable solutions that equip people with the support and confidence they need to achieve their potential. BRAC’s institutional expertise on successfully implemented programmes is applied across 10 countries, touching the lives of over 130 million people, where our models are adapted according to the country’s context.”
“BRAC International Holdings B.V. (BIHBV) is a socially responsible for-profit organisation engaging people in sustainable economic and income-generating activities. The core focus of BIHBV is to provide microfinance services to people living in poverty to build financial resilience, contribute to women’s economic empowerment and improve the quality of life in the communities it serves. BRAC first expanded its microfinance operations internationally in 2002 and now operates in six countries across Asia and Africa, serving more than 650,000 clients, 96% of whom are women.”
“BRAC International operates in 10 countries across Africa and Asia. We envision a world free from all forms of exploitation and discrimination, where everyone has the opportunity to realise their potential. BRAC International Holdings B.V. was set up in 2010 as a private limited liability company and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Stichting BRAC International.” – excerpts from the BRAC International website.
SLP Padayon Program
The organization visited the Padayon SLP Project Site in Iloilo City last August 17 to 18, to witness the project implementation, and interact with project participants and staff. The Iloilo City Government through City Social Welfare and Development Office expresses its full support for the BRAC projects, programs, and activities.
“Beginning in 2002, BRAC pioneered the Ultra-Poor Graduation approach in Bangladesh, a comprehensive, time-bound, and sequenced set of interventions designed to enable the most vulnerable and destitute households to progress along a pathway out of extreme poverty. BRAC established the Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative (UPGI) to deliver technical assistance to agents of scale on how to adapt and implement the Graduation approach and other holistic economic inclusion and social protection strategies. For more than a decade, BRAC has served as a leading provider of global technical assistance and advisory services for the Graduation approach to governments, multilateral institutions, and NGOs worldwide.”
“The Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) is a capability-building program for poor, vulnerable, and marginalized households and communities to help improve their socio-economic conditions through accessing and acquiring necessary assets to engage in and maintain thriving livelihoods. Through Administrative Order 11 series of 2011, SLP was formally introduced as one of the core programs of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for poverty alleviation. As SLP gears toward its 10th year of implementation, SLP embarks on a new project to explore new strategies to enhance the Program’s implementation process and improve delivery of services to the poor, vulnerable, and marginalized households and communities.”
“DSWD, in partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) in Australia, is planning to integrate the Graduation approach into the current SLP process to holistically address the poverty challenges of SLP participants and ensure the sustainability of its interventions. This will begin through a series of Graduation pilots as part of the Padayon SLP program in the provinces of Iloilo, Bukidnon, and Sultan Kudarat. The program will provide a set of holistic interventions as an additional support mechanism for SLP participants. This will complement the Department’s efforts to strengthen delivery of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps). In the post-COVID context, the integration of the Graduation approach will benefit and strengthen the resilience of the poor and vulnerable households whose employment and income have been adversely affected by the shutdown of most economic activities, travel restrictions, and social distancing requirements.” – excerpts from BRAC.
The DSWD, through the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) in partnership with Asian Development Bank and BRAC Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative (BRAC-UPGI) USA is implementing the “Padayon, SLP” Graduation Approach Pilot Project targeting Level 3 Pantawid households in the selected cities/municipalities. This pilot project is a research-based project in support of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) households to enhance their productivity and resilience to recover from shocks through the integration of the Graduation Approach in the current SLP Process. Since January 2021, the pilot project has implemented the four (4) stages of implementationーPre-implementation, Social Preparation, Resource Mobilization, and Project Implementation and Monitoring Stage, patterned after the regular process of SLP in the target cities/municipalities of Iloilo and Oton, Province of Iloilo in Field Office (FO) VI, Malaybalay and Valencia City, Province of Bukidnon in FO X and Municipality of Lebak, Province of Sultan Kudarat in FO XII.
Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) is a community-based capacity-building program of DSWD that seeks to improve the socio-economic status of our beloved Ilonggos. This will open a portal towards self-development that will aid in their livelihood and employment. BRAC is the NGO partnered in this initiative.
A total of 406 beneficiaries were given P15,000.00 each as aid for their future endeavors. 24 presidents of livelihood associations received a total of P6,090,000.00 as they move forward and create a better life for their families.
“Daku guid nga pagpasalamat sang ciudad nga may mga asosasyon nga nagabulig sulong sa kabuhi sang aton mga kubos nga mga kasimanwa. Padayon kita nga magbuligay para sa pag-uswag sang ciudad,” states Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Trenas.
