The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) introduces its various social protection programs to local government units (LGUs) for possible adoption during the one-day Innovations Caravan held in a hotel in the Municipality of Pavia on Thursday.
“The intention is really to bring our new programs of DSWD closer to communities by introducing them to LGUS with the hope of replication on the local level. Here, we introduced newly-developed social technologies or programs of DSWD which we pilot in various areas, and now we scale up on a national level,” Undersecretary Eduardo Punay said in an interview.
He added that the new programs focused on non-monetary.
He said that while the DSWD is known for giving assistance and providing food packs during disasters, many are unaware of their other programs for various sectors, serving people from womb to tomb.
Their featured social technologies include Angel Pets; Apo Ko: Kwento ni Lolo’t Lola Gabay ng Kabataan; and Pamilya sa Bagong Pilipinas.
Information about ongoing pilot projects, such as ProtecTEEN, Project SAFE against Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (OSAEC), Aruga, and Peace Project, was also made available.
Meanwhile, simultaneous with the caravan was the regional Kusinero Cook-Off Challenge, a culinary competition under the Walang Gutom Program (WGP), advocating for social behavioral change by promoting nutritious, affordable, and delicious meals.
Punay said the challenge is a test to determine the lessons learned by the Walang Gutom beneficiaries from their monthly nutrition education session.
The cook-off highlighted the cooking skills of WGP beneficiaries in preparing dishes using ingredients they can source from the program’s redemption activities.
The mother and daughter tandem of Diena and Berna Mae Benbinuto from the Municipality of Anini-y in Antique won the judges’ nod with their modern tinolang manok dish.
They will represent Western Visayas in the national Cook-Off Challenge. (PNA)