The Sustainable Livelihood Program in MIMAROPA piloted the conduct of learning and development intervention for the 14 livelihood workers in Occidental Mindoro, with the support of the local government unit headed by Governor Eduardo Gadiano. The initiative was held on August 28-29, 2019 at Maru’s Food Lounge and Beachfront in Mamburao.

Last 2018 has been a challenge for the program as they have experienced a significant budget cut. This led to the downsize in the workforce from 195 to 56 staff across the region.

To aid the insufficient number of staff, the program thought of maximizing the role of livelihood workers provided by the LGU. They were introduced to the SLP guidelines and implementation process. This strategy aimed to provide a more efficient and effective service to program participants.

Mr. Alwyn M. Tulaylay, Provincial Coordinator of SLP Occidental Mindoro, headed the discussion of various program guidelines which the livelihood workers should be adept to. Also, Government Sector Partnerships Officer Ronaldo Meneses discussed the SLP Theory of Change and the concept of community organizing.

To level off the responsibilities of the livelihood workers, Mr. Tulaylay discussed the terms of reference. Livelihood workers are expected to assist in preparatory activities for program implementation; engage in social preparation and other capacity-building activities; mobilize resources for complementary and/or supplementary interventions from public and private sector stakeholders; conduct monitoring activities with community groups, leaders, and/or volunteers; and monitor and report project implementation to the PDO utilizing available tools and others materials as may be provided for such purposes.

The Sustainable Livelihood Program is one of the core programs of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. It responds to the challenges of meeting the Sustainable Development Goals. It is a community-based capacity building program that seeks to improve the program participants’ socio-economic status. It is vital in alleviating poverty due to its focus on capacity-building and provision of appropriate financial and technical assistance to the program participants. ###