DSWD KALAHI-CIDSS turns over school buildings in Magsaysay town
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) MIMAROPA recently turned over 4-classroom school buildings with complete amenities to Barangay Lourdes and Barangay Nicolas in Municipality of Magsaysay, Occidental Mindoro.
The educational facilities were funded around P6M each under Kapangyarihan at Kaunlaran sa Barangay (KKB) of DSWD Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan- Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) program.
This sub-project was identified by the community as their priority needs during their conducted Participatory Situational Analysis (PSA). It was then proposed to address the lack of classrooms, the distance of a school from their area, and the increase of enrollees at Magsaysay National High School.
Community volunteers expressed their gratitude for the project given to them because their younger generation will finally gain accessible education in their area. Parents Teachers and Community Association will lead in the operation and maintenance of the facility.
“This learning facility will help us in our goal of providing quality education to our children and to the next generation in our community by way of providing them with an environment conducive for learning,” said Vanessa Alcantara, Barangay Sub-Project Committee (BSPMC) head in Brgy. Lourdes.
“Aside from the facility, we were able to educate and empower ourselves in becoming community-volunteers in this sub-project, on our part we will nurture this as a gift by sustaining this building for the generations to come” she added.
The school buildings are equipped with a complete amenity including a gender-separate and a Person with Disability (PWD) comfort rooms.
“This is a dream come true. All our sacrifices and tears are worth it and we are very thankful to this project,” Brgy Nicolas Chairman Florante H. Jover said.
During the ceremony, KALAHI-CIDSS National Program Manager Janet P. Armas highlighted the essence of building schools closer to the community to give them better access to education and more learning opportunities. The Program Manager also commended the barangay officials and community volunteers for their efforts to implement the project.
Jacqueline Duma, KALAHI-CIDSS Regional Program Coordinator delivered the message of DSWD MIMAROPA Director Fernando R de Villa, Jr., emphasized the sustainability of the project saying the most vital thing to do now is to take care of the building.
The ceremonial turn-over was also witnessed by the local government executives and representatives from the Department of Education.
KALAHI-CIDSS is one of the government’s flagship poverty alleviation programs, which uses the community-driven development approach. It is designed to reduce poverty by empowering citizens and bringing back the power to them to decide on development projects that will answer the need for basic services in their communities.
