PILAR, Abra – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) through its Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) granted Php.450,000.00 worth of livelihood assistance to 30 households of Batbato, Kinabiti, Pilar, Abra.

On 29 March 2019, members of the Batbato Pagwadan Sustainable Livelihood Program Association (SLPA) received their Feeds Mechandising starter kits which include sacks of feeds, and weighing scale.

Batbato Pagwadan SLPA is composed of 23 Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries and 7 Listahanan identified poor. Currently, the members are reliant on their income from daily labor and sales of livestock.

“Daytoy mabuangay nga negosyo me ket ipadur-as me haan kuma bumaba, agtitinulong kami amin nga miyembro iti panagna na daytoy negosyo (We will make our livelihood grow and not fail. The officers and members will work hand in hand in running this livelihood),” said SLPA Vice-President Holy de Venecia.

Currently, feeds in the barangay are purchased from Bangued, Abra which is seven hours away from Pilar and beneficiaries have to pay a fare of PhP 420 vice-versa through jeepney. Once operationalized, the bakery will be the sole supplier of feeds in the barangay.

The DSWD’s Sustainable Livelihood Program is open to poor, marginalized, vulnerable sectors or disadvantage households, building upon their strengths, and understanding how they can use these to achieve positive livelihood outcomes.

Non-Listahanan poor households who are neither Pantawid beneficiaries nor Listahanan identified poor may avail of the program as long as they pass the Means Test which is an assessment tool used by the Listahanan to determine if they are qualified.

The livelihood assistance provides the participants financial capital to establish and manage their sustainable microenterprise.#DSWD-CAR Babble Mae Gorio