DOLE holds Kabuhayan program orientation for PWDs

These are some of the persons with disability (PWDs) who attended the orientation on the Kabuhayan program conducted by the Department of Labor and Employment in Central Visayas. | photo from DOLE

CEBU CITY—Over 40 persons with disability (PWDs) from the Area Vocational Rehabilitation Center (AVRC) II of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD-7) will have the opportunity to become beneficiaries of the Kabuhayan program of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Central Visayas regional office.

DOLE-7 conducted an orientation for 43 PWDs from DSWD AVRC II in support of the 41st National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation Week, Regional Director Salome O. Siaton said in a press release.

“We are reaching out to the DSWD in order to provide an avenue for the PWDs to avail of DOLE’s livelihood grants. We want to be able to help these trainees form and organize their own association, which the DOLE can possibly accredit, since forming such will be more advantageous for the members,” said Ma. Teresa D. Tanquiamco of the Technical Support and Services Division – Employment Workers Welfare (DOLE-TSSD EWW), who helped facilitate the orientation.

According to Siaton, the granting of livelihood assistance would always depend on the viability and feasibility of the project that would-be livelihood beneficiaries are proposing. 

“Of course, everything should be within the rules and guidelines in the implementation of the program,” she said.

Most of the trainees were hearing-impaired, visually-impaired, and orthopedically-impaired.  They expressed interest in massage therapy, computers, baking, cooking, livestock, and many others as the kind of livelihood projects they wanted to engage in.

“We will be coordinating closely with DOLE in the availment of this livelihood program and in complying with the requirements. Since our trainees will be graduating next year, they will still have plenty of time to plan and strategize on the type of business proposals they would like to create,” said Graeme Ferdinand Armecin, AVRC II Head.

In March of this year, 26 visually and orthopedically-impaired graduates of the DSWD AVRC II were granted with livelihood starter kits from DOLE amounting to almost P250,000. This was in coordination with the Helping Hands Organization of PWDs, Inc., a DOLE-accredited Co-Partner.

The DOLE and the DSWD, as partner agencies in addressing the needs of the PWDs, hoped to create similar accredited co-partner organizations particularly from the new trainees. 

“There is a challenge in getting people organized and there is a bigger challenge in sustaining the organizations created,” Armecin said. “This would definitely give hope to our trainees that their opportunities won’t end after their skills training since there’s a world of possibilities that they can explore after.” 

The Kabuhayan program is one of the major components of the DOLE Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program (DILEEP), the Department’s contribution to the government’s agenda of inclusive growth through massive job generation and substantial poverty reduction.

It provides access to grant/livelihood assistance for capacity-building on livelihood projects for eligible individuals or groups that included the PWDs. /bmjo