CSWDO urges more women to avail livelihood assistance, other programs

17 October 2022

The Davao City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) is inviting business-minded women to avail themselves of the various services offered under the Women Welfare Program of the CSWDO’s Social Welfare Operation Division (SWOD).

CSWDO-SWOD Women Welfare Program Focal Person Aubrey Relacion, during the Serbisyo Dabawenyo program aired over the Davao City Disaster Radio on Monday, said their office continues to assist women who are looking for a start-up loan or those who want to improve their business acumen.

Relacion said under the Women Welfare Program’s livelihood assistance called Magnegosyo ‘Ta ‘Day, women entrepreneurs are granted P10,000 as star-up capital loan which they will have to return within a year without interest.

Relacion, however, said their program is currently focused on funding women-organized groups and their business initiatives. She said this year, 14 women organizations were pilot tested to determine the efficacy of women-organized business ventures.

To qualify for the livelihood assistance program, a women’s group must have at least 15 members. Each member will be granted P10,000 which they will be required to pool together, in order to raise capital amounting to P150,000.

The SWOD is currently assessing more loan applications from various women organizations in Davao City.

As of the third quarter of 2022, the city has a total of 883 registered women-organized groups, with 57, 816 individual members, Relacion said.

To encourage the creation of more women-organized groups, and to acknowledge the best practices of existing ones, the SWOD has conducted the “Search for the Most Functional Women Organization” competition. The awarding of the most functional women-organized group— evaluated based on their “organizational structure, institutional-building, capacity-building, accomplishments and action plan” —is expected to be on October 25.

Aside from capital loans, financial literacy trainings and lectures are also offered under the Women Welfare Program.

Relacion called on interested individuals to avail themselves of these services by visiting the nearest CSWDO district office or by consulting with a social worker in the barangay.

“Para sa mga kababahin-an, ayaw lang og hesitate na muduol sa atoang mga district social workers or barangay social workers … so duola ninyo kay daghan pa gyud kaayo ta og serbisyo para sa kababahin-an. Dili lang sa livelihood assistance program, naa pud ta’y kadtong productivity skills training, daghan gyud kaayo ta’g training (For women, do not hesitate to talk to our district social workers or barangay social worker … talk to them because we really have so many services for women),” Relacion said. CIO