P44B ‘Yolanda’ project launched

DSWD Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman: Empowering poor communities. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) announced the launch this week of a P43.9-billion ($1 billion) comprehensive community-led program for 800 municipalities in the country, 500 of them in areas badly affected by Super Typhoon Yolanda.

Using a self-help or community-driven approach, the program will be funded by the national government (P9.3 billion or about $408.2 million) with financial support from the World Bank ($479 million), and the Asian Development Bank ($372.1 million).

In a statement, DSWD Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman said the program would empower poor communities to organize themselves, analyze their own situation, prepare project proposals to address their common problems, and compete for block grants to finance their projects.

“By giving citizens the opportunity to come together and decide among themselves how to address their poverty situation and providing them with the technical and financial support to do so, we are ensuring that their needs are addressed effectively,” she said.