Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian — File photo
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and peace group Climate Conflict Action Asia (CCAA) partnered up to improve services for indigenous peoples’ (IP) communities.
The initiative, entitled the “Kasama Katutubo” project, was formalized in a memorandum of understanding between the agency and the non-government organization signed in a ceremony at the DSWD Central Office in Quezon City on Thursday.
In a statement, the department explained that Kasama Katutubo launches a tool to survey indigenous peoples’ lived experiences, traditions and cultural values.
The program will be piloted in five select indigenous communities, DSWD further said.
READ: IP education group urges more funding for program
“The overall neglect the IP communities are experiencing from different agencies is indeed a ticking time bomb,” DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said in the statement.
“We at the Department, we are equally as guilty in the sense that we do not cater to the IPs’ distinct needs, distinct aspirations and distinct identities. Most of our programs here are cookie-cutter programs that are tailor fit without really listening to what they need,” he added. /das