Beneficiaries of the Department of Social Welfare and Development –National Capital Region (DSWD-NCR) under the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) participated in the ‘Government Programs and Services Exhibit’ held recently at Luneta Park, in celebration of the 116th Philippine Independence Day.
The exhibit aimed to bring the basic services of the different government agencies and organizations to the public. It also showcased the accomplishments of each participating agency. Overall, 35 government agencies and organizations participated in the said exhibit which was led by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP).
Among the beneficiaries was Ms. Grace Ferrer, 38 years old, whose family has been a beneficiary of Pantawid Pamilya program since 2008. She has also availed capital assistance under the SLP’s Self-Employment Assistance – Kaunlaran (SEA-K) in 2012.
Grace, together with her husband, Anthony, 38 years old and a pedicab driver are now living in Baseco, Manila with their children aged 18, 16, 15, 12, 11 and 7 months. They used the seed capital in the business of selling peanut butter where they earn Php700.00 for every 5 kilos of peanuts that they cook and sell.
Meanwhile, the most patronized product in the DSWD booth were the different varieties of eggs sold by Ms. Jesusana Moya, 44 years old, from Pateros and whose family is a SEA-K beneficiary. They received P5,000.00 seed capital in 2008 which was immediately returned in 2009 from the proceeds in vending steamed duck, quail and salted eggs.
According to Jesusana, their small business augments the salary of her taxi driver husband, Dennis, 43 years old. It also enabled her to support the education of her five (5) children.
Aside from Grace and Jesusana, four (4) other SEA-K beneficiaries participated in the exhibit wherein various products were displayed and sold, such as crocheted bags made of disposable plastic bags, “alpombra” slippers, raw mango, bananaque and other snacks and bottled beverages. ### (DSWD-NCR Social Marketing Office, June 19, 2014)