Aiming to alleviate the plight of the underprivileged and the marginalized, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), in partnership with the Provincial Government of Camarines Sur, held the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) payout among its beneficiaries in the municipality of Nabua on September 15-16, 2022.

Sustainable Livelihood Program is a community-based capacity building program that seeks to improve the socio-economic status of its beneficiaries. In the two-day distribution in Nabua, over thousand gratified beneficiaries received the assistance amounting to P8, 045 each.

“Blessing po itong SLP kasi may pampuhunan na ako. Lalo na po ngayong pandemya, sobrang hirap po, parehas pa kami ng asawa ko na nawalan ng trabaho,” said by the 35-year-old Neleth Senosin of Brgy. Malawag.

Senosin is among the many beneficiaries of the SLP. According to her, life has been extra difficult because of the pandemic. She and her husband used to work in Manila, but after the implementation of the community quarantine, both of them were laid off and had to return home unemployed. “Dobleng dagok po ang pinagdaanan namin noon kasi maliban sa nawalan kaming mag-asawa ng trabaho, nawalan din po ng heartbeat yung anak sa sinapupunan ko,” recollected Senosin.

Despite the hardship their family faced, Senosin braved on and refused to give up. When she heard of the SLP and that she was among its fortunate beneficiaries, she was beyond happy for being given the chance to recover from the effects of the pandemic. “Ngayon po dobleng blessing naman ang dumating sa aming pamilya kasi bukod sa buntis po ulit ako, nakuha ko na rin ang SLP galing sa DSWD. Sobrang saya ko po kasi malaking tulong ito sa amin!” expressed Senosin.

The SLP aims to curb and ultimately reduce poverty by providing highly low-income households viable means of support such as livelihood and job opportunities. With the amount Senosin received, she plans to use it as a starting capital for their sari-sari store. By means of the sari-sari store, their family will now have additional income which will enormously help and support their growing family of six.

Through its close collaborations with partner national agencies, the Provincial Government of Camarines Sur, under the leadership of Governor Luigi Villafuerte, is able to efficiently and fruitfully provide its people with various programs and assistances that help their daily lives. Remaining committed in providing viable support to uplift the lives of the underprivileged and the marginalized, the Provincial Government and DSWD will continue to distribute the SLP among its beneficiaries in the coming days.