Government, private sector convergence to help poor children, families in Eastern Visayas

By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
September 29, 2012

TACLOBAN CITY  –  On the third week of September, the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the World Vision, a child-focused non-government organization committed to converge in helping poor children and families in the provinces of Leyte and Samar.

Both entities pledged to complement each other’s resources for the well-being of children and the communities in Eastern Visayas.

DSWD Region 8 Director Leticia Diokno informed that the DSWD hopes to forge stronger relationship with World Vision to address concerns like improving service delivery.

“Poverty reduction is a challenging task and we cannot do it alone,” Director Diokno said, underscoring the fact that tapping the private sector is a development strategy which is being promoted by the current Administration.

For his part, Mr. Ernesto Macabenta, Associate Director for Visayas of the World Vision, expressed his supports the co-sharing of resources for the well-being of children.

“We cannot work alone. I feel that this is the right time for us to come together with the binding principle of contributing to the well-being of children. I hope we can build and strengthen our partnership from now on,” Mr. Macabenta said.

Present during the convergence forum held at the Leyte Park Hotel in Tacloban City were representatives from World Vision and its local partner in the provinces of Leyte and Samar, as well as DSWD’s Poverty Reduction Programs staff on ‘Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program’, Kalahi-CIDSS, Sustainable Livelihood program and supplemental feeding.

To recall, in the month of August this year, no less than the Provincial Government of Leyte through Governor Carlos Jericho L. Petilla supported the stakeholders’ forum on Health and Nutrition organized by World Vision.

In his speech, Governor Petilla said, “I am with you, in ensuring that all the children and their families especially the underserved and underprivileged in Leyte and Samar are provided with high-quality healthcare services along with a good education, a good nutrition program and a good environment.”

World Vision serves the provinces of Leyte and Samar in 151 barangays and 11 municipalities. It has been serving more than 100,000 children in 33 provinces and 43 cities nationwide, and has been working in partnership with government agencies and community partners for 55 years.

World Vision continues to open education opportunities for children, sustainable livelihood for the parents, health programs, child protection in the Philippines as it operates in 29 provinces and over 1,000 barangays.

World Vision is a child-focused, relief, development, and advocacy organization dedicated to working with children, families, and communities worldwide to overcome poverty and injustice.

Furthermore, World Vision works for the well-being of poor and vulnerable people through Sustainable development by enabling communities to use their own resources, capacities and potentials so that they can own and define their own development process and achieve healthy, fuller lives of dignity, justice and hope; Disaster relief, by responding to life-threatening situations where its involvement is needed and appropriate.