DAVAO DEL NORTE, April 3 (PIA) – The livelihood projects coming from the Ugmad Komunidad (UK) program of the Provincial Government of Davao del Norte have given poor citizens, especially mothers, the opportunity to increase the income of their families.
Oliva Matro, Chair of the Kaugmaran sa Kababainhan sa Sta. Cruz (KAKASA) in Sta. Cruz, Talicud Island, Island Garden City of Samal, said beneficiaries were all praises to the UK program for turning their life around.
She said that members, who are mainly composed of mothers, now make use of their idle time to produce spicy dilis (anchovy), which they now peddle to residents and visitors of the resort island.
She disclosed a number of livelihood projects in the past have flopped and failed to improve their lot because of lack of sense of ownership, capacity building and management expertise, among other factors.
She said that with the UK program, the recipients were encouraged to get involve and identify their own viable projects.
The program guided the beneficiaries through the intensive community processing, from problem identification, to skills training, product development, business management and marketing.
“Gitabangan mi dili lang sa pag-ugmad sa produkto, apan usab sa pag-ugmad sa among creativity, talento ug apil na ang maayong pamatasan (aside from the products, the program also nurtured our creativity, talent and character),” Matro said.
Over 2,000 individuals have already benefited from the UK initiative, which was launched by Governor Rodolfo del Rosario two years ago to help constituents generate more revenues through livelihood and sports tourism activities.
KAKASA is among the 12 UK communities spread around the province that were organized and trained to produce their own local products and handicrafts utilizing available resources abundant in their respective areas.
In his recent State of the Province Address (SOPA), the governor cited the achievement of another UK recipient, the Linosutan Association of Community Achievers Development (LACAD), also from Talicud, which is now engaged in successful jewelry-making business.
The association got the attention of Samsung Corporation, which awarded them a parcel of land for their souvenir shop.
Local products and handicrafts being produced and marketed by the other UK communities include fruit juice and concentrate, romblon handicraft, bamboo handicrafts, chocolate bars and durian candies, coco-coir twines, fish lamayo, banana paper, souvenir T-shirts and banana key holders, as well as, kurobata and amek (Muslim delicacies).
The UK products are now prominently displayed at the DavNor Pasalubong Shop at the Davao del Norte Sports and Tourism Complex, together with the One-Town, One-Product (OTOP) products from the different local government units.
Aside from the UK communities, the province is also helping develop, produce, and market the products and handicrafts of the beneficiaries of the Alternative Learning System for Indigenous People (ALS-IP) program.
The province recently conducted a business-matching-cum-project proposal-making forum for the UK and ALS-IP programs beneficiaries to improve the quality and marketability of their home-made merchandises.
Assistant Provincial Administrator Romulo Tagalo revealed the local products are being primed so the province can offer a wide variety of local products to the ever increasing number of tourists visiting the province each year.(noel baguio/davnor pio )
ISLAND GARDEN CITY OF SAMAL, April 3 (PIA) - Twenty-five new recruits of Special CAFGU Active Auxiliary (SCAA) are undergoing basic military techniques and Explosive Ordinance Reconnaissance Agent (EORA) Training for forty five (45) days in 72nd Infantry Battalion headquarter in Camp Manuel T. Yan Sr., Mawab, Comval Province from March 25 to May 10, 2014.
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