BACOLOD City – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have launched an 18-month graduation pilot program targeting around 1,200 poor household-beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in 30 barangays across five municipalities in Negros Occidental.
The pilot program launched in July aims to provide participant households with a comprehensive and sequenced set of interventions to place them on an upward trajectory into sustainable and resilient livelihoods.
Its interventions combine the strengths of the DOLE Integrated Livelihood Program – also known as the Kabuhayan program – with graduation additions designed to bolster the progress of households out of poverty.
Participating households were selected among existing beneficiaries of 4Ps living under the poverty line of approximately P52.5 per day.
The interventions include features such as the Kabuhayan Starter kit that combines a one-time asset transfer and training in business planning with organization and accounting practices, technical training on how to manage the asset, savings mechanisms, coaching by community facilitators, training on social and health issues, and linkages to community groups and cooperatives.
DOLE’s Negros Occidental Field Office leads the implementation of these entrepreneurial, community enhancement interventions and activities.
During the implementation of the pilot project, participant households will also continue to receive social assistance benefits from the Pantawid program.
The success rate of participants will be measured against a set of Graduation criteria that examine multiple dimensions of poverty, including food security, income, health, and resilience. Successful graduates will achieve “subsistence” or “self-sufficiency” in priority indicators, dependent upon their status at baseline.
The pilot implementation will be underpinned by a research agenda including a randomized control trial conducted by Innovations for Poverty Action. (With DOLE Region 6/PN)
