200 expected to join Alay Lakad

CEBU - An estimated 200,000 people are expected to join this year’s Alay Lakad which is slated on September 21 at 6 a.m.

This as the Cebu City government recently passed Resolution No. 08-380 declaring September 15 to 21 as Alay Lakad Week.

With the theme “Kagalingan ng Kabataan, Responsibilidad ng Bayan,” the celebration hopes to empower the youths to become contributing members of the community or the society as a whole.

Renato Aquino of Lions Club, which chairs this year’s Alay Lakad said they target to sponsor 500 more out-of-school youth.

Alay Lakad is a walk for a cause project initiated by the Department of Social Welfare and Development in the early 70s.

It aims to strengthen the capabilities of the youth to improve their lives and dream for a better future.

Alay Lakad also aims to generate funds which will be used to support the socio-economic projects implemented by its organizers for the out-of-school youth.

Other objective is to gather OSY’s who are financially challenged and send them to schools to be trained and have the necessary tools of their interest so they will be capable in having their own means of livelihood.

To date, Alay Lakad has already helped more than thousand OSY’s through scholarship grants, vocational skills training, leadership seminars, scouting, basic business management and livelihood activities, said DSWD information officer Jaybee Carillo.

For the first semester alone, Carillo said 65 scholars availed of the skills training on basic technologies like general electricity, refrigeration, electronics, cosmetics, culinary, fine arts and dress making.– Jessica Ann Pareja/WAB (THE FREEMAN)