All we need is a helping hand

Fortunate to be invited to be part of another social work project, I visited the charming city of Marikina last Thursday, as part of a program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) called Pantawid Pamilya.

The project is evidence of the genuine commitment of the Philippines to United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals and Convention of the Rights of the Child, particularly through the provision of health, education and other services as basic rights of children.

I like this particular program because it provides practical and substantial solutions to issues facing our women and children.

It does not only give immediate help through monetary aid, but also builds the foundation of long-term support through education campaigns that make sure that people are informed.

I personally appreciate projects like this because our family knows the value of these efforts.

On the surface, the monetary aid may look very modest (P500 per mother, P300 per child, a maximum of three children per family), but it means a lot to a family with meager income. And I attest to this based on experience. I only had piso as my allowance, although it was eventually increased to P5. The seemingly smallest amount already meant so much to us back then.

Through the project’s efforts, mothers and children are given flexibility in choosing where to spend the money on. This ensures that their specific needs are directly met.

DSWD Sec. Dinky Soliman requested my participation in the project and as I learned more about the program, the more I got excited. This is a cause that I am wholeheartedly supporting because it champions mothers and children.

Life is unfair, so they say. Challenges are thrown at us every step of the way. But with well-meaning programs like this coupled with committed individual, we meet these challenges squarely.