Last year, the Department of Social Welfare and Development Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS) completed 223 sub-projects with a grant of Php507,337,810.94 in 55 municipalities of the Bicol Region.
According to Director Arnel Garcia, 43,641 households are benefitting from these projects.
“The projects were identified by the community members themselves based on their needs through the Community-Driven Development (CDD) approach,” Garcia added.
CDD is a globally-recognized strategy that gives communities control over planning, implementing, and decision-making for local development.
The table below shows the community projects according to its category:
| Sub-Project Category | Number of Sub-Projects |
| Bridge | 7 |
| Community Center/Multi-Purpose Building | 26 |
| Day Care Center | 10 |
| Electrification/Lighting | 1 |
| Flood Control/River Control | 20 |
| Foot Path/ Foot Trail/ Access Trail | 24 |
| Health Station | 34 |
| Livelihood Equipment/Building | 1 |
| Pre and Post-Harvest Facilities | 1 |
| Rip Rap Wall/ Slope Protection/ Erosion Control | 7 |
| Road | 4 |
| Sanitary Toilets | 1 |
| School Building | 35 |
| Seawall | 7 |
| Training and Learning Center/Facility | 1 |
| Tribal Housing/ Core Shelter | 1 |
| Water System | 3 |
| Total | 223 |
“DSWD is not mainly focused on constructing infrastructure projects but also in capacitating communities along project management and operation, and maintenance,” he said.
Director Garcia also added that these projects will continuously provide benefits to future generations through the sustainability efforts of the communities.
Kalahi-CIDSS is one of the poverty alleviation programs of DSWD aimed at empowering barangays to achieve improve access to services and to participate in more inclusive local planning, budgeting and implementation. /ramsertan/