By Ma. Mikaela Alonso/UM Intern
THE CITY Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO)’s increased allocation for its educational assistance program increases this year.
Gilda Salvaña, CSWDO Children and Youth Welfare Division head, said at the ISpeak forum that beneficiaries will receive P1,000 (elementary level), P2,000 (high school level), and P5,000 (college level) compared to last year that ranged between P300 to P2,500.
As long as the student does not fail and the parents are prepared to provide for other needs, given that the financial support is not much, the program does not have rigorous requirements on the beneficiary’s academic performance.
“Kung sa ato tung kwarta-kwartahan, muingon jud tag ‘gamaya gud ana,’ pero sa mga tao nga…living in the poverty threshold level, dako jud kay nang impact, dako jud nag matabang sailaha ang educational assistance (We can say that the amount is very small if we focus on the money. But for the people living in the poverty threshold level, the education assistance has an enormous impact),” Salvaña expounded.
The program focuses on students that belong to the children at risk, children in conflict with the law, and disadvantaged youth categories.
Aside from that, they must reside in Davao City, and only one student per family can avail regardless of the situation.
From 2022 until the first quarter of 2023, the program already helped 3,329 beneficiaries.
Salvaña further mentioned that one of the program’s beneficiaries, a recent social work graduate, is now working for the CSWDO, demonstrating that even a tiny amount of financial assistance may help someone realize their potential.
