Butuan City – The Spanish government through its international development cooperation agency, the Agencia Española de Cooperacion Internacional para el Desarollo (AECID), is once again renewing its development endeavors with the Philippine government through its new project called the Local Empowerment and Development towards Governance (LEaDGov), to be implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Caraga region this year.

 

In relation to advancing the community-driven development (CDD) processes of DSWD’s anti-poverty project Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS), LEadGov aims to strengthen the capacities of local government units (LGUs) in facilitating inclusive and participatory processes that capture and integrate the priority needs of poor communities into local government poverty reduction plans.

 

According to Kalahi-CIDSS deputy national project director, Camilo G. Gudmalin, LEaDGov picks up from where PODER (Poder y Prosperidad de la Comunidad) the project that AECID and DSWD previously partnered on.

PODER, another CDD project, was implemented in Caraga region for the past seven years. It built on the success of Kalahi-CIDSS.

 

“LEadGov, as per the institutionalization framework of Kalahi-CIDSS, shall now gear our partner LGUs who have graduated from Kalahi-CIDSS in ensuring the sustainability of the CDD principles in the local development processes in the community,” Gudmalin added.

 

The new project shall address specific needs of LGU staff and representatives in terms of policy development, structural adjustments, systems enhancement, and resource allocation.

 

Regional social welfare chief, Minda B. Brigoli said that LEaDGov will “consequently complement the capability building and implementation support component of the local poverty reduction action plans (LPRAPs) of LGUs implementing the Bottom-up Budgeting (BuB) program of the government.”

 

The project will be implemented in Jabonga, Agusan del Norte and Tagbina, Surigao del Sur. Each will receive a grant of PhP 500,000.00

 

LEaDGov will be launched in Butuan City on July 23 and will run from July 2013 to March 2014. ### (Social Marketing Unit/DSWD Caraga)