Christmas has once again filled the air. During this time of the year, every person from all walks of life treasures the gift of giving, sharing, and the power of understanding and camaraderie light every – Juan towards prosperity.

Year 2014 has been a memorable year to the Department. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office Caraga has reached its targets and has genuinely catered all full – flattened concern from its target citizens. We have front line quality service to our direct constituents and we’re able to deliver social welfare and developmental services to Caraganons.

Furthermore, Calendar 2014 Regional thrusts and directives dubbed as “ROARS” have changed lives. It modelled sustaining convergence efforts and has affected thousands of lives in the region towards the life of self – sufficiency. We have trained families and communities to be resilient against poverty and disasters through convergence plus, more focused targeting beneficiaries, and by delivering capacity development interventions to Local Government Units (LGUs) and intermediaries on hazard, risk and vulnerability assessment, contingency planning, and disaster response management.

The Field Office has provided efficient service through quality assurance of internal methods and processes, ensured sound utilization of Government resources with operational efficiency, adopted and institutionalized the unified results based monitoring and evaluation system, and has complied with the necessary requirements and indicators of good governance.

We have strengthened partnership and collaboration with stakeholders to ensure the efficient and effective delivery of programs. We also have intensified promotion for the adoption and replication of existing social technologies to the LGUs and have successfully stepped – up region – wide sharing and utilization of Listahanan to some stakeholders and ensure integrity of data. To propagate good practices and building capacities of internal staff and intermediaries for better and faster delivery of social services, the Department has renewed energies, commitments, and has enhanced capabilities and capacities of all staff.

In 2014, we created an environment of shared organizational purpose and have ensured individual objectives are congruent with the organizational purpose, good governance and ethical standards. We have scaled – up structure and strategies to adapt the new normal. We formulated policies and approaches to accelerate the contributions of the DSWD programs in the human development and poverty reduction in the region and have enhanced communication strategies at various levels and install structures that would ensure unity and harmony in execution of services.

On a wider range DSWD Caraga has supported the National Strategic Goals. Record updates as of December 2014 states that Caraga has raised a total of 3, 138 pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program beneficiaries with an improved – level of well-being. This number represents 106% of the 2014 target. A number of 16, 872 families were engaged in microenterprise activities for income augmentation, 73% of 570 target families were provided with technical and vocational skills training to facilitate employment, 134% of the 16,872 target families were provided with capacity building for micro – enterprise; 221% of 400 target families with employment facilitated through public – private partnerships and  a total of 9,490 families were provided with timely capital seed fund and capability building activities. Amongst these, we forged partnership with 16 national line agencies and private sectors to raise the level of well – being of our Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program beneficiaries.

Moreover, a total of 43, 831 non – Pantawid (164% accomplishment) and 119, 269 Pantaewid ( 76% accomplishment) NHTS – Poor identified families were provided with at least 2 SWD programs. These are Pantawid , E -AICS, PhilHealth, SFP, Soc Pen, KALAHI CIDSS- NCDDP, SLP, PAMANA among others.

In addition, DSWD Caraga has accomplished the base lining of the Local Social Welfare and Development Offices (LSWDO) in all 36 LGUs in 3 target provinces namely, Dinagat Islands,  Agusan del Norte, and Aguisan del Sur. The region has also conceptualized and implemented the LSWDO functionality incentive system called “PRESTIGE” or Promoting Resurgence and Excellence of Social Welfare Officers as transformation agents for inclusive growth and empowerment which was launched during the SWD Forum on November 7, 2014.

These are just some of the many accomplishments we had for the year. And we acknowledge the participation and involvement of the different partner stakeholders as we are going to harvest the fruits of our labors. As year 2014 passes by and the year 2015 comes, we bring with us the challenge to serve the vulnerable sectors better. We give gifts to others so to inspire them to be better and be excellent in service as there are many things to be done and many challenges to be exceeded for the year after.

May our undertakings for the year inspires us to do better next year.

Merry Christmas and Prosperous New Year to all.

 

 

From the desk of the regional Director

 

MINDA B. BRIGOLI, CESO III