The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office Caraga through the Strategic Helpdesks for Information, Education, Livelihood, and Other Developmental Interventions (SHIELD) Program, in partnership with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Dinagat, conducted a one-day skills enhancement training for 40 parents of child laborers at the Municipal Gymnasium, White Beach, Dinagat – July 30, 2025.

The training aimed to equip parents with basic financial literacy and food processing skills, including making cassava and taro chips and puto cheese, to help them start sustainable income-generating activities and reduce their dependence on child labor.

Municipal Vice Mayor Jonathan M. Edillor welcomed the participants. At the same time, Ms. Melanie Juan, Registered Social Worker (RSW) and Head of the Protective Services Division – Sectoral Unit of DSWD Caraga, provided an overview of the program’s objectives and components.

Dinagat Municipal Mayor Hon. Simplicio S. Leyran Jr. expressed his full support for the activity, citing its importance in addressing poverty at the household level.

“Ang tumong ug tuyo sa programa ang paghatag sa inyo og kaalaman para sa inyong panginabuhian. Dapat kita naa tay kahibalo para maiwasan ang atong kapobrehon. Maong pasalamat ta sa DSWD ug sa mga nagkalain-laing ahensya sa gobyerno sa paghatag ani nga intervention aron matabangan ang mga katawhan sa Dinagat,” Mayor Leyran said.

For Carmela Lisondra, one of the participants and a mother of a former child laborer, the training offered both hope and opportunity. “Dako nako na pasalamat ani na activity kay dako kini natabang sa amoa isip inahan sa usa ka former child laborer aron kami matabangan sa panginabuhian ug ang mga bata didto na sa pag eskwela nila ang ilang oras mahatag,” she shared.

TESDA facilitated the technical sessions, which included hands-on training in food processing. Starter kits were distributed to participants at the end of the activity to help them jumpstart their own small businesses.

This initiative is part of the DSWD’s SHIELD Program, which addresses the root causes of child labor such as poverty, lack of education, and limited livelihood opportunities. Moreover, forms part of the government’s broader campaign to eliminate child labor by empowering families through livelihood support and multi-agency collaboration at the community level.