Tacloban City – The KALAHI-CIDSS Basic Orientation Part One for new workers is now on its third consecutive week. As of this report, some 90 new hires for regional office-based positions and field staff to compose the area coordinating teams were introduced to the processes and demands of the Project.

Assistant Regional Director Jaime Eclavea of the DSWD Field Office Eight said that although this is an introduction to the project processes, the participants are given exercises and case studies to work on. Eclavea further explained that the orientations are not exclusive for the new hires but also for the municipal coordinating teams who are the counterparts of the area coordinating teams.

It was learned that the municipal coordinating teams will work alongside with the area coordinating teams. This is to prepare the municipal staff to manage community-driven the development project in the second and last cycles or second and third years of the project’s life.

Included too in the three separately scheduled orientations were the municipal coordinating teams from Villareal, Samar and Naval, Biliran. The last two municipalities will be implementing Makamasang Tugon, a sequel to KALAHI-CIDSS for one year.

The orientations aimed to enhance the competencies of the Area Coordinating Teams and Municipal Coordinating Teams along the areas of participatory development and development approaches, as well as the KALAHI-CIDSS community-driven development approach.

Eclavea also said that these area coordinating teams are set to be immediately deployed after the orientation to the following municipalities – Daram, Gandara, Matuguinao, Motiong, San Jose de Buan, Sto. Niño, San Sebastian, Tagapul-an, and Talalora.

Their first big task in their respective areas of assignments is to conduct the Municipal Orientation, to be followed by the social investigation of the different barangays, Eclavea added.

As of this report, Mrs. Elvira Edillo, KALAHI-CIDSS Regional Training Officer bared that the five-day KALAHI-CIDSS Basic Orientation started June 20 and will end on July 9. The first was conducted June 20 to June 26, followed by the second on June 26 to July 2, and the last, July 4 to 8 is currently being conducted, also in Ormoc Villa Hotel, Ormoc City.