The Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office VIII, through the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (Pantawid Pamilya), recently signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Save the Children at Rosevenil Hotel, Tacloban City.

Save the Children Program Coordinator Lyra Sagales said the partnership’s goal is to promote child-sensitivity among Pantawid Pamilya families in super typhoon Yolanda-affected areas of Leyte Province, particularly in Villaba and Matag-ob municipalities.

Sagales represented Program Manager Mykiel Patcho in the MOA signing with the DSWD Field Office VIII represented by Regional Director Restituto Macuto.

In his speech, Macuto said, “DSWD joins Save the Children in this earnest and valuable partnership, and makes a fundamental commitment to protect the rights of children and promote child-sensitivity among Pantawid Pamilya partner beneficiaries, through the conduct of Family Development Sessions (FDS).”

Through the FDS, both parties will help each other to conduct analysis on children’s rights, child poverty and vulnerability, as well as children and community consultation on the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program. It will also establish feedback mechanisms for the children beneficiaries to share their experiences and insights and to gather suggestions from them on how to enhance program implementation.

With these undertakings, they will eventually establish evidences on child poverty and the impacts of social protection programs on children, and increase the capacity of parents and communities, especially those who are partner beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilya to support and promote children’s rights.

“We are very happy for the partnership. Pantawid Pamilya encompasses significant aspects like education, health, nutrition, maternal health, all of which have huge impact on the lives of children,” Child Sensitive Social Protection Coordinator of Save the Children, Zenona Gread enthusiastically shared.

Pantawid Pamilya is a core pillar of the national government’s social protection strategy. The program seeks to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty through improved health, nutrition, and education of children.

It is an investment in human capital that ensures that children belonging to poor households, particularly those aged 0-18 years old, grow up healthy and that they go to school and provided with quality education.

Currently, the Eastern Visayas region has a total of 285,806 Pantawid Pamilya household beneficiaries, with 559,504 children beneficiaries.

For Leyte, there are 125,417 benefitting the program, with atotal of 221,017 children beneficiaries.

Pantawid Pamilya Regional Program Coordinator Marichu Bustillos said, “Partnership creates success, so let us earnestly work together in providing these families and children with opportunities to be knowledgeable and sensitive of their rights and responsibilities, to be empowered, to have dignified lives.”

Pantawid Pamilya improves children’s access to some key health care services. It keeps children in school. It increases households’ investments in education. Pantawid Pamilya allows parents to aspire for a better future of their children.###