The Department of Social Welfare and Development Region IX has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Zamboanga City LGU and PWD sector for the implementation of Community-based interventions for the PWDs on April 15, 2016 at the Conference Room in City Hall.

The project, dubbed as Community Action and Resources for Accessible, Better and Leverage Environment (CARe-ABLE) for PWDs aims to provide holistic intervention to the said sector and reduce barriers from accessing resources both from the government and non-government organizations.

The project will be implemented through creating enabling mechanisms and structures for indigent PWDs and their families to access programs and services and participate in local governance, economic activities and disaster-risk reduction.

Establishment of Community Help Desk for PWDs and provision of financial and technical assistance are only some of the interventions identified by the parties involved.

The DSWD through its Social Technology Bureau (STB) will allocate funds for the pilot implementation of the said project in 5 identified barangays namely Mampang, Taluksangay, Arena Blanco, Labuan and Sangali, since these are the barangays with the most number of PWDs based on 2011 data of Listahanan.

“The pilot implementation of CARe-ABLE project will only cover regions 9 and 5. So we hope that this project will help make some changes in the lives of the PWD sector so it can be replicated in other cities or areas.” DSWD’s STB representative Marilyn Moral said in her message.

Present during the MOA signing were DSWD Asst. Regional Director Consejo Usman, ZC Mayor Isabelle Cimaco-Salazar, STB representative Marilyn Moral, Ma. Socorro Rojas of CSWDO, chairpersons of chosen barangays, and some members of PWD community.###