MISAMIS ORIENTAL (PIA)--In support of the country’s thrust towards the development of a society with gender equality and respect for human rights, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)-Misamis Oriental shared their activities and programs integrating women empowerment and equal opportunities for growth with women in the hinterlands during the Talakayan sa PIA, January 18.

"TESDA is one of the agencies who is pushing for Gender and Development (GAD) programs, sa atoang gyud training regulations and training mismo, gina-require gyud namo ang mga eskwelahan to talk about gender equality, so gina-require na tanan training institutions nga i-apil ni nato sa atong curriculum para ma educate tanan," TESDA-MisOr Provincial Director Marigold Cherie Garrido shared.

(TESDA is one of the agencies that is pushing for Gender and Development (GAD) programs, in its training regulations and training itself, it requires schools to talk about gender equality, so it requires all training institutions to include it in their curriculum to educate everyone)

In 2022, TESDA-MisOr was able to help 707 women, including former rebels (FRs) and indigenous people (IPs), improve their skills in 39 hinterland barangays. These activities included dressmaking, agricultural inputs, cooking, baking, and more.

"We go outside; we go beyond the fence of TVET; our mantra is TESDA-Abot Lahat. Naabot na mi og mga hinterland communities, kadtong mga organized women groups amo na sila gina-cater and ga-conduct mi og community-based programs," she added.

(We go outside, beyond the TVET fence; our mantra is TESDA-Abot Lahat. We have reached the hinterland communities, we cater to organized women's groups, and we conduct community-based programs there)

Garrido emphasized the importance of empowering women in urban and rural areas to be self-sufficient and key figures in their respective communities toward social growth, in conjunction with the administration's "whole-of-nation" approach to long-term peace.

"Nakita namo na mas daghan pud nanginahanglan nga IP women, for example, in Samay, nagtudlo mi og dressmaking, so now they are now already engaged in a lot of enterprising activities," she said.

(We have seen that there is a greater need for IP women; for example, in Samay, we taught dress-making; now they are already engaged in a lot of enterprising activities). (VPSB/PIA-10/Misamis Oriental)