QUEZON CITY -- The special caravan for social protection programs and services led by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) was able to reach more than 960 children and 1,200 families in street situations in Manila, Cebu, and Davao.   

As part of the government’s effort to address the hazardous situations on the streets, the three-leg caravan was conducted on December 21 to 23, 2022 in three different locations to ensure that children, their families, and the Indigenous Peoples  are extended with protective services during the yuletide season.  

It was an inter-agency initiative and a joint project between the DSWD and the Office of the President aimed to provide holistic, sustainable, and long-term interventions for street dwellers, including the Indigenous Peoples.  

Through the cooperation and collaboration of the national and local governments, beneficiaries of this project received financial assistance, livelihood grants, educational aid, school kits, gift packs, hygiene kits, and food packs, among others. Furthermore, they also availed of medical and dental checkups vaccination, national ID registration, and hair grooming, and participated in the jobs fair.   

In the City of Manila, some 574 family heads and 400 children were gathered at the  Rizal Park Open-Air Auditorium to receive financial assistance and packages from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.   

The Cebu Caravan, on the other hand, assisted some 200 children and 300 family heads. Likewise, 41 Ati Children from Naga City received their birth certificates while the birth registration of 57 Sama-Bajau children from Alaska, Mambaling, Cebu City was facilitated.   

Meanwhile, more than 300 children, 100 family heads, and 58 Sama-Bajau clients were provided with various services and interventions from the participating agencies during the Davao Caravan.          

The DSWD vowed to collaborate with various agencies and organizations to help vulnerable families support the needs of their children so that they will be prevented from staying in the streets for mendicancy activities. (DSWD)