Project Launch:

Ocampo, Philippines is a rural, poor region, where government programming has been aiming to address persistent poverty with a conditional cash transfer program, or a program that aims to address poverty by moving cash directly into the hands of poor residents with certain expectations attached. In the region of Ocampo, participating neighborhoods have elected parent leaders who act as liaisons between the administrators of the program and the beneficiary families, aiming to increase the capacity of parent leaders, putting them at the front of sustainable work and community support groups. World Connect will support the launch of a training program that focuses on leadership, case management, and dealing with issues such as family violence that parent leaders may see within their respective communities. The parent leaders, all women, will learn invaluable skills that they can use to improve their communities and their roles as community leaders.

 

Project Update

The Parent Leader Capacity Building Training was held over two days in January, 2015. 125 community members participated in the training, 14 more than originally expected. The training provided a safe forum for the Parent Leaders to come together and discuss issues and concerns. Furthermore, this was the first time for the participants to come together to enhance their teamwork, communication and leadership skills together as a group. The head of the Department of Social Welfare and Development spoke to the group about the processes for proper case management and proper ways of reporting. The last part of the training focused on the facilitation of the needs assessment. The Municipal Mayor of Ocampo spoke on both trainings days about resources available to the Parent Leaders from the municipality. Overall, Parent Leaders really took advantage of the opportunity of being together to plan for the future. Many started to plan for future projects that they wanted to accomplish within their own smaller communities, and several started setting goals for the future. After the training, a 3-day follow up activity was held at the local elementary school for additional teamwork, communication, and leadership training. The parent leaders will continue to arrange follow up activities and work towards creating a sustainable support system for all the parent beneficiaries.

 

Testimonials

"We were very happy with the activities and we learned a lot from it. We even had the chance to be with our fellow Parent Leaders from other barangays. I have learned that we share the same tasks and responsibilities as leaders of the community. " - Luzviminda, Project Leader

 

"My functions and responsibilities as a leader are now more clear to me." - Precila, Project Beneficiary