SIBUTU, TAWI-TAWI — The Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) through its Bangsamoro Sagip Kabuhayan (BSK) Program conducted series of livelihood skills training and distributed seed capital funds to 546 small scale business owners in the eight (8) municipalities of Tawi-tawi on September 7 – 18, 2021.
Among the total number of recipients, the municipalities of Sibutu, South Ubian Sapa-sapa, Sitangkai, Simunul, Panglima Sugala, and Tandubas all have 68 beneficiaries each while Bongao has 70 who all comprise BSK program’s first batch of clients in Tawi-tawi for this year.
Each of them received a livelihood assistance worth Php 15,000 which will serve as their additional or start-up capital for their chosen microenterprise to improve their socio-economic well-beings.
Prior to the payout, BSK program recipients completed a training on basic livelihood skills such as dressmaking, pastry making, as well as small engine and electrical wiring.
Technical experts from DZAJ Tawi Tawi Technological Institute Inc. also gave lectures about values formation, basic accounting, budgeting, and bookkeeping which they can use as relevant inputs in managing their microenterprises.
Women victims of violence, solo-parents, and Returning Filipinos from Sabah (REFS) who are heads of families who belong to the most indigent and marginalized sectors whose daily wages were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic were among those who were trained and given seed capital fund.
Sittihaira Bugambo, 59 years old and solo-mother to her nine (9) children from Brgy. Tang-ngah, South Ubian who is one of the BSK program beneficiaries said that she learned many things during the training such as how to make dress, measure cloths properly using measuring stick, and save money.
“Makakatulong ang programang ito ng MSSD hindi lamang sa pagbibigay o pagpapahiram ng puhunan sa amin upang makapagpatayo ng negosyo kundi pati pagpapahusay na rin ng aking kakayahan sa paggawa ng damit (This program of MSSD does not just give us capital for our businesses but also enhanced my skills in dressmaking),” said Bugambo.
The identification and selection of the first batch of BSK program beneficiaries undergone rigorous assessment, deliberation, and validation process lodged through the Family and Community Welfare Program (FCWP) of MSSD.
The trainings and pay-outs for the other three (3) remaining municipalities of Tawi-tawi such as Languyan, Mapun, and Turtle Islands are set to be continued and completed in the weeks to come. (Jidday Lucman/MSSD BARMM)