February 19 ------ The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has formally started the pilot implementation of the Strengthening Opportunities for Lone Parents, or Program SOLO - a program created to help solo parents fulfill their parental responsibilities.
A memorandum of agreement (MOA) was signed on Feb. 15 at Lapu-Lapu City Hall in Cebu province, which aims to initiate the program's implementation, raise awareness, and emphasize the importance of supporting solo parents and their dependents. The signing was led by DSWD Undersecretary for Innovations Edu Punay, Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan, and DSWD-Field Office 7 (Central Visayas) Regional Director Shalaine Marie S. Lucero.
The program's target clients include solo parents with two to three children under the age of 22 who are not working, solo parents and their families who live close together, and solo parents from various categories as defined by Republic Act 11861, also known as the Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act. In addition to Lapu-Lapu City, the Program SOLo will be pilot tested in Anda, Pangasinan, and Panabo City, Davao del Norte. There will be 30 beneficiaries per pilot area.
Punay reaffirmed that the DSWD supports the welfare of solo parents by providing opportunities for them to carry out their parental responsibilities through the Program SOLo. “Personally, I know solo parents will do everything for their children. They dedicate their entire life to their children, to make a better future for them. We are here to support you and I know for a fact that this program will benefit our solo parents and ultimately, their children,” he said. He also thanked partners and stakeholders for collaborating with the DSWD to create an enabling environment for solo parents, their children, and families.
Assistant Secretary for Operations Group Ada Colico, who serves as the Inter-Agency Coordinating and Monitoring Committee (IACMC) alternate chairperson for the Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act, said in a video message that solo parents are viewed as vulnerable members of society because of their “precarious situation." “This Program SOLo introduces innovations on psychosocial interventions to ensure emotional support, alternative care arrangements for children/dependents and counter the stigma and discrimination in the community in order to help Solo-Parent Families enjoy a matatag, maginhawa, and panatag na buhay (stable, comfortable, and secure life),” Colico pointed out.
Under the program, the DSWD and its partners will provide client-centered family case management and service delivery, establish parenting and emotional support systems for solo parents, and promote developmental interventions for their children. Colico said the DSWD is committed to fostering and maintaining long-term partnerships with local government units, which play an important role in efficiently delivering services to solo parents at the grassroots level.
Source: mb.com.ph
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