Rojas bats for Gawad Kalinga in all Iloilo towns
Fifth District Board Member Jett Rojas is pushing for Gawad Kalinga, a highly-successful private sector initiative to be established in all Iloilo towns.
Presented in Tuesday’s regular session of the Iloilo Sanggunian Panlalawigan (SP), Rojas got the easy nod of the SP body with the Gawad Kalinga seen as a "doable, sustainable and replicable strategy."
Gawad Kalinga as designed is aimed at alleviating the plight of the marginalized poor "with the end goal of rebuilding the nation."
Rojas in pushing for the Resolution stated how it is acknowledged that "traditional and conventional ways of helping the poor have not worked."
"The culture of charity and giving of dole-outs has demeaned the self-worth and dignity of the poor thereby perpetuating poverty in the country," Rojas said while adding how despite programs of the government, "poverty indexes continue to forecast a blank future."
Gawad Kalinga began in 1988 with the Couples For Christ behind the project. A holistic and sustainable community development program, it has since empowered the poorest of the poor from select communities nationwide.
"The program is not based on dole-outs but on sharing and mutual help using the capabilities of all concerned particularly the poor and building the dignity of disadvantaged and exploited people by having the families contribute "sweat equity" toward the payment for the house," excerpts of the Resolution stated.