8 Iloilo towns to avail of DSWD’s SEA-K
Eight municipalities in Iloilo Province will be able to avail of the Self-Employment Assistance-Kaunlaran Project (SEA-K) being implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office VI.
This time, however, the project will be jointly implemented by DSWD, Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Local Government Units (LGUs) of Pavia, Sta. barabara, Leganes, Alimodian, San Miguel, Zarraga, New Lucena, Leon, which will all avail of SEA-K program. This developed after a recently conducted meeting with TESDA, DSWD, Local Chief Executives from Second District of Iloilo and the Office of Cong. Judy Syjuco.
Both the TESDA and mayors from second district called for DSWD’s resource augmentation for the new graduates of TESDA courses so that they would be able to put their learnings to use.
Ms. Mary Ann Masculino, Regional Project Development Officer of DSWD, said that the DSWD can provide seed capital for the graduates who have entrepreneurial skills. The most that DSWD can cater is a total of 30 beneficiaries per municipality at P5,000 each, thus an expected release of P1,200,000 for the eight towns.
While TESDA graduates, other individuals entrepreneurs maybe considered should there be available slots.
The SEA-K is the national government’s micro-finance strategy for job generation and investment in human capital. The program, which provides seed capital at no interest and payable in two years to its beneficiaries, helps establish community-based, self-managed credit facilities in the municipalities.
It has the following components: social preparation, group formation, capability building, capital assistance, technical assistance for business management and productivity skills and accessing other social services.
Good performing SEA-K groups can have the opportunity to avail of SEA-K Level II called the “SEA Kabayan,” wherein they can get P25,000 loans for housing and business expansion.