More than student leaders of Negros Oriental State went through an intensive training session to equip themselves in assisting beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the Department of Social Welfare & Development.{{more}}
Personnel of the 4Ps conducted the orientation for the NORSU Student Council, the editorial staff of the school paper, and the office of Student Affairs headed by its director William Aranas and Jake Makahig.
Makahig said that tapping the sense of idealism and the energy of the youth is one way to ensure the sustainability of the program’s concept of education and health.
The scientific way by which the beneficiaries were targeted and identified garnered a thumbs-up from this sector of society. The NORSU students will henceforth focus their outreach activities on the 4Ps beneficiaries of Negros Oriental, and help almost 30 thousand households across the poverty threshold. “Knowing that this government project exists, and a chance to be part of it helps today’s youth in being conscious of their environment, channeling their resources in the right direction and a bigger chance of making them better persons,” said Aranas.
DSWD’s 4Ps is a poverty reduction program of the national government aimed at reducing high infant mortality rates, high number of dropouts and out-of-school youth, malnutrition and stunted growth among others. It is designed to provide cash assistance to identified poor families with children 0-14 years of age. The grants are intended for the education, health and nutrition needs of the children.
Each beneficiary family is entitled to a maximum of three kids per household. Children beneficiaries should have at least 85 percent attendance in school per month to continue receiving their grant for the next five years. (PR/Aris Lariba)