Maria Lucila Carpio, the head of the volunteers group in Brgy Sampiruhan, Calamba City, takes time to recognize the hard work and perseverance her members showed during the implementation of their line canal cleaning project under the Kalahi-CIDSS JSDF program during the recent turn over ceremony in their barangay.***
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Giving back through Kalahi-CIDSS
Maria Lucila Carpio could not help but smile as she observes the ceremony marking the completion of their line canal cleaning project. She and the other volunteers in their community feel fulfilled for being able to complete their project, which they painstakingly worked on—from conceptualization to completion.
Lucila or Luci, as she is fondly called, is the head of volunteers for Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS) program in Brgy. Sampiruhan, Calamba City, Laguna.
The Kalahi-CIDSS, a program of the DSWD, seeks to empower ordinary community members to be involved in the development of their community through a participatory approach and a series of capability building activities.
“Sa wakas, nakapagbalik din ako kahit kaunti sa tulong na binibigay sa akin ng gobyerno,” Lucila delightedly said.
Her motivation to accept the responsibility was to give back the blessings her family receives from the government. Being a beneficiary of another DSWD program, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino, Luci was able to send her three sons to school and provide for their other needs. Luci said that while the government continuously assists them to have a better life through the Pantawid program, she wants to be an instrument to improve the lives of others by volunteering to government programs like Kalahi-CIDSS.
However, no matter how motivated Luci may seem, she experienced difficulty in mobilizing other residents to volunteer for their project.
“Wala po kasing sweldo ang pag-vovolunteer namin kaya medyo alanganin silang sumali. Pero pinanindigan ko ang commitment ko. Kaya ginawa ko lang ng mabuti ang trabaho ko para mapakita sa kanila na kung kaya ko, kayang-kaya rin nila,” Luci related.
With such principle in mind, Luci was able to persuade and gather 21 volunteers for the community project. The project, which aims to reduce the flooding in their community, consisted of the cleaning / declogging a total of 3,645 meters of their existing line canal. It also includes the installation of a concrete cover to 196 meters of the said canal. The expected reduction or complete elimination of the flooding incident in their community will benefit at least 900 households.
The project has a total cost of Php931,000.00, which is funded under the Kalahi-CIDSS Japan Social Development Fund.
“Sa pagtatapos ng proyekto, masasabi kong nag-improve ang kakayanan kong maghandle ng grupo. Proud ako sa sarili ko kasi alam kong nagawa at natapos ko nang maayos ang trabaho ko. Magagamit ko ang mga natutunan kong ito sa mga susunod pang proyekto dito sa aming barangay,” Luci proudly stated.
Because of the successful implementation of their line canal project, Luci was recently been elected to head the Kalipunan ng mga Liping Pilipina (KALIPI) in their barangay. KALIPI is a women’s organization that promotes women empowerment through livelihood activities and opportunities. Luci is confident that what she learned in Kalahi-CIDSS will be of big help in this new responsibility.
As Luci walks home, she cannot contain the excitement for another community endeavor that is yet to come. She feels secured that in one way or another, their experiences in Kalahi-CIDSS had empowered the community and will lead the newly-established organization KALIPI in planning and implementing projects for the betterment of their barangay. ***