Some 260,034 persons with disabilities across the country have benefited in 2023 from the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD)  Kapangyarihan at Kaunlaran sa Barangay-Cash-For-Work (KKB-CFW) Program for Persons with Disabilities, DSWD Asst. Secretary for Strategic Communications Romel Lopez said on Friday (January 19)

“The CFW aims to provide short-term intervention by giving temporary employment to persons with disabilities and low income or no income families with members who have disabilities,” Asst. Sec. Lopez, who is also DSWD spokesperson, said.

The KKB-CFW is an initiative of the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS), one of the DSWD’s flagship programs.

According to Asst. Sec. Lopez, the conduct of the CFW program is in keeping with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to also prioritize the persons with disabilities’ sector.

“The DSWD has released more than Php957 million to cover the cash aid of the CFW beneficiaries in exchange for the community work or service that they have rendered,” the agency spokesperson said.

The beneficiaries or their family members were given the opportunity to work for six to 10 days with the corresponding daily wage based on the 2022 regional daily wage rate of their region.

Some of the tasks and community services conducted by the participants were communal gardening, tree planting, cleaning of public offices and surroundings, and coastal cleanup, among others.

For 2024, the DSWD, through KALAHI-CIDSS, will continue to prioritize the empowerment of more communities and persons with disabilities around the country. #