GRADUATE and undergraduate students from different campuses of Sultan Kudarat State University (SKSU) attended the orientation and verification for the Department of Social Welfare and Development Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (DSWD-Kalahi-CIDSS) Cash for Work Program (CWP) held at the SKSU-Isulan Campus gymnasium on June 7, 2024, SKSU Public Relations and Information Office informed.

SKSU was chosen as the second state universities and colleges (SUCs) beneficiary of the Kalahi-CIDSS initiatives under the Cash for Work program, where 822 graduate and undergraduate students were endorsed for the opportunity to gain job experience.

"This program is one of the social protection interventions funded by the DSWD. Although short-term in purpose, the Cash for Work program instills the agency's goal of poverty reduction," Kalahi-CIDSS CWP focal person Social Worker Officer 3 Hasniah Baguan said.

The CWP beneficiaries will be deployed to their respective communities or the

locality of their choice. Undergraduate students are required to render four hours per day while alumni should render eight hours per day, for a total of 90 working days. The salary they will receive monthly shall follow the minimum daily wage of the region.

In her speech, Baguan highlighted the primary benefit of CWP, which boosts the credentials of the participants, both students and graduates/alumni.

Kalahi-CIDSS is one of the Philippine government's primary community empowerment and poverty alleviation programs implemented through the Community-Driven Development (CDD) approach.

The CDD approach used by Kalahi-CIDSS to implement its different modalities is an internationally recognized development model that gives community members control over the development process, decision-making and resource management. It operates under the principles of participation, transparency and accountability.