Some 260,034 persons with disabilities (PWDs) across the country received more than PHP957 million in cash assistance in 2023 through the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Kapangyarihan at Kaunlaran sa Barangay Cash-For-Work (KKB-CFW) Program for PWDs, DSWD Assistant Secretary for Strategic Communications Romel Lopez reported on Friday.

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.

Lopez said the conduct of the CFW program is in keeping with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to also prioritize the PWD sector.

“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,” he said.

“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,” he added.

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 respective regions.

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,” Lopez said. (PNA)