The Ministry of Labor and Employment in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MOLE-BARMM) has empowered eight community-based organizations by providing seed money to fund their income-generating projects, a labor official said Friday.

“The livelihood assistance was aimed at strengthening rural enterprises,” MOLE-BARMM Minister Muslimin Sema said in a statement.

Sema said the intervention under the Bangsamoro Rural Employment through Entrepreneurial Development (BREED) program was distributed during a recent ceremonial program at the MOLE regional office in Cotabato City.

Recipient groups include farmers, women, and youth associations involved in food production from the municipalities of Datu Odin Sinsuat, Talitay, Guindulungan, Shariff Saydona Mustapha, and South Upi.

Each workers’ association received PHP50,000 to help improve production capacity, product development, and generate additional income opportunities for their members.

Sema said the livelihood intervention was supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO-UN), represented by Helen Rojas, as part of multi-stakeholder partnerships advancing inclusive rural development in the Bangsamoro region.

“Through the BREED program, MOLE continues to support small-scale enterprises in creating decent work and contributing to inclusive economic growth, particularly in underserved areas of the region,” he said. (PNA)