A 68-member women’s group in North Cotabato has been empowered with the help of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) that provided them Monday with livelihood assistance.

Rodolfo Alburo, provincial agrarian reform program officer, said the women are expected to generate additional income for their families after DAR-North Cotabato turned over a sustainable livelihood support intervention under the Climate Resilient Farm Productivity Support Project (CRFPSP).

Alburo said the project, with a combined amount of PHP450,000 was awarded to Kisandal Women Power Organization (KWPO) as the project recipient whose members are residents of Barangay Kisandal, Magpet, North Cotabato.

“With this project, we are encouraging more women to engage in business enterprise and provide them with an avenue to generate additional income for their families,” he said in a phone interview with the Philippine News Agency on Monday.

Alburo added that the KWPO was also given one unit of decorticating machine, garden tools, assorted ornamental seeds and seedlings, flower pots, racks, and cocopeat.

Emelita Mayol, chief agrarian reform program officer, said the project aims to help and empower women to become resilient amid calamities and economic difficulties.

“This project will provide the 68 members of the group with an extra source of income especially during this time of the pandemic,” she said.

In her acceptance speech, KWPO president Arcelie Sotto expressed her gratitude to DAR for providing their group with an additional livelihood project.

“The project is indeed a huge augmentation to the livelihood of the members of our organization. Rest assured that we will take good care of this project,” Sotto said.

Meanwhile, Muslim women in Barangay Guiling, Alamada, North Cotabato also received sustainable livelihood support from DAR-North Cotabato.

The project amounting to PHP450,000 was given to the Dimaampao Native Inhabitants Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative.

Bandili Metopher, the cooperative’s chairperson, received the livelihood support intervention which includes one unit garden tiller, one set drip irrigation system, one set of garden tools (net/mulch, sprayer, trays, brewer),100 heads mallard ducks, assorted vegetable seeds, and assorted organic fertilizers.

“We are glad about this project, our first project awarded by the government, we will ensure this project will grow,” Metopher said. (PNA)