Isabela Residents Engage in 'Food for Work' Program, Rebuilding Communities

ILAGAN City, Isabela, Philippines — Food assistance came not simply as handouts for 2,032 residents of Isabela, but as a reward for helping rebuild and improve their communities. Residents from this city as well as the towns of Delfin Albano and Echague participated in the food for work component of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)’s Project Lawa at Binhi, by joining community rehabilitation and development efforts. Each participant brought home two family food packs after working for five days, according to Lucia Alan, chief of the DSWD office in Cagayan Valley. A total of 4,064 food packs were distributed to the beneficiaries after completing the five-day food for work program, which encouraged residents to help improve community facilities and resources. For the participants, the program presented not just food on the table, but an opportunity to contribute to projects that directly benefit their own communities while receiving much-needed support for their families.