BENEFICIARIES of the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) showcased their products during the first Social Services Conference and Expo at Robinsons Starmills Pampanga over the weekend.

The event featured the different products under the SLP program, ranging from mats, slippers, bags and hats, among others.

SLP is a “community-based capacity building program seeking to improve the beneficiaries’ socio-economic status.” With SLP, beneficiaries receive trainings like financial literacy and basic skills training like basic bookkeeping, resource mapping and value chain analysis.

The beneficiaries will also be linked to financial institutions if they think that they need more assistance to expand their business. They will be helped by private institutions and other organizations to find a ready market for their produce.

SLP participants undergo social preparation and capacity-building workshops before deciding what livelihood to venture into. Agriculture, hog raising, handcrafting, food processing, and sari-sari stores are among those where most of the beneficiaries have ventured into.

Most of the beneficiaries of the SLP program are part of the DSWD’s Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program or 4Ps.

The expo aims to showcase the SLP programs in different communities and bring attention towards more business opportunities for SLP beneficiaries.