THE Ministry of Social Services and Development in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MSSD-Barmm) conducted an orientation on the Solo Parent Guidelines and welfare assistance in the island town of Mapun, Tawi-Tawi.
The activity was held last week at the MSSD Mapun Unit Office in Lupa-Pula village and was attended by 45 solo parents from the 15 villages of the municipality.
Sheba Jamaluddin, Mapun social welfare officer, said the orientation aimed to strengthen participants’ awareness of their rights, benefits, and available government services.
The gathering also served as election venue for a new set of officers of the Solo Parents Association in Mapun.
Jamaluddin said participants also received welfare assistance, including a 25-kilo sack of rice and a box of viand to help support the daily needs of their families.
Jamaluddin underscored the importance of organizing solo parents in the municipality of Mapun.
“We need to organize them for them to have easy access to benefits, services, and other assistance. And for MSSD to identify and locate other solo parents in the municipality, especially that Mapun is geographically Isolated,” Jamaluddin said in a statement.
The MSSD likewise identified indigent solo parents as potential beneficiaries of the Demand-driven and Adaptive Key Actions for Indigent Solo Parents in Leveraging their Aspirations (Dakila), a flagship program of the Ministry.
Jamaluddin said that under the program, qualified solo parents who pass the assessment and validation process will receive P1,000 in monthly financial assistance and other social support based on their needs. (SunStar Zamboanga)