Mindanaotoday.com | DSWD launches ProtecTEEN in Bukidnon to help teen moms, kids
MALAYBALAY CITY – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) launched the ProtecTEEN project, which aims to equip teenage mothers and their families with life skills and build a supportive environment.
“As a national agency mandated to provide care and social protection to the most in need, this project is vital in our programs and services, especially in the overall social protection packages for the youth and women sectors, with a special concern for the department’s goal of developing them to their utmost potential,” DSWD Secretary Erwin Tulfo said in a video message during the project’s kickoff in Malaybalay City, August 10.
Undersecretary Denise Florence Bernos-Bragas, who led the project’s launching, said the DSWD, along with the Commission on Population (PopCom), will provide psychosocial support and other interventions to guide young mothers to achieve their dreams despite the trials of early pregnancy.
“The establishment of this teen pregnancy prevention program is mandated in the special provisions of the 2021 and 2022 General Appropriations Act. Since this is a whole-of-government concern, collaboration among key government agencies is required to develop a comprehensive social protection program for teenage mothers and their children, as initiated by the DSWD and Commission on Population and Development,” Bragas said.
Likewise, DSWD-10 Regional Director Mari-Flor Dollaga said the strategy includes empowering young mothers by providing direct social services and assistance, referring them to other agencies, and organizing peer advocates.
ProtecTEEN will serve as a platform to provide opportunities by increasing the awareness of young parents’ responsibilities that will help them achieve development goals, meet the parent’s needs, and play their role in society, she added.
Based on the latest data, 591 girls in Malaybalay City gave birth at a young age.
Marilyn Moral of the DSWD’s Social Technology Bureau revealed in a news conference that ProtecTEEN’s target clients are adolescent mothers aged 10 to 19, their children, partners, and other household members who support them. It is being mapped in three of the country’s local government units – Antipolo City, Malabon City, and Malaybalay City.
The efforts to combat teenage pregnancy, Moral said, should come from all sectors of society.
It requires a joint effort of government, private sectors, civil society organizations, communities, parents, caregivers, and the entire citizenry, including youth themselves.
Aside from the project launch, a Memorandum of Agreement and a Pledge of Commitment were also signed by DSWD officials and Malaybalay City Mayor Jay Warren Pabillaran, here at Haus Malibu.
“As the mayor of this city, I will maximize the resources to ensure the success of this program. I assure our teen mothers who shared their tales today that there is a government that you can rely on. This issue causes a stigma in our community. I pledge my complete support to ProtecTEEN,” the mayor said. (BGE | PIA-10 | Bukidnon)
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