Koronadal City—The Department of Social Welfare and Development in SOCCSKSARGEN has completed some P209 million worth of community projects through one of its flagship poverty-reduction programs, Kalahi-CIDSS, an agency official said Tuesday.

Bai Zorahayda T. Taha, DSWD 12 regional director said that the amount represents a total of 134 projects that were completed through the assistance from World Bank, with community and local government counterparts.

Among the projects are school buildings, health stations, roads, electrification, flood control, water systems, bridges, post-harvest facilities and many others, benefiting thousands of villagers, especially in the far-flung areas of the region, Taha said.

“These projects were implemented through a strategy that encourages volunteerism in which communities are empowered to identify their pressing needs,” Taha explained.

The different projects are located in towns of Bagumbayan, Isulan, Kalamansig, Lambayong, Lebak, Lutayan, Palimbang and Senator Ninoy Aquino in Sultan Kudarat; Glan, Kiamba, Maasim, and Maitum in Sarangani province; Alamada, Aleosan, Banisilan, Carmen and Pikit in North Cotabato.

“Local communities in these different towns were also trained to craft their propose projects, present to municipal inter-barangay forum for funding, then manage and sustain it,” Taha said.

Taha added that the funds for projects were directly downloaded to the accounts, managed and controlled by chosen volunteers by the community.

“The agency is expecting to complete at least 50 more projects in the coming months,” Taha said.

With the bottom-up development approach, Kalahi-CIDSS, which stands for Kapit-Bisig Laban Sa Kahirapan-A Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services, was chosen as one of the awardees of the U.S. Treasury’s second annual Development Impact Honors Awards in 2013.

Started in 2003 in the region, Kalahi-CIDSS has completed 954 community projects, amounting to some P1.03 billion. (Hilbert T. Estacion, regional social marketing officer)