SEDPI trained a total of 696 residents of San Vicente, Palawan on Financial Literacy (FL), December 12-15, 2013. The training is part of SEDPI’s partnership with the Climate Change Commission (CCC) in a project to create eco-towns or ecologically sustainable and economically stable communities. Those who benefitted from this project were mainly entrepreneurial mothers and most were also beneficiaries of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4 Ps).
The FL Training aims to change the conservative mindset of its participants about money by providing basic financial dos and don’ts to more comprehensive advice on livelihood and income management. It is a crucial first step of the project where after being financially trained, the participants may qualify for loans and venture to economically and ecologically sound livelihood. The participants, coming from baranggays Poblacion, Alumanguan, Sto. Niño, and New Agutaya, had to sit through the 6 parts of the FL training—Importance of Personal Finance, Managing Expenditures, Setting Financial Goals, Savings and Creating Savings Plans, Insurance, and Debt Management—where they also get to interact and share their financial situations with SEDPI trainers.
The success of the trainings is evident with the feedback SEDPI received from the participants. A participant from Poblacion commented, “Masaya po kami sa pagtuturo namin at marami kaming natutunan lalo na sa aming pag-iipon at pagsavings.” (We’re happy in the training and we learned a lot especially in saving) A Sto. Niño participant expressed, “Thanks po sa pagpunta sa amin at sa pagpapaliwanag kung ano ang dapat naming gawin at marami po talaga akong nalaman.” (Thank you for visiting us for explaining what we should do. We really learned a lot.
SEDPI is positive that the FL training will build a solid foundation to make San Vicente an eco-town. More importantly, SEDPI looks forward to the concrete results with more economically empowered and disaster-resilient families of San Vicente.