DAGUPAN CITY, (PNA)–With 28 unused but brand new sewing machines just discarded by the past city administration, some 30 mothers who are beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program (4Ps) here are now being taught how to sew dresses which they can sell to boost their income
Lea Aquino, officer-in-charge of the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), said Mayor Belen Fernandez put up the sewing class to enable idle mothers from the ranks of the poorest of the poor a chance to earn honest living through their own sweat and tears.
“In our inventory, we discovered these 28 sewing machines placed alongside discarded and unserviceable equipment of the city government but are still brand new. Mayor Fernandez thought of opening a sewing class for mothers at our own brand new Livelihood and Training Center,” Aquino said. |
The sewing class, along with cosmetology class, also for 4Ps mothers, opened Thursday during a ceremony attended by Director Manuel Wong, provincial manager of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
Also being organized, said Aquino, is a carpentry class using the modern carpentry tools donated to the Dagupan City government by the company Bosch.
“We are just waiting for the trainor to be sent by Bosch so he can train our own trainors who will handle the carpentry class,” said Aquino.
Also being organized is a class on food processing that will make use of modern food processing equipment donated to the city by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JiCA) through the past city administration three years ago but are just stocked at the General Service Office (GSO).
She said there will also be a computer class and a separate class for computer technicians.
All these classes under the newly launched program Better Education and Livelihood Employment Needs initiated by the City government in coordination with TESDA.
Under this training program, the city government and TESDA will issue certificates which the graduates can use in seeking employment locally and abroad or use their knowledge they learn from the short courses in putting up their own income-generating projects.