A United Nations (UN) official recognized the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Projects LAWA (Local Adaptation to Water Access) and BINHI (Breaking Insufficiency through Nutritious Harvest for the Impoverished).
“In a LinkedIn post by UN’s Assistant Secretary-General Reena Ghelani, she mentioned our LAWA and BINHI project, citing it as among the best practices in response to the prevalent issues related to the climate crisis and El Niño,” DSWD Assistant Secretary for Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) and spokesperson Irene Dumlao said.
Ghelani particularly lauded the implementation of Project LAWA, saying it has “developed as a sustainable solution to water scarcity caused by the El Niño drought.” The official page of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) immediately shared her post.
“LAWA, which means “pond” in Tagalog, was the first of its kind and built on the success of previous government-supported cash-for-work programs. The project provided temporary employment and empowered disadvantaged communities to build small farm reservoirs to ensure access to water for irrigation,” Ghelani’s LinkedIn post read.
The UN official likewise praised the role of Project BINHI in communities that capitalized on water irrigation to operate vegetable gardens and plant climate-resilient crops. She was impressed by the program’s Cash-for-Work (CFW) mechanism, citing it as a leverage for community involvement in addressing scarcity in nutrition and food security.
“On behalf of the entire DSWD community, we appreciate your favorable remarks on our project. What makes this extra special for us is it is from someone who has traveled the world – one who has witnessed competitive climate change responsive mechanisms,” Dumlao said.
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