SEA is partnering with KALAHI-CIDSS, a national government-initiated program in Zarraga, to bring about integral sustainable development throughout all 24 barangays (villages). KALAHI is one of the government’s most cutting-edge and innovative programs in that it reaches beyond local government and connects with the people themselves. In the process it helps form and strengthen civil society at the smallest and poorest social unit – the barangay. In order to access KALAHI’s developments funds, banargay’s must form their own CSO’s – volunteer committees that eventually become people’s organizations with the power to effect change in the long-term.

SEA sees this as an incredibly positive development in beginning to create a broader, more inclusive form of governance that includes both civil society and business. At the end of the first year, government workers step back from the process and the program is handed over to SEA and the barangays to continue into the future. We are excited by it’s prospects!

Below is a video describing KALAHI, a description of the KALAHI activity cycle that we have initiated this year, and an official document outlining the role of SEA in the process.

KALAHI-CIDSS:NCDDP

ACCELERATED COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT ACTIVITY CYCLE (CEAC)

The CEAC is the guide use by the Area Coordinating Team (ACT) in implement the KALAHI-CIDSS:NCDDP. It describes in detail the stages, activities and activity duration, major steps, activity participants, implementation standards, outputs and tools needed by the ACT in implementing each activity under each stage.

I. SOCIAL  PREPARATION  STAGE

A. Municipal Orientation.

This was the first municipal-wide activity under the CEAC process. Its objective was to introduce the National Community-Driven Development Program (NCDDP) and the disaster response operational procedures in the context of addressing needs for early recovery and rehabilitation in affected barangays (villages). Discussion on the disaster impact and municipal budget allocation was based on an agreed upon pre-set criteria to be used for identifying the most affected barangays. The engagement was formalized through the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). There was broad participation in this activity by municipal officials, all barangay captains, CSO members, and other stakeholders of the project.

B. Municipal Consultation Meeting.

This activity discussed the details of the DANA report for early recovery and rehabilitation, as well as resource commitments from National Government Agency (NGA), Implementing Organizations (IO), and other groups. The use of NCDDP grants was decided on in order to address needs based on the prescribed criteria, and plans for the conduct of community consultations were formulated.

C. Community Consultation (1st Barangay Assembly).

This activity introduced the NCDDP and the disaster response operations procedures in the context of addressing needs for the early recovery and rehabilitation in the barangays. It is in this activity that the community generated a priority list of unaddressed needs in a participatory process through the Barangay Assembly (BA). This was facilitated by the SEA Team.

II. PROJECT IDENTIFICATION, SELECTION, AND  PLANNING STAGE

A. Project Development Workshop.

Both the Project Preparation Team (PPT) and the Barangay Representation Teams coming from the different barangays attended this activity to prepare the detailed proposals for their priority subprojects in order to address identified unmet early recovery and rehabilitation needs. This was then submitted for barangay assembly approval as well as to the DSWD Regional Project Management Office (RPMO). This was facilitated by the SEA Team.

B. Community Consultation (2nd Barangay Assembly).

This meeting was held to approve the Project Proposal for endorsement to the Municipal Inter-agency Committee (MIAC) and the NCDDP. At this meeting the Barangay Subproject Management Committee (BSPMC) – a group of community volunteers to administer the project – was elected. This was facilitated by the SEA team together with global visitors from the Youth Initiative Program in Sweden.

C. Sub-Project Technical Review and Approval.

This activity was a review of the final subproject proposals, including designs and cost estimates, as well as a description of the conduct of site validation inspection by the municipal validation team. SEA was a member of the validation team.

III. COMMUNITY-MANAGED IMPLEMENTATION  AND ORGANIZATION FORMATION AND DEVELOPMENT

A. Community-Managed Implementation.

After the approval of the subproject, the NCDDP grant was deposited in the barangay account to be used for project implementation. The projects are implemented by the different committees of community volunteers as part of their empowerment process. It is the only government project where people in the community are given the chance to plan, decide and implement their own identified project. SEA conducted project monitoring and assessment.

B. Formation of Community Organization for Operation and Maintenance.

This activity was the establishment of a Community Association for Operation and Maintenance for long-term project sustainability. There was a training on policy formulation and how the community can organize and register their association at their respective government agencies. SEA acted as trainer and consultant. SEA acted as trainer and consultant.

 The ROLE of SEA,Inc.

in the KALAHI project

as part of the social infrastructure building under the Institutional Development Strategy on the area of politics and culture

1. Deployed an augmentation force of competent, properly trained and experienced staff as local counterpart in behalf of the Municipality of Zarraga as required in the provision of Tripartite Agreement between DSWD Regional Office VI; Province of Iloilo and Municipality of Zarraga.
2. Safeguarded the integrity of the process by insuring the observance of the quality control assurance guidelines.
3. Provided technical assistance and guidance through training, coaching and mentoring of the relatively young inexperienced members of the Area Coordinating Team (ACT) deployed by the DSWD Regional Office VI to the Municipality of Zarraga.
4. Made sure of the adoption of participatory concepts, principles and steps in empowering communities and strengthening organization that will assist the project participants/beneficiaries in their work as change agent/molders of their own development instead of mere spectator/ recipient of KALAHI CIDSS-NCDDP project.
5. Assisted the KALAHI CIDDS-NCDDP Area Coordinating Team in their pursuit of harmonizing KALAHI CIDSS in the local development planning processes by integrating and giving prime consideration of community development concerns in the local plans of the different barangays as well as in the Municipal Development Councils.
6. Led in planning and conduct of sustainability activities after the project phase out stipulated in the Executive Order No. 021, Series of 2014., issued by Hon. John H. Tarrosa, Municipal Mayor, Zarraga, Iloilo.
7. Monitored the efficient and effective project implementation of KALAHI-CIDSS:NCDDP.(Executive Order No. 014, Series of 2015)
8. Acted as the head of the (KALAHI) Municipal Coordinating Team. (Executive Order No. 014, Series of 2015)