Poverty-Free Zone Program: Productivity for the Less Privileged

http://www.dole.gov.ph

What is the Poverty-Free Zone Program (PFZ)?

The Aksyon Ng Sambayanan Laban Sa Kahirapan (Poverty-Free Zone) Program is the Department of Labor’s (DOLE) response to the President's call to fight poverty. It is designed to organize and focus the delivery of services to achieve systematic and rational convergence of services/assistance of government agencies and private organizations that can successfully transform these target communities to become self-sufficient and self-reliant.
What are the major interventions of the Poverty-Free Zone (PFZ) Program?

With the DOLE as lead, program interventions shall be made available to each of the identified Aksyon ng Sambayanan Community in the following areas:

1. Organizing the community members and Enhancement of the Capability of the Workers' Organization/Association/Cooperative in community mobilization
2. Development of Entrepreneurial Capability for Self-Employment and Improved Production and Productivity
3. Retooling in Vocational Skills Competitive in the Labor Market and Improved Employment Facilitation Services
4. Development of Self-help Welfare Projects to address basic needs and special concerns such as women, youth and child-labor issues and social protection
5. Partnership and linkages with other Relevant Agencies that will provide basic social services like education, health, childcare, water and sanitation, and other production-related services.

What are the major activities of the Poverty Free Zone (PFZ) Program?

The major activities involved to operationalize the Aksyon ng Sambayanan Program in each target community are divided into four phases, namely:

1. Community Social Preparation (one month)
2. Community Capability Build-up (three months)
3. Community Project Development and Implementation (five months)

[Source: www.dole.gov.ph]