The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has received another honor as the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) lauded the agency’s Project LAWA (Local Adaptation to Water Access) and BINHI (Breaking Insufficiency through Nutritious Harvest for the Impoverished) for its invaluable contribution to climate resilience initiatives.

“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 climate crisis and El Niño,” Assistant Secretary for Disaster Response Management Group Irene Dumlao, who is also the agency’s spokesperson, said on Tuesday (8 October).

In the said post, the UN executive lauded the implementation of Project LAWA, citing it has “developed as a sustainable solution to water scarcity caused by the El Niño drought.” 

The post was immediately shared by the official page of the UNDRR.

“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,” the Ghelani’s Linkedin post read.

The UN executive also praised the Project BINHI in communities that capitalized on water irrigations to operate vegetable gardens and plant climate resilient crops.  

Ghelani was also impressed by the Cash-for-Work (CFW) mechanism of the program, citing it as a leverage to community-involvement in addressing scarcity in nutrition and food security. 

In response to the UN’s positive remarks, the DSWD is full of gratitude, while assuring that under the leadership of Secretary Rex Gatchalian, the agency will continue to implement LAWA and BINHI projects and equip vulnerable communities toward climate and disaster resilience.

“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.

The UN commendation is another reason to boost the agency’s commitment in securing that the LAWA and BINHI project will be sustained and will remain among the DSWD’s active risk resiliency efforts, according to the DSWD spokesperson. 

Project LAWA and BINHI is designed to maintain agricultural productivity during dry periods and to manage excess water.

The project is among the DSWD’s innovations that focuses on mitigating the impact of food insecurity and water scarcity caused by El Niño while preparing for the potential effects of the rainy season. 

Project LAWA and BINHI was cited by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in his 3rd State of the Nation Address last 22 July, prompting the DSWD chief to say that “our small idea has become a SONA program."