Alleviating Poverty in The Philippines and Beyond

Poverty Reduction Schemes have existed in different forms for decades. They can include microfinance, conditional cash transfers, employment guarantee schemes, universal cash transfers and many other options. Success has been found in China, which became the first developing country to achieve the first Millennium Development Goal of halving poverty. Between 1990 and 2011, China lifted 439 million poor people out of poverty, contributing significantly to global poverty reduction. 

Currently defined as living on less than $2.15 per day, poverty has no borders. Poverty alleviation schemes can be run by various organisations, including governments and NGOs. Such schemes are currently taking place in Canada (with TogetherBC), Bangladesh (with BRAC UPGI) and Brazil (with Bolsa Familia) among others with varying degrees of success.

It’s easy to get weighed down in the numbers and miss the personal stories. We wanted to hear from the women and girls directly affected by these programmes so we decided to focus on two specific schemes: Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in The Philippines and the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund.

Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps)

The 4Ps began in 2007 and has so far served over 5 million households. Investing in health, nutrition, education, and pyscho-social development, 4Ps gives out conditional cash grants and aims to have beneficiaries ready to exit the scheme within seven years. Enrollment into the scheme is decided by the National Household Targeting System (NHTS) who determine the poorest households and identify which of those have children 18 years old and below or pregnant members at the time of the household assessment. 4Ps aims to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty by investing in the education and health of the younger generation belonging to poor households.

The programme includes an education grant, a health grant and a rice subsidy. Money from the government is locked into this programme, meaning that even during global crises such as the pandemic, beneficiaries still received the grants. Below we hear directly from two recipients of the scheme to hear how it affected them.

Zacara Postrano Lastimado

Zacara is 22 and a member of the Umayamnon Tribe:

 “I enrolled in college because I have a dream to become a teacher. I belong to the Umayamnon Tribe in Bukidnon, and this identity pushed me to become somebody for myself, my family, and the community. This program is one of the privileges which led me to my present context. I can still remember the roller coaster ride I had when I was in elementary. My family belongs to the low-earning class, and we have had just enough money to sustain the necessities. It was a challenging journey wherein my parents (Tita and Zacarias) needed to find a job to suffice our academic needs. But, since they are not degree holders, they just had the bare minimum earnings working for eight hours a day. It was the cycle of our lives before we became a 4Ps beneficiary. However, the program was a huge help in realizing my dream to graduate and earn a degree.

This experience taught me to aim for excellence. I was awarded the Exemplary Child Bukidnon, represented the province at the regional level, and eventually attended the National Children’s Conference in Manila. It was my first time in Manila, and I treasured that life-changing experience. I finished my Senior High School with the help of my parents and the providence of financial support from the program. I encourage [all beneficiaries] to remember where they came from and not forget the people, organizations, and other institutions who help them realize their dreams. Lastly, I invite them to be rooted in their identity and dream not only for themselves but also for those who do not have adequate social spaces in the arena of the country.”

“The program was a huge help in realizing my dream to graduate and earn a degree.” - Zacara Postrano Lastimado

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Marecar Gayamo

Marecar is a mother of four and a former beneficiary of 4Ps. Looking back on the experience she speaks about the difficulties they faced prior to their enrollment; with her husband having to pay daily rent for a tricycle to use for work and the lack of money meaning she struggled to pay for food for their children.

“Our situation back then [before the scheme] was unimaginable and I wondered how we were able to get by.”

The cash grants were obviously hugely beneficial to the family, but it was the activities and interventions provided that sparked the real change: “When we [became] beneficiaries, there were times that my self-esteem was low. However, every time I attended Family Development Sessions, I felt energized. Same is true with my husband. He finds every topic a big help. For us, FDS is very important. As I always attend FDS, where most of the topics are women empowerment, instead of over thinking about the problem, I need to take action. I stopped studying for 13 years. I went back to college when I was 30 years old. When I had the money, I immediately paid for my tuition. I enrolled in the BS Social Work program.”

After graduating, Marecar joined the Government as a Municipal Link, working with households who are now recipients of the 4Ps.

“I have proven that having a degree is not dependent on a person’s age. I was 35 years old when I graduated. .. If you have a dream, act on it.” - Marecar Gayamo

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Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund

Working in 149 districts across Pakistan, PPAF have provided almost three million interest-free loans to those in need. As well as loans, PPAF provide assets (such as farming equipment and livestock) and skills development training, as well as working on projects focused on health, education and infrastructure. They particularly focus on women in communities and ensuring that they have the resources they need to become self-sufficient. Below, we hear from two of these women about how the PPAF has helped them.

Fauzia Faheem

Fauzia is based in Multan, Punjab and is mother to three children. She was working as a teacher in the daytime while running a beauty salon in the evening but wanted a way to scale up her business. She was able to do this with help from Farmers Development Organization (FDO), a local partner of the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund, who gave her PKR 25,000 (approx £70) of an interest-free loan to purchase additional cosmetics and jewellery for her salon. Spurred on by the success of her business expansion, she repaid the first loan and took a larger second loan to purchase a garment store for her husband to manage. She then handed the initial beauty salon to her sister, and set up an additional stall in a nearby market. In doing this, Fauzia has been able to quadruple her monthly income and provide a better life for her family. 

“It is for the first time since our marriage that we performed sacrifice on Eid this year, and distributed meat in the neighbourhood.” 

Subhania Bibi

Subhania Bibi lives and works as a teacher in Zoornandi, in the North West of Pakistan. Impressed with PPAF’s Programme for Poverty Reduction, Subhania volunteered to form a women’s community group in her village. Subhania faced initial resistance from her family but seeing her passion and excitement about the group, they relented. Due to Subhania’s work, numbers of the group quickly rose from 6 to 95. Later, Subhania got elected as an executive member of the local support organisation where she worked to convince parents of the benefits of educating their children. Subhania Bibi believes that meaningful transformation in a society can only occur if both men and women respect each other, and work towards improving their lives. Alongside working with other community organisations and introducing a new sanitation scheme to the area, Subhania also led her local support organisations in conversations to build a new link road in the region, worth PKR 360,000 (approx £1,010).