A total of 1,987 livelihood starter kits were handed out by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) through its regional offices to distressed OFWs who returned to the country from January to December 2014 through the welfare agency’s Balik-Pinas, Balik-Hanapbuhay program.

Majority of the distressed OFW-beneficiaries were females who worked as household service workers and caregivers. The remaining number comprised skilled workers, mostly male, from countries experiencing political and civil unrest such as Libya and Syria.

Most of the recipients came from Region III, followed by Regions IV-A, X, V, CAR, XI, NCR, XII, II, VI, VIII, and I.

The livelihood starter kits that amounted to P19.72M were to be used mostly for food-related ventures in various modes. These are in trading (buy and sell, rice and other foods and consumer goods, fish vending, mini-grocery, e-load, etc), agricultural production (crops, livestock & poultry), food service (carinderia, kakanin), food processing (meats, foods, fruits, candies, etc), service (salon, spa, parlor, massage, cell phone repair, computer repair, electrical repair) and manufacturing (bakery, dress making, tailoring, candle making).

Balik-Pinas-Balik-Hanapbuhay is a one-time-availment, non-cash, livelihood assistance given to returning OFWs who were displaced from their jobs due to wars/political conflicts in their host countries, or were maltreated, or victimized by human trafficking.

Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA)
ADVOCACY AND SOCIAL MARKETING DIVISION (ASMD)