W A N T E D: S O C I A L  W O R K E R S

                   Nangka is one of the most accessible barangays in Marikina City since it is along public roads used for transportation. They are also one of the barangays in Marikina with a large population thus they would encounter numerous social issues such as children getting involved in criminal offenses, poverty, malnutrition and poor family planning. Nonetheless, the most alarming issue of the barangay is poverty which would usually stem out from lack of financial stability and lack of proper education among the residents. Poverty causes malnutrition in the area which made them the one of the top barangays who experiences malnutrition. Lack of financial stability as well as lack of proper education raises the cases of Children in Conflict with the Law (CICL).
                   
                    However, the barangay utilizes all its resources to be able to respond to these problems. Regarding the lack of proper education, the barangay supports the Alternative Learning System (ALS) which aims to support old aged out-of-school youth. The barangay also has a foundation which supports out-of-school youth that are identified by the Department of Education. They are then granted with free uniform and school supplies. Regarding the poverty and malnutrition that the barangay experiences, the barangay has a daycare. The daycare provides support for 50 students and their families residing in the settlement area through a feeding program done daily and livelihood support for the families by providing a small starting capital. However, the families do not have enough knowledge on business which makes the livelihood program a little useless. Additionally, the barangay partners with the religious sector to perform community service to respond to these issues. They also encourage volunteers to teach values education among the youth. Lastly, as a response to malnutrition, health workers monitor the families of children by regularly checking on their health status and they would provide basic treatment to any health issue. The programs above are effective since the families really utilize the livelihood support provided to them and the children really do learn from the education support the barangay provides.

                       The barangay only has ONE social worker which is a little alarming since the barangay has several social issues to address. The barangay wants social workers to do thorough research on the problems that the barangay is experiencing to really know what is the root cause of the problem. They also wish for the social workers to provide seminars to the local officials and employees because sometimes, the problem stems out from the system of governance. The barangay also wishes to be provided help to address all the aspects of society. The barangay appreciates physical government support but they wish to have a psychological support form the government, as well as from the social workers in the country. Sometimes, these people do not only need to have material things to address their problems but they also need moral support to help them go through their hardships within themselves as well as from their surroundings.
                     
                 

Here is a short video which highlights a few, important points from the interview in Nangka Barangay Hall:

            The kagawad that was interviewed stressed on the idea that although they may only have one professional social worker, they still consider everyone in the community as a social worker. Since they are all in one community, it is just right to support each other towards positive change.