Published December 17, 2020, 10:21 PM
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has advised the public against giving tokens to street children and indigenous peoples (IPs) on the streets during this holiday season, saying that it would only expose them to various health and safety hazards.
MANILA BULLETIN FILE
“While the DSWD understands the willingness to help the needy, especially during this season, assistance however should consider how street children and IPs are kept away from health and safety risks,” it said in a statement on Thursday night.
The Department said instead of resorting to alms-giving on the streets, those who want to help street dwellers and IPs may organize gift-giving activities, feeding sessions, or medical missions at activity centers in the local government units (LGUs) that conform with the health and safety protocols set by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).