In a graduation ceremony held at the Cotabato City office of CFSI on 20 October 2012, thirty-six (36) Mindanao social workers received the Master of Teaching in Social Work (MTSW) degree from the Catholic University of America (CUA). Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Juliano-Soliman of the Department of Social Welfare and Development delivered the commencement address. These social workers graduated from the Social Work Education Project (SWEP), a leadership development and peacebuilding project administered by CFSI.
SWEP produced its First Cohort of thirty-two (32) social workers in February 2009, followed by the Second Cohort, which graduated in October 2010, again with thirty-two (32) social workers. The graduation of the Third Cohort comprised of thirty-six (36) social workers leads to a total of one hundred (100) social workers who have received the MTSW degree.
Of the 100 graduates of SWEP, roughly 40% are serving in government social welfare at the regional, provincial, and local levels. Other graduates (45%) serve with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or teach social work at the bachelors’ degree level (15%). Each of the graduates has committed to continue working in the conflict-affected areas of Mindanao for at least two years, ideally enabling the people of Mindanao to benefit from their newly acquired knowledge and skills.
The MTSW degree programme was offered through the SWEP, which involves collaboration between CUA and a local consortium of Philippines-based organizations led by CFSI and including the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA), Cotabato City State Polytechnic College (CCSPC), Mindanao State University (MSU) – Marawi City, and Western Mindanao State University (WMSU) – Zamboanga City. SWEP is administered by CFSI and was launched in 2006.
As the lead academic institution in this endeavor, CUA waived all tuition fees for the 100 graduates, representing a contribution of more than US$1.78 million over six years. The SWEP is an initiative in support of the peace process between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.