Social Protection Vulnerability and Adaptation Manual (SP-VAM)

Poverty incidence in the Philippines remains to be a problem, and exposure to risks may be seen as one of the many dimensions of poverty. Poor families are typically more exposed to risks and are least protected from these risks. This brings two significant consequences — the poor severely affected when shocks occur, and they become unwilling to engage in the risk management activities.

Confronted with these challenges, the Department of Social Welfare and Development has established the Social Welfare and Development Reform Project (SWDRP), an instrument that supports the social protection program of the Government.

Along with the SWDRP, the Department has developed the Social Protection Vulnerability and Adaptation Manual (SP VAM), a tool for analysis that serves as a guide in assessing risks and in identifying adaptation strategies. The manual also provides detailed procedures in making risk and vulnerability analyses.

This assessment tool could identify families who are vulnerable to risks and the results could be used as guide for community leaders and local government officials to identify families that need protection from the effects of social, environmental and economic shocks.