An easier, faster, and more transparent way to support local social welfare initiatives and charitable causes is now within reach as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) officially launched its online donation platform ‘Kaagapay.’
In a news release sent Monday, DSWD Assistant Secretary Ana Maria Paz Rafael assured full transparency of its transactions, saying all donations received via the online portal go straight to beneficiaries.
Rafael, who heads the DSWD Partnership Building and Resource Mobilization Office (PBRMO) that is in charge of the project, said one of the salient features of ‘Kaagapay’ is that all donations processed over this platform go directly to the recipients and will not pass through the DSWD.
“From the very start, our intention was very clear—to make the donation process easier for every good Samaritan out there,” she said.
Rafael noted that ‘Kaagapay’ caters to all donors who want to help Filipinos served by the DSWD through its disaster response and relief operations, residential care facilities, Social Welfare and Development Agencies (SWDAs), as well as its partner local government units.
Through the portal, a dashboard will give a real-time overview on how much money has been raised, and how many people have donated—keeping every transaction transparent for the scrutiny of the donors and the public.
The SWDAs, as explained by Rafael, is commonly-known as private organizations, non-government organizations (NGOs), and civil society organizations (CSOs) that provide essential social welfare and development services to the vulnerable sectors.
”Under this feature, the public can easily access information on the work that they do, a brief background on their history, and the sector they particularly aid with their services. We also hope to give a platform for non-mainstream foundations to make their donation channels more accessible to interested donors,” Rafael said.
The DSWD official said the website is designed to provide the donors with a simpler and more convenient way to lodge their help, and ensure that it reaches intended beneficiaries as soon as possible.
“Our private sector donors can easily process their donations through payment gateways such as Maya and GCash which have been integrated in the website for a more seamless experience,” Rafael said.
For donations under disaster response, the portal will only accept cash donations through digital transactions to prevent poor-quality perishable goods from being distributed to disaster-stricken areas.
In-kind donations, on the other hand, can be sent directly by the donors to their chosen DSWD-run residential facilities or SWDAs.
The portal will help link the donor to partner courier services of the agency from the logistics industry. The payment for the delivery will also be shouldered by the donor, which they can easily process with the digital transaction.
The ‘Kaagapay’ Donations Portal is among the digital projects unveiled by the DSWD in celebration of its 74th anniversary from February 17-21 with the theme “Bawat Pamilyang Pilipino ay Mahalaga sa Bagong Pilipinas.”