The city government of Caloocan, in its commitment to improve its nutrition program, hired an additional 179 Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNSs) on August 2015 and continues to deploy them in 2016. To date, there are 247 BNSs covering the city’s 188 barangays.
Barangay Nutrition Scholars are community-based nutrition workers who provide basic nutrition and related services to the communities, particularly to malnourished children and their families. They also serve as the link between the community and the service providers.
In 2014, there were only 14 BNSs in the city. This scarce human resource for nutrition made it difficult for the local nutrition committees to reach their service targets for nutrition and related programs and services. A notable decline in the coverage of Operation Timbang Plus (OPT) in 2014 was seen. The city’s weighing coverage in 2014 was only 43.79%, the lowest in Metro Manila. OPT is the massive weighing of children 0-71 months old which aims to determine the prevalence of malnutrition at the barangay level and guide local program planners in planning and implementing appropriate nutrition programs.
Challenged by this low OPT coverage, the City Nutrition Committee, through its Nutrition Action Officer, City Planning Officer, City Health Officer and the Secretariat worked out for the hiring of additional BNS. Guided by Presidential Decree No. 1569 otherwise known as “Strengthening the Barangay Nutrition Scholar Program by Providing a Barangay Nutrition Scholar in Every Barangay, Providing Funds Thereof and for Other Purposes”, the group lobbied to the Sangguniang Panglungsod through the Chairman of the Committee on Health who is also a member of the CNC, for the passage of a City Ordinance requiring the deployment of one BNS in every barangay with a population of 5,000 and below and two (2) or more BNSs in barangays with a population of more than 5,000 with the city’s Gender and Development (GAD) Program as funding source.
While waiting for the passage of the City Ordinance, the City Planning Officer and the Budget Officer, who are also CNC members, agreed to include in the City Investment Plan the hiring of additional BNSs. With the approval of the City Mayor and the Sangguniang Panglunsod, an additional 179 BNSs were hired in August 2015.
The deployment of more BNSs resulted to an increase in the weighing coverage and increased outreach for micronutrient supplementation, deworming, salt testing and distribution of micronutrient powder among others. This only proves that indeed, the BNSs are important human resource for nutrition as they play a vital role in the delivery of nutrition services in the barangays for nutrition improvement. (MTGA/MEVF/NNCNCR)
Written by Ms. Maria Teresa G. Abando, Nutritionist-Dietitian II, Caloocan City
Ms. Abando is a member of the NCR Nutrition Writers’ Guild and the NCR Nutrition Communication Resource (NCR2) Group. She is also the Treasurer of the City/District Nutrition Program Coordinators of Metro Manila Association, Inc.
