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“Breastmilk is the natural first food for babies, it provides all the energy and nutrients that the infant needs for the first months of life, and it continues to provide up to half or more of a child’s nutritional needs during the second half of the first year, and up to one-third during the second year of life. Breastfeeding contributes to the health and well-being of mothers, it helps to space children, reduces the risk of ovarian cancer and breast cancer, increases family and national resources, is a secure way of feeding and is safe for the environment” – World Health Organization
Frances Francisco gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Alonso. Glenda Lagadia gave birth to a healthy baby girl, Aliyah. Both mommies gave birth last February 2020. Mommy Frances used to work as an Architect before giving birth to Alonso, spending most of her time at the construction sites or doing office work. Mommy Glenda, on the other hand, is a businesswoman who spends time working at home. Both of them see the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) as a good opportunity to focus more on their families, particularly on their babies.
Both mommies believe that breastfeeding is the best decision they made, giving the best gift to their babies… their breastmilk.
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In an effort to scale up emergency response during the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) to contain the spread of COVID-19, Mayor Oscar ‘Oca’ Malapitan welcomed partnership with the private sector, a demonstration of the public-private partnership (PPP).
Recognizing the limitations of the city government in addressing the needs of his constituents during the COVID-19 crisis, Mayor Malapitan partnered with the private sector to be able to meet the increasing demand for relief assistance. They need to cover as many families as possible in providing food packs and other services. The value of having PPPs became more significant when food donations from private organizations, business companies and private individuals started pouring in to help more families who are in need.
Read more: Caloocan City gives aid to more families through PPP
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More local government units in Metro Manila have set up mobile markets or Kadiwa stores to ensure that their constituents have access to basic food commodities. Four (4) Metro Manila LGUs have rolled out their mobile markets this April, namely Malabon, San Juan, Mandaluyong and Pateros. This is in addition to the ten (10) LGUs that launched their mobile markets last March as part of their COVID-19 response during this Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) period. At present, 14 out of the 17 Metro Manila LGUs have their own mobile markets except for the cities of Marikina, Manila and Las Pińas.
The city of Malabon rolled out their Palengke on Wheels on April 1 to bring the market closer to the residents. The city’s electric tricycles or e-trikes carry fresh vegetables, rice, egg, chicken and pork that are sold from 9:00 to 11:30 in the morning and 3:00 to 6:00 in the afternoon at selected barangays.
Read more: Mobile markets: making food more accessible during ECQ
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What does a day in the life of a Barangay Nutrition Scholar (BNS) look like?
A BNS provides nutrition services to households with children 5 years and below, malnourished children, pregnant and lactating women, and senior citizens. We may know BNSs as the ones going on house-to-house visits regardless of the weather. They are relentless in accomplishing their task to locate and identify malnourished children through the Operation Timbang Plus program. They are our nutrition information banks in the barangay; may it be masterlists of malnourished children, pregnant and lactating mothers, or existing nutrition interventions; you name it, and they can give it to you. We know them as community mobilizers, linkage-builders, and advocates for nutrition–but their work doesn’t end there.
In the time of COVID-19, a day in the life of a BNS looks different. During these extraordinary times, our BNSs continue to serve at the frontline as part of the Barangay Health Emergency Response Team (BHERT).
Read more: Barangay Nutrition Scholars: Our Modern-Day Nutrition Heroes
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Due to the rising cases of the Coronavirus Disease or COVID-19, the World Health Organization encourages the public to eat healthy and nutritious food to help boost the immune system not just for COVID-19 but protection for other diseases as well.
With the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) restrictions, many families are faced with the challenge of meeting their food needs. So how can these families eat healthy and nutritious meals with limited or no money to buy food?
Read more: Veggie Gardens as source of healthy, nutritious food during COVID-19
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“Meron ka bang tanong tungkol sa pagpapasuso o pagpapakain sa sanggol na anim (6) na buwan pataas? Kailangan mo ba ng kausap tungkol dito, Momshies?” Worry no more because the NCR Breastfeeding Friends (BFFs) are here to help you.
The City/District Nutrition Program Coordinators (C/DNPC) of Metro Manila Association with the assistance of the National Nutrition Council – NCR (NNC-NCR) put up an online counseling for mothers/caregivers who are having problems related to infant and young child feeding (IYCF).
IYCF is a set of well-known and common recommendations for proper feeding of newborn and children under two years old. The World Health Organization and UNICEF recommend: (1) early initiation of breastfeeding within 1 hour of birth; (2) exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life; and (3) introduction of nutritionally-adequate and safe complementary (solid) foods at 6 months together with continued breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond.
Read more: NCR BFFs provide online IYCF counseling to mothers
