The National Nutrition Council Region I joins the 2022 National Women’s Month Celebration (NWMC) with its 6-year theme “We Make Change Work for Women: Agenda ng Kababaihan, Tungo sa Kaunlaran”.

The celebration coincides with the worldwide observance of International Women’s Day (IWD) which was first celebrated on 19 March (not the later 8 March), 1911.  In the Philippines, former President Corazon C. Aquino signed Proclamation No. 224 s. 1988 on 1 March, declaring the first week of March each year as Women’s Week and 8 March as Women’s Rights and International Peace Day. Then on 17 March 1988, she signed Proclamation No. 227 s. 1988 providing for the observance of March as Women’s Role in History Month. On 10 April 1990, she signed Republic Act (RA) 6949 an act declaring 8 March of every year as a Special Working Holiday known as National Women’s Day.

Anchored on this year’s theme “We Make Change Work for Women”, the celebration aims to highlight the empowerment of women as active contributors to and claimholders of development. This pursuit of development is also anchored on the commitment of “Malasakit at Pagbabago” or True Compassion and Real Change. It is also a celebration of women exercising their choices, taking chances to make their voices heard, and benefitting from and trailblazing changes. It is a celebration of Filipino women’s power to take the narrative, raise priority issues that matter to them, and call for concrete actions.

In the field of Nutrition, women are regarded as movers and shapers. According to Asec. Dayanghirang, women make up the majority of the NNC secretariat. Furthermore, the majority of nutrition workers employed in Local Government Units are women, as are more than 90% of Barangay Nutrition Scholars. They also play an important role in the population's healthy nutrition. The woman breastfeeds her newborn baby and prepares meals for her family members. Women make up the majority of workers in food manufacturing, trade, public catering, health care, and education. Women, therefore, play a key role in implementing a healthy nutrition policy, both in the family and in society as a whole. A study from as early as 2000 shows that women’s status and improvements in women’s education are associated with positive impacts on nutritional status. Evidence also suggests that when women are empowered, malnutrition is reduced. Thus, women's health and social status have a significant impact on the health of their children and future generations.

As Nutrition Champions, we play the most important role in strengthening women's rights during the Women's Month Celebration. Strengthening women's power, influence, and decision-making roles within the family and community can be an effective strategy for improving nutrition.

References:

https://pcw.gov.ph/assets/files/2022/02/2022-NWMC-Circular-PCW_Signed.pdf?x44372

http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/108364/E71413.pdf?sequence=1#:~:text=Women%20have%20a%20special%20role,education%20account%20for%20the%20majority.