By Benjie S. De Yro (member, Balay ni IFAN Media Group)
When it comes to nutrition, size does not matter. Look at the municipality of Ivana in Batanes.
While it is considered one of the smallest municipalities in the Philippines with only four barangays, the municipality is one of the biggest in terms of nutrition programs and projects for its people. In fact, it was bestowed the highest nutrition award this country can give, the Nutrition Honor Award.
In Ivana, it’s zero malnutrition. Mayor Leonardo Hostallero, chair of the municipal nutrition committee believes that investing in nutrition is part and parcel of a real good governance.
“We focused primarily on food security and nutrition,” he said. The committee has empowered the people to have available and accessible food in their homes to prevent malnutrition.
The sea of greenery along homes, schools and the community has even added to the total nutrition landscape even as various programs and projects were strengthened. In Ivana, every household, school and barangays maintain a vegetable garden. These are supported by regular distribution of vegetable seeds and other planting materials through the municipal nutrition committee.
While the produce are mainly consumed by the families, excess production are usually sold to an agri-fair organized every Sunday the local government. But what is production without support?
Mayor Hostallero said the municipality has built small dams and farm to market roads to ensure transport of produce from an efficient production. Likewise, starter kits for poultry and swine production and fishing gears were provided by the local agriculture office to augment income of poor nutritionally –at risk families. Livestock and poultry were given to such families.
For micronutrient deficient families, the local government launched the Seaweed at Isda Sagot sa Iodine Deficiency (SISID), a project aimed to promote sustainable livelihood and to sustain gains of the Iodine Deficiency elimination efforts of the municipality.
The processed seaweed chips has become a ‘must-buy’ pasalubong from the province. It is a project of the Infant and Young Child-Feeding – Breastfeeding Support Group (IYCF-BSG)members. The group has been federated in the four barangays, registered with the Department of Labor and employment last year. Through the provincial nutrition staff, a certificate of product registration from the Food and Drug Administration is being secured.
The municipal nutrition committee puts premium in maternal, infant, child health and nutrition through the Katuwang Niyo Kami Program. Possibly only in Ivana that ‘breastfeeding angels’ exist. Last year, four mother-volunteers joined this group of organized women who serve as on-call human milk banks and peer counsellors. Again, this resulted to a 100 percent breastfeeding rate in 2017.
As if these programs are not enough, the committee initiated the Bilis Ng Buntis Libre (BBL) program. It provides free laboratory tests for pregnant women, complete with pre-natal services. Earlier, a memorandum of agreement was signed between the rural health unit of Ivana and the Batanes Provincial Hospital.
There is a no-smoking campaign in the barangays initiated by the committee which utilizes a traditional town crier. The crier simply goes around an area to inform people, in particular, the harmful effects of smoking. This is part of the promotional efforts on healthy lifestyle and physical activity to fight non-communicable diseases in the barangay.
There is a sustained activity to address overweight and obesity through the conduct of LGUlympics every Friday where senior citizens and youth walk for a cause. While elementary school pupils have their “Zumbata,” government employees and the barangays conduct their Zumba every Wednesday.
Looking back, the Ivatans of Ivana knew that their isolation as a province and municipality will never be a pain in the neck to combat malnutrition, in particular, prevalence of underweight; a zero prevalence of underweight among pre-school children for the last consecutive years and zero prevalence of stunting was achieve in 2017.
Most local government units can only dream on what Ivana has achieved so far as its nutrition committee is determined to make a difference in the peoples’ health and nutrition. For an outsider, he can only whisper, ‘almost paradise.’
Leadership, after all, is not about glorious crowning; it’s about keeping the team focused on a goal and motivated to their best. Ivana is leadership exemplified.
