25 March 2019 – NNC MIMAROPA completed the social preparation activities for the implementation of the Early Childhood Care and Development in the First 1,000 Days of Life (ECCD-F1K) Program for the province of Occidental Mindoro and its 11 municipalities.

Orientation meetings with the local chief executives as well as with members of the Provincial and Municipal Nutrition Committees of Abra de Ilog, Calintaan, Looc, Lubang, Magsaysay, Mamburao, Paluan, Rizal, Sablayan, San Jose and Santa Cruz were done.

The orientation meeting for the province was held on January 30, 2019, first with no less than Governor Gene Mendiola in attendance, along with the Provincial Nutrition Action Officer, Dr. Araceli Rebong, and later with the members of the Provincial Nutrition Committee and the Municipal Nutrition Action Officers. On the other hand, the orientation meetings for the municipal nutrition committees were done from February 13 to March 11, 2019.

The meetings involved the orientation on the ECCD-F1K program which discussed the program’s background, target beneficiaries and covered local government units. Also discussed were strategies on facilitating the processing of legal documents of province and municipalities of Occidental Mindoro.

Through the meeting, the province and municipalities of Occidental Mindoro will facilitate the signing of Memorandum of Agreement with the National Nutrition Council.

ECCD-F1K Program is a package of interventions for the first 1,000 days which starts from conception up to the child’s second birthday with the goal of contributing to the full development of the child through integrated services of health, nutrition, early education and social services, and consequently the improvement in the quality of the country’s human resource base, as a contribution to reduce poverty. -FEPBacena