To further improve the capacity of BNSs in performing their roles and task effectively and efficiently, the Provincial Health Office of Romblon, in collaboration with the National Nutrition Council MIMAROPA and the PDOHO-Romblon, held their Training on Basic Course for BNS from February 20 to 24, 2023. Led by their DNPC, Ms. Merly A. Bayang, and ND Ms. Carmen Chita M. Gumban, the capacity development activity was attended by a total of five (5) MNAOs, seventeen (17) Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNSs), and three (3) MNAO staff.
NNC MIMAROPA represented by PEO I Nichole Loyola and PDO I Lorelie Millares, together with PDOHO-Romblon, ND II Krisia R. Mallari-Romero served as Resource Persons in the said training. The five-day training consists of modules designed to capacitate knowledge and skills of BNS. The modules were: 1) The Barangay Nutrition Scholars Program; 2) Basic Concepts on Food and Nutrition; 3) Developing Skills of the BNSs needed in performing the roles and tasks of BNSs; 4) Situating the Barangay Nutrition Program Management in the Local Development System; and 5) The BNSs in Action.
Hands-on activities for weight and height measurements where each BNS was requested to find a partner, from which one shall serve as measurer while the other is the assistant were also incorporated. Each pair was requested to measure the weight, length/height, and MUAC of the child. Facilitators and MNAOs observed the strategies of BNSs in doing the actual measurement, comments and suggestions were provided during the discussion proper.
Participants were also challenged in manually computing the age in months and classifying the nutritional status of under-five children using the WHO Child Growth Standard (CGS) Tables. Several exercises were given until the participants somehow mastered the computation. Tips when rounding off the length or height, to be used in WHO CGS Weight-for-Length/Height Table was provided. Correct computation of age in months is necessary to classify the nutritional status accurately.
During the graduation ceremony, PNAO Viola III thanked NNC MIMAROPA for the continuous support to the LGU and shared that this activity will only be one of the lined-up activities for nutrition programs with the goals of reducing their prevalence rates in malnutrition and, likewise, scaling up the nutrition interventions of their municipality.
The learnings of the BNSs of Romblon from the training reinforced their knowledge and skills which they can use to further improve their assessment of the nutritional status of children in their respective barangays that can consequently enhance the targeting for nutrition program implementation in the province of Romblon.
Written by: PDO I Lorelie Millares
