May 14, 2016, Saturday, Madrasa Baraka Orphanage, Cotabato City—The Junior Chamber International-Cotabato, a non-profit international non-governmental organization, in partnership with the Department of Health-National Nutrition Council-ARMM conducted an activity called “Helping Hands: Handog sa kabataan kalinisan at kalusugan!”.

The group gave out hygiene kits, school supplies, sacks of rice, slippers and noodles. Ms. Hannah Farinah M. Lidasan, Nutrition Officer III of the National Nutrition Council-ARMM, a Junior Chamber International Member, gave a lecture on the Ten Nutritional Guidelines for Muslim Filipinos (NGMF) during the said activity. 

A Madrasah (مدرسة) is the Arabic word for school.  An Islamic school usually offers two courses of study: a ḥafiẓ,memorization of the Qur'an ; and an ʻālim course, a person who studies to become an Arabic scholar and many often move on to becoming imams, an Islamic leadership position. 

Children enrolled in the Madrasah Baraka Orphanage are mostly orphans who lack secular knowledge such as proper hand washing, nutrition and healthy lifestyle which makes it a perfect place for them to be educated on the Ten Nutritional Guidelines for Muslim Filipinos (NGMF), for it has an Islamic perspective (from Hadith and Holy Qur’an). Doing this would also help NNC-ARMM to convey and disseminate the message on proper nutrition in a immense Muslim community.