The National Nutrition Council Regional Office 09 had initiated the training of IYCF Peer Counsellors in selected barangays in the region.  From January of this year 2014 at  least 108 mothers from seven barangays in the cities of Dipolog, Pagadian, Isabela and the municipality of Diplahan in Zamboanga Sibugay were given the basic knowledge and skills on counselling other mothers in their communities, especially new mothers, on the appropriate  Infant and Young child Feeding (IYCF) practices.

The Peer Counsellors will be promoting of the IYCF practices primarily to mothers with infants and children below two years old to encourage them to practice Exclusive Breastfeeding (EBF) from birth of the infant until six months old and to start timely and adequate complementary feeding from six months onward with continued breastfeeding until two years of age and beyond. This practice on IYCF as espoused by the World Health Organization and as adopted policy of the Department of Health is proven to be the most effective intervention to reduce child mortality and malnutrition.

The concept of IYCF trained peer counsellors in the community helps to establish a support system for mothers to practice exclusive breastfeeding, prolonging the breastfeeding duration and the timely introduction of complementary foods that are nutritious and adequate in amount.

The deployment of IYCF Peer Counsellors have proven to be effective in increasing the practice of EBF as seen in the doubling of the EBF rate in Zamboanga City after a year of deploying peer counsellors in the barangays. The initial training of IYCF Peer Counsellors in the selected barangays in the three cities of the region will be closely monitored to serve as models to be replicated and expanded by the Local Government Units to more areas within the cities and municipalities. There is great expectation that with more IYCF Peer counsellors present in the different communities, mothers will have better knowledge and practice of good nutrition to prevent malnutrition and early deaths of children in the region.