The National Nutrition Council (NNC) an attached agency of the Department of Health recognizes the vital role of NGOs in shaping and implementing various programs that directly or indirectly impact on the nutritional status of the community. Linking and collaborating with this sector widens the door for partnership and for exploring and scaling up innovations for nutrition improvement to accelerate the efforts in achieving targetsof the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) 2011 – 2016 and the Millennium Development Goal No. 1 in halving the prevalence of undernutrition by 2015.
On 05 December 2014, the National Nutrition Council held a Regional NGOs’ Forum for Nutrition in Zamboanga City in partnership with the ACF International (Action Contre la Faim or Action Against Hunger) a global humanitarian organization committed to ending world hunger. Aimed at maximizing the support of the sector to collaborate with the government programs in improving the nutrition situation of children, NGOs were oriented on the prevailing nutritional status of children in the region based on the 8th National Nutrition Survey of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute conducted in 2013 as well as the directions and strategies of the Updated Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition 2014-2016.
A total of 17Non-Government Organizations and academe operating in Region 9 responded to the invitation to join the forum as participants and resource persons. Among the NGOs present who served as resource persons, were the Child Fund Philippines which has been assisting poor families in Basilan Province through projects that focused on improving maternal and child health, food production and income generating projects and; the ACF International that has been assisting the Local Government Unit in the nutrition rehabilitation of children affected with Severe and Moderate Acute Malnutrition in the evacuation centers in Zamboanga City. The two organizations represented by the Area Manager Mrs. Margarita Auxtero and Dr. Oscar Fudalan of the CFP and ACF International respectively shared their experiences in implementing the various projects that contributed to the improved socio- economic situation of families and direct nutrition care of children in the area covered by their organization.
Sharing experiences in GO-NGO collaboration were the Assistant Regional Director Mr. Martin Wee of the Department of Science and Technology who elaborated on their strategy of empowering the community thru science and technology by partnering with the NGOs and LGUs through Livelihood/Economic Enterprise Development and other entry points such as Water and Sanitation, Health and Nutrition among others. On the other hand, Dr. Sharon Malicsi of the City Health office of Zamboanga City shared their experience in partnering with ACF International on the rehabilitation of the children in evacuation centers from Severe and Moderate Acute Malnutrition.
The presentation by the National nutrition Council of the nutrition situation of mothers and children in the region as well as the directions of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition and the launching of the Generation Nutrition Campaign by the ACF International that advocates for a world free of child deaths from acute malnutrition, provided the NGOs with the perspective where they could efficiently collaborate in improving the nutritional status of families and children in the region.
The NGOs’ Forum for Nutrition succeeded in opening doors for collaboration between the National Nutrition Counciland the sector as commitments were generated for nutrition interventions that were identified bythe various NGOs and academe during the table by table workshop. It shall also strengthen future GO-NGO partnership in scaling up interventions to accelerate nutrition improvement and provide families and the children opportunities to better health and productive lives through good nutrition.
