Do you want to become the next Outstanding Barangay Nutrition Scholar (OBNS) at the regional or national levels? How prepared are you to be evaluated by the nutrition evaluation team? The National Nutrition Council (NNC) monitors and appraises the progress of the implementation of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) at various levels among performances of local government units as well as local nutrition workers – Local Nutrition Action Officers (NAOs), Local Nutrition Program Coordinators (LNPCs) and Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNSs) who are good workers and at the same time nutrition champion performers.
Annually, NNC gives recognition to the top-performing BNSs, most especially the coveted National Outstanding Barangay Nutrition Scholar (NOBNS) award. It is a nationwide search conducted to BNSs with at least two (2) consecutive years of service who are endorsed by their respective regions for reaching the required cut-off points. A team of nutrition evaluators from the city or municipal level evaluates all BNSs based on their whole year performance and the impact of their implemented nutrition programs in his/her barangay. The BNS with the highest score, that is reaching the cut-off score or above/better, will be declared as City/Municipal Outstanding Barangay Nutrition Scholar (C/MOBNS). The COBNS will compete next at the regional level, while all MOBNS in the province will compete for the Provincial Outstanding Barangay Nutrition Scholar (POBNS) award. At the regional level, the Regional Outstanding BNS (ROBNS) will be chosen among the POBNS and COBNS evaluated by the Regional Nutrition Evaluation Team. The evaluators from the municipal to the national level use a standard tool for evaluation. Aside from the recognition, the N/ROBNS receives a cash award and a trophy from the NNC.
Based on the roles and functions of a BNS, these are the following criteria that will be evaluated aiming for the highest performance level of a BNS to qualify for OBNS:
1. Planning – the BNS mobilizes all members of the Barangay Nutrition Committee (BNC) and external partners to formulate the Barangay Nutrition Action Plan (BNAP).
2. Organizing – the BNS ensures the organization of the BNC consists of the recommended members with additional members from the Barangay Council and external partners; the BNS conducts follow through on the performance of the functions of the BNC members through the BNC Chair; the BNS follows through the agreements and action lines in the BNC meeting.
3. Advocacy for the local nutrition program and local nutrition workers to the local nutrition committees – the BNS advocates for the implementation of new or innovative nutrition programs/projects/activities as needed.
4. Coordination – the BNS, together with the BNC members, coordinates the nutrition and nutrition-related activities in the barangay, provides technical assistance to fellow workers and follows through actions as planned.
5. Resource Generation – the BNS, together with the BNC members, conducts resource generation activities for nutrition programs/projects/activities and taps barangay-based organizations and external partners for resource generation.
6. Documentation and Record-Keeping – the BNS maintains a nutrition database by purok/sitio in print and electronic format.
7. Monitoring and Evaluation – the BNS, together with the BNC members, conducts quarterly monitoring of the implementation of nutrition and nutrition-related interventions and provides technical assistance to fellow workers and follow-through actions.
To easily evaluate the performance of a BNS, the BNS should prepare the necessary documents for desk review by the evaluators. A list of sources has been provided by the MELLPI Pro tool as their guide. All the BNS needs to do is to prepare these documents on a timely basis so that it will make their preparation for evaluation less burdensome. This is also a reflection on how well the BNS delivers his/her role as a barangay-based volunteer nutrition worker. So, what are you waiting for? Be prepared. Be the next Outstanding Barangay Nutrition Scholar and be one of the spoons to champion nutrition.
NO I Zhalimar Ali Jakaria-Patulada, RND
References:
BNS Handbook
Chapter 1 The Barangay Nutrition Scholars Program
MELLPI Pro Forms/Tool for the Local Nutrition Worker_BNS
