The Municipality of Gutalac, Zamboanga del Norte successfully held their Buntis Congress on March 30, 2022 together with the Launching of the Tutok Kainan: Dietary Supplementation Program with the theme, "Kalusugan ni Nanay ay Pangalagaan, First 1000 days ni Baby ay Tutukan". The activity serves as the kick-off in the actual implementation of the said program. The event was attended by a total of two hundred ten (210) pregnant women beneficiaries, Nutrition Action Officer, RHU staff, Nutrition Staff, Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNSs), and Barangay Health Workers (BHWs).
The event highlighted various activities such as Orientation on Tutok Kainan Dietary Supplementation Program among the stakeholders, health workers, and pregnant women program beneficiaries, giving various lectures on Maternal Health-Related Advocacies, free medical and laboratory services, COVID -19 vaccination, and the distribution of Buntis Kit and nutrition commodities to pregnant women.
Malnutrition remains a problem in the country. This NNCs newly-conceived nutrition-specific project, the “Tutok Kainan Dietary Supplementation Program”, is among the flagship programs that have been perceived to immediately address the problem of malnutrition. The dietary supplementation program aims to provide a platform for educating mothers on desirable complementary feeding practices, as well as to promote the local food supply value chain between the national government program "Tutok Kainan" and local Agrarian Reform Beneficiary Organizations (ARBOs), Sustainable Livelihood Program Associations, and Farmer-fisherfolk Cooperatives. It specifically aims to contribute to the prevention of stunting among children aged 0 to 23 months by improving the quality and quantity of food and nutrient intakes, as well as utilization of related ECCD F1K services among nutritionally at-risk pregnant women in the Tutok Kainan program areas.
The Gutalac Rural Health Unit and Municipal Social Welfare Office expressed their sincere thanks to the guests, sponsors, and participants for making this event a success. The Local Chief Executive of the Municipality of Gutalac, Hon. Onesimo "Jun" Coma Jr. expressed his gratitude and commitment to continuously support the health and nutrition advocacies in his LGU during the Buntis Congress 2022. He said, “Together, we can be champions in nutrition in our respective municipality!”
- PNFP Rowence F. Zorilla, RND
