27 July 2021, Cagayan de Oro City – The National Nutrition Council (NNC) X conducted the Local Nutrition Early Warning System for Food and Nutrition Security (LNEWS-FNS) Program Implementation Review (PIR) and 1st semester monitoring last 26 July 2021 via Zoom. It was attended by eight (8) core group members from program areas Bonifacio, Misamis Occidental, Kadingilan and Talakag, Bukidnon and facilitated by Nutrition Officers Arlie Joy O. Damiles and Liezel Joy D. Reyes.
The PIR was held to determine the factors that facilitated the implementation of the LNEWS-FNS and to immediately address any challenges encountered by the local government units (LGUs). These were identified through workshop sessions: 1) Assessment of LNEWS-FNS Implementation Process; and 2) Successes and positive outcomes resulting from the use of LNEWS-FNS data.
Municipal Nutrition Action Officers presented LNEWS survey results highlighting the four-quarter trend of food security and the nutrition situation in their municipality for the year 2019. Most of the indicators’ alerts status are in normal condition or has minimal impact. However, the price of select food items increased and at a critical level that affects food accessibility.
The LGUs also shared the challenges they have encountered in the program implementation and the steps undertaken to address it. The common challenges identified are the delayed data collection (primary and secondary data), lack of personnel for data consolidation, and limited budget allocation for the program. Meanwhile, the strong commitment of program implementers, timely data collection, strengthened service delivery, collaboration of LNEWS core group members and integration of LNEWS recommendations in the local plans were among the best practices identified by the participants during the second workshop.
To ensure the sustainability of the program despite the pandemic, the following are the recommendations to LNEWS areas: conduct the monitoring simultaneously during the conduct of growth monitoring and nutrition screening activities, constantly lobby budget allocation for the program from municipal down to barangay level, and intensify the nutrition education activities for positive behavioral change.
Nutrition Program Coordinator Gladys Mae S. Fernandez emphasized the importance of the Early Warning System in detecting food insecurity at an early stage in the community. She also shared these five points to remember through the acronym LNEWS: LGU is responsible in securing the right to food and nutrition for its constituents; Nutrition problem is still a public health concern; Each member of the LNEWS team should be part of the solution in addressing the food security and nutrition problem; Work together to eliminate food insecurity and all forms of malnutrition; and Strengthen LNEWS team who will assess, monitor and analyze food security, and sustain the program.
LNEWS data were of great help to the LGUs in assessing the food and nutrition situation of their locality, especially in this pandemic. Moreover, it serves as baseline data in formulating nutrition and nutrition-related interventions to address food insecurity and the existing forms of malnutrition locally.
“We hope that even with the pandemic we can still sustain and strengthen the program, continue the monitoring, data collection and analysis. It is also important to share the data not only to the team but to the community as well,” NPC Fernandez said. (NO II Arlie Joy O. Damiles)
