Koronadal City - To strengthen GO-NGO partnership in scaling up nutrition in SOCCSKSARGEN, the National Nutrition Council XII conducted the Regional NGO Forum on December 4, 2014 held at The Farm, Carpenter Hill, Koronadal City. The forum aims to activate, nurture, sustain and scale up the collaboration with NGOs for more effective nutrition program. NNC XII identified Save the Children Mindanao Program Office as the co-convener of the forum, wherein Dr. Amado Parawan, Health and Nutrition Advisor of Save the Children, acted as one of the moderators during the open forum.

Among the invited NGOs existing in SOCCSKSARGEN area, eight (8) different Non-Government Organizations such as World Food Programme, MAHINTANA Foundation, RD Foundation, GENTUD Foundation of World Vision, Health Organization for Mindanao, Muslim Youth Religious Organization Inc., International Care Ministries Foundation Incorporated and Save the Children Mindanao Program Office attended the said forum. Also present were the Regional Nutrition Committee Members, LGUs and representative from the Academe.

Nutrition Program Coordinator of NNC XII, Ms. Arceli M. Latonio welcomed and thanked the participants for their participation and hoped that the forum will be the start of a good partnership especially in reaching the goal of eradicating hunger and malnutrition. She also explained that the key actions under Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) 2014-2016 calls for strong collaboration with the NGOs and local government units. The PPAN is the country’s framework to mitigate hunger and malnutrition

Dr. Francisco Mateo, Assistant Regional Director of the DOH 12 gave inspirational as well as challenging messages. He acknowledged the importance of collaboration, building and strengthening partnership to reach the goal: Zero Hunger and Zero Malnutrition.

RD Foundation, World Food Programme, MAHINTANA Foundation, GENTUD Foundation of the World Vision and Save the Children presented their programs and engagements in nutrition initiatives, innovations and in scaling up nutrition actions. A workshop was also done to identify the investments and mapping out of areas covered by NGOs in SOCCSKSARGEN.
The NGO also identified their commitments and “next steps” which will serve as a guide of GO-NGO partnership for the next years in order to achieve its goal.