Sta Catalina, Negros Oriental – The Municipal Nutrition Committee (MNC) of this coastal barangay of Negros Oriental perks up its nutrition program by initiating an award system for its best performing barangays.  The awards include the Outstanding Barangay, which was given to the top 3 barangays, the Best Nutrition Practices, Best Complementary Feeding Practices award, Barangay with the Lowest Prevalence of Stunting and Wasting, Quarterly Outstanding BNS, and the Most Outstanding BNS of the Year award.

The MNC with the assistance of the Human Resource for Health (HRH) deployed Nutritionist initiated their first-ever nutrition evaluation of the barangays in the municipality as basis for the awards. The month-long evaluation assessed barangays using the Monitoring and Evaluation of Local Level Planning Implementation Pro (MELLPI-Pro) tool.  The evaluation process has contributed greatly in terms of promoting the nutrition program to the barangays and has effectively increased the barangays’ nutrition budget and improved the implementation of their activities and programs. 

The initiative has encouraged the barangays to give importance to nutrition. Through this effort, the MNC of Sta. Catalina hopes to motivate their barangays to improve further their nutrition program inspire other municipalities in creating an initiative to highlight the importance of nutrition.  // ND II Jhianne Mae Nicole C. Tugaoen, RND