Cebu City – Members of the Regional Nutrition Committee-Technical Working Group (RNC-TWG) gathered at One Central Hotel in Cebu City on 23-24 March 2022 to enhance their knowledge and skills in nutrition shepherding. It was a great opportunity for the TWG members to get to know the flexibility and vast potential of the project to motivate low performing LGUs to ascent and become good or best performing LGU.

The nutrition shepherding project is a platform that involves guiding and mentoring poor performing LGUs by a regional nutrition shepherding team to enhance their knowledge and skills on nutrition program management. This is one of the components of the peer learning approach of the PPAN LGU mobilization strategy. The strategy is a package of technical assistance modalities to strengthen local nutrition governance. The project is built on one of the key lessons of the Compendium of Actions on Nutrition, where regional offices of the National Nutrition Council have a unique role in the interface and shepherding or mentoring of LGU to multiply the LGUs ascending in their work for PPAN.

Discussed during the orientation were the concept of Nutrition Shepherding project within the context of the peer learning approach of the PPAN LGU Mobilization strategy; strategies, processes, and steps in establishing and implementing the Nutrition Shepherding project in the region; and the different roles of critical stakeholders. Developing an action plan in implementing/cascading the Nutrition Shepherding project culminated the 2-day session.

With the TWG members cum Regional Nutrition Shepherding Team oriented and primed in establishing and implementing the project and given the tools to develop their skills in persuasion and management of difficult situations, NNC 7 is hopeful that more LGUs in Central Visayas can ascend to better performance in nutrition. // NO I Gab Flores, RND