Santa Catalina, Negros Oriental - The Santa Catalina Municipal Nutrition Committee thru its Municipal Nutrition Evaluation Team (MNET) started the conduct of their annual Monitoring and Evaluation of Local Level Plan Implementation (MELLPI) Pro this year on 16 June 2022. This is to continue to monitor and evaluate the performance of Barangay Nutrition Committees in the implementation of the programs, projects and activities done the previous year. The month-long evaluation is set to be completed on 15 July 2022.

The activity is one of the most awaited times of the year where the MNET will search for the best performing barangay in the municipality. As in the past year, the awards that will be bestowed this year will include the Outstanding Barangay which is given to the top 3 barangays with the highest score based on the MELLPI Pro tool, best communal vegetable garden, outstanding BNS of the year, and the barangay with lowest prevalence of stunting and wasting.

The team members have their specific assignments during the barangay visits. Some members will review the records and documentation and score out the performance based on available data while other members especially the agriculturist checks the communal garden maintained in the barangay. Feedback and learning sessions including sharing of findings and recommendations is done by the team with members of the BNC before the team leaves the barangay. The MNET visits two barangays per day every Wednesday until Friday.

Various orientations for all Rural Health Midwives, Nurses, and HRHs, even during BNC and MNC meetings are done 3 months prior to the evaluation to help them prepare for this month-long activity.

With the evaluation done last year, the 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. // ND II Jhianne Mae Nicole C. Tugaoen, RND