La Libertad, Negros Oriental – La Libertad boosted their all-male Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) Support Group by registering them with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). This is to ensure that the group has access to all kinds of support/assistance coming from the barangay, municipal, and even from the national level and that the barangay will be able to allocate funds for all health and nutrition activities of the group in the future. The group is now known as the “Barangay Nasunggan PapaDOR Association”. With their legal entity, they can now engage in income-generating projects.

It has been two years since the Barangay Nutrition Committee of Nasuggan, La Libertad spearheaded by Barangay Captain Hon. Andres Pacunla Jr. decided to organize the first ever all-male breastfeeding support group in the barangay and in the municipality called the “PapaDOR”, also known as “Papa, Let us Do Our Responsibilities” which comprises fathers of undernourished children and/or partners of first-time mothers/pregnant women. Members of the BNC decided to include men in the health and nutrition program for they to actively participate in the improvement of health and nutrition status not just in their own households and families but in the barangay as well.

The goal of the Barangay Nasunggan PapaDOR Association is to become a multi-functional community health team rather than just focusing on health and nutrition. The association holds monthly meetings and is closely coordinating with other associations within the barangay, such as the Farmers Association and the Women’s Association. The Rural Health Unit works with the Municipal Agriculture Office of La Libertad to maintain the activities initiated by the association. With the success of the all-male support group, the MNC is encouraging other barangays to also organize their own nutrition support groups to aid in the improvement of infant and young child feeding practices in the entire town. // ND II Chutsvieka May Pacatang, RND