Carmen, Cebu – The Municipal Nutrition Committee (MNC) of Carmen culminated their 120 Days Dietary Supplementation Program (DSP) on 2 February 2023 at the Barangay Luyang Gym. A total of 89 malnourished children were beneficiaries of the said program. They came from five Carmen barangays including barangays Cogon East, Cogon West, Dawis Norte, Luyang and Poblacion. The children-beneficiaries had increased their weight by 1-2 kg for each child compared to their baseline weight at the start of the project.
The National Dietary Supplementation Program is one of the identified interventions of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition. The program's primary priority is to supplement the dietary concern of nutritionally vulnerable groups, such as pregnant and lactating women, and infants and young children aged 6-23 months in food-insecure households.
The DSP in Carmen which started in August 2022 was supported by the Rise and Rebuild Foundation. The foundation is a non-profit organization based in North Cebu and is an active member Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Civil Society Alliance in Central Visayas. The Foundation is dedicated to assisting malnourished children from birth to secondary school in their operating areas. They also establish a garden center, drill potable water wells, and build nutrition centers from bricks made at their brick manufacturing facility. The garden center provides free vegetables to nutrition centers as well as job opportunities by hiring residents to help them maintain their gardens. Following the devastation caused by Typhoon Yolanda in November 2013, they began operations in Cebu with the construction of communal bathrooms as their pilot program.
The culmination activity was attended by the Barangay Officials of Barangay Luyang, Mr. Rey Caparoso of Rise and Rebuild Foundation, MNPC/PHN Pinky Capangpangan, NDP focal person for nutrition Nessa Jorquia, DOH CV CHD/NNC 7 ND II Geraldine Mae Pausanos and the beneficiaries of the DSP together with their mothers. Mr. Caparuso during his speech acknowledged the parents who survived the 120 feeding days and recognized their efforts in participating the complementary activities done in support of the program. He also highlighted that eating complete Go, Grow, Glow foods is very important, especially to a growing child, and emphasized the first 1000 Days are as crucial for the optimal growth of a child. The participants brought home seedlings to be planted in their backyards as part of the project's sustainability.
The pipeline of the MNC is to feed the wasted and severely wasted school children of selected schools of the municipality. With the partnership, the MNC is hopeful to further reduce the prevalence of stunting and other forms of malnutrition in Carmen. // ND II Geraldine Mae S. Pausanos, RND
