Every March we celebrate National Women’s Month to inspire and empower women and girls to be agents of change and to contribute in promoting gender equality and the empowerment of all women. The identified theme for the National Women’s Month Celebration from 2017-2022 is “We Make Change Work for Women”. This highlights the empowerment of women as active contributors to and claimholders of development.

Pursuant to Presidential Proclamation Nos. 224, 227, and Republic Act 6949, the National Nutrition Council Regional Office VIII joins the celebration to support the government’s commitments on gender equality and women empowerment. The National Nutrition Council recognizes the important role that women play in nutrition of the population.

Women have the major responsibility for their families’ nutrition. Women breastfeed newborn babies and prepare meals for the members of the family. If a woman’s nutrition is impaired, it affects the nutrition of the whole family thereby affecting all other factors that contribute to the development of the society.

According to a research conducted by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), a women’s status has a significant impact on her children’s nutrition because women with higher status have better nutritional status, are better cared for, and provide higher quality care to their children. The research estimates that if women and men had equal status, it would result to a reduction of under-three child underweight rate by approximately 13% (Smith, Ramakrishnan, Ndiaye, Haddad, & Martorell, 2003).

Considering these results, it is imperative to improve women’s status relative to men’s, both within the household and in the community, to positively influence children’s nutritional status. It is important to protect women’s nutrition, notably during pregnancy and lactation, to safeguard the nutrition of infants, children and future generations.

This month, as we celebrate National Women’s Month, NNC also advocates women’s nutrition. We believe that improving a woman’s nutrition brings about a powerful force for improving the health, longevity, mental and physical capacity, and productivity of the next generation of young adults. #NO1DAFLendero