CATBALOGAN City--The Provincial Nutrition Committee (PNC) of the Province of Samar initiated the organization of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement on 16 August 2021 at the Samar Provincial Capitol, Catbalogan City, Samar.
This important milestone was participated in by PNC members, Municipal Nutrition Action Officers (MNAOs) and representatives from the business, academe, and civil society organizations.
SUN is a unique movement founded on the principle that all people have the right to food and good nutrition. It focuses on the first 1000 days of life between a mother’s pregnancy and her child’s second birthday, as well as on empowering women. It was launched in 2010 through the Framework for Action to Scale Up Nutrition.
Moreover, the movement is also focused on the effective implementation of both nutrition specific and nutrition sensitive strategies to produce nutrition outcomes. The SUN approach brings people together in a multi-stakeholder platform.
Present during the provincial organization are representatives from the academic, business and civil society sectors. All these sectors have bias to nutrition. At present there are three (3) sectors implementing supplementary feeding program with nutrition education classes. Representatives of these 3 sectors verbalized that while they are implementing supplementary feeding, they do not know the mechanisms, focused targets, and the number of days of supplementation.
RNPC Dr. Catalino P. Dotollo, Jr. presented the basic concept of SUN 3.0 movement. He shared that to be focused on targeting, the organizing group shall include supplementation program particularly for the nutritionally at-risk pregnant women and 6-23 months old malnourished children particularly those that are stunted and wasted.
As a result of the discussion, the said three (3) sectors from the province vowed to re- target beneficiaries of the feeding program now focused to the nutritionally at-risk pregnant women and malnourished children aged 6-23 months old. The supplementation program shall likewise be complemented with the nutrition education classes, home backyard gardening and livelihood projects.
Additionally, as a next step or follow up activity shall for the organization of specific sectors. Each sector identified shall represent and will sit as member of the Provincial Nutrition Committee.
The organization of SUN Movement in the province promises a good start in the province’s quest for an improved nutritional status among the vulnerable sectors such as the pregnant/lactating mothers and children 6-23 months children. # NPC CPDotollo
