OFFICIALS of Barangay Subangdaku in Mandaue City launched a 120-day feeding program for malnourished children on Friday, July 1, 2022, as the country observes National Nutrition Month.

The 120-day feeding program is Subangdaku’s way of defeating malnutrition in the community.

Rebecca Colina, barangay councilor and chairman of Subangdaku’s committee on health, told reporters that the feeding activity is annually done and starts in July.

Under the program, malnourished children in the barangay identified by health personnel through a survey are given food packages that include fruits, vegetables, and other healthy food to help them achieve the ideal weight for their age for 120 days or four months.

The food packages will be delivered straight to their houses by the assigned barangay health officer in their area.

Colina said they had identified about 15 children, originally from 18 in 2021, who are malnourished. These children have ages one to four years old.

They will be monitored by barangay health officials right after the end of the feeding campaign to check for any changes, such as if they have already improved their weight, said Colina.

Once the children achieve the standard weight for their age, they will be removed from the list of beneficiaries for the feeding program, Colina added.

Promote proper nutrition

Colina and the rest of Barangay Subangdaku’s officials urged people, particularly the parents, to attain a healthy lifestyle the best way they can, especially for their children.

“Proper nutrition is really important for our children, especially this rainy season. Good health comes with good nutrition,” said Mona Manatad, one of the barangay’s councilors.

Malnutrition is one of the prevalent problems in the Philippines.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) revealed deaths caused by malnutrition increased by almost 40 percent for the January to October 2021 period, one of the highest on record.

The PSA cited poverty as one of the main reasons for malnutrition in the country.