WHILE we keep a good pace on the progress that we make as a community, checking on the future builders and makers of our society is also as vital.
As our national hero would say, they are the hope of our nation. Unfortunately, some of them do not get enough nutrients necessary for their bodies to be fully developed. Thus, they lose chance on portraying useful roles in the community development.
In a 2015 malnutrition study in the Davao Region as released by the Food Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), the prevalence of underweight among children less than five years old remains at 20.7 percent, while the prevalence of stunting is at 31.7 percent.
In a speech from Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio through City Administrator Zuleika Lopez during a feeding program event on May 10, she took note on the issue as she said, “it takes a whole village to nurture a child. Let’s make it our mission that the undernourished Dabawenyo children will become healthy.”
In partnership with two of the country’s food giants Mead Johnson Nutrition Philippines and Unilever Philippines, and Non-government organization Kabisig sa Kalahi and the local government of Davao City launched the nutrition program in El Rio Gymnasium, Bacaca.
Two of the longest running and most successful supplementary feeding programs in the country: Mead Johnson Nutrition Philippines’ “Feeding Hope” Supplementary Feeding Program and Unilever Philippines’ “LutongNanay” Nutrition Program will benefit 360 malnourished children from three barangays of the city’s 1st District.
The two programs will run simultaneously for 120 feeding days and are expected to rehabilitate the children beneficiaries back to the normal state of nutrition. In the process, the mothers of the beneficiaries will also be given training on nutrition and values formation.
In an interview with Mead Johnson Nutrition Philippines Corporate Affairs Director Milla Llorin, she said they added other formation seminars to teach the parents so the chances of children getting nutritious food even after the program are high.
“The problem is not economic; it is due to lack of education. Hindi nila alam na they could save more and provide healthier meals for their children through being innovative and practicing basic financial skills,” Llorin continued as she said that through the years of doing feeding programs across the country, they have had a result of 98 percent success rate.
Unilever's VP for Sustainable Business and Communication Ed Sunico also expressed the parents’ contribution for the development of their children.
“Recognizing that mothers have a large influence in the household, the Knorr Lutong Nanay Program aims to introduce healthy and sustainable choices for their families—this is the lasting change that we aspire to realize in our nutrition program,” Sunico added.