BARANGAY Subangdaku in Mandaue City has launched a 120-day feeding program campaign for malnourished children as the whole world celebrates in July the Nutrition Month.
Rebecca Colina, barangay councilor and chairman of Subangdaku’s committee on health, told reporters during the launching Friday, July 1, 2022, that the feeding activity is annually done and starts in July.
The 120-day feeding program is Subangdako's way of defeating malnutrition in the community.
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 (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.
Colina and the rest of Barangay Subangdako officials urged people, particularly the parents of the malnourished children, 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, barangay councilor and the committee on environment chairman.
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 records.
The PSA cited poverty as one of the main reasons for malnutrition in the country.