BNS want barangays free of malnutrition

MORE than 1,000 Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNS) attended the 4th National Conference of Barangay Nutrition Scholars yesterday at SMX Convention Center with a commitment to attain malnutrition-free barangays.

National Nutrition Council (NNC) Assistant Secretary Maria Bernadita Flores said that the BNS played an integral role in the implementation of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) 2017-2022 to address the nutrition challenges that the country is facing.

“The primary role of BNS is to conduct nutrition assessment in barangay level para malaman ng barangay official kung gaano kalaki ang problema sa malnutrition,” she said.

BNS are volunteer workers assigned to the grassroots to identify malnourished children through a community survey. They spearhead the weighing of all preschoolers and have a dialogue with the mothers on enriching the nutrition of a child.

They also assist the pregnant women to ensure that they regularly undergo prenatal checkup.

The BNS scholars who attended the twoday activity were from Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao region, Soccksargen, Caraga and Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (Armm).

The conference was also graced by Senator Cynthia Villar, Senate agriculture and food committee chair, as the guest of honor.

Flores said that the conference is geared to unify the efforts of the NNC in the attainment of the PPLAN 2017-2022 like the plan of reaching to the Geographically Isolated and Disadvantage Ares (Gidas) where government services rarely reached the people.