Group feeds 600 malnourished kids for 120 days

Around 600 of the close to 3,000 malnourished children in Cebu City got special attention through the “A Chance to Grow” program.

The program initiated by the Cebu City Nutrition Network (CCNN), alongside the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc.-Dolores Aboitiz Children’s Fund (RAFIDACF) intends to feed 600 malnourished kids from different barangays here.

Aside from feeding them nutritious food, the group also intends to initial deworming to the said kids.

Of the total number, a hundred of them will come from the Balay Amuma of KidsLife Foundation Incorporated in Barangay Inayawan.

RAFI-DAC’s program head,

Jenny Lea Menchavez, said it is their aim to eradicate malnutrition among children here by 2030.

“Atong target kay 600 malnourished children. Sa lainlaing ni nga barangays. Ato gyud nga tutokan for 120 days nga maimprove ang ilang nutrition status,” Menchavez’ said.

Based on Operation Timbang Plus 2022 Report of the Cebu City Nutrition Council, there are a total of 2,888 children in the city that are malnourished and need help.

With this, the group hopes to get more help to be able to attend to the other children that also need proper nutrition and care.

The RAFI-DACF and the CCNN had launched the “A Chance to Grow” campaign on July 6, 2022.

RAFI, in a statement said, that the campaign is a public fundraising campaign to support the supplemental feeding of malnourished children in Cebu City.

The campaign aims to raise P1,000,000 to support the supplemental feeding of 600 children aged 0 to five years old in Cebu City.

NUTRITION MONTH

Meanwhile, different partner agencies of the national government are in one in support of the 48th Nutrition Month celebration this July that carries a theme, “New Normal na Nutrisyon, Sama-samang gawan nang Solusyon.”

The Department of Agriculture-7 through the Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (AMAD) and in partnership with the Talamban Times Square has launched the Kadiwa Retail in Talamban, Cebu City.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development-7, through the Supplementary Feeding Program (SFP), has kicked-off the month-long celebration together with staff in different divisions at the convocation area in its field office in Carreta, Cebu City.

Acting DSWD-7 regional director Shalaine Marie Lucero gave a message to the staff of the department on the importance of having good nutrition to counter stress from work and having good health and well-being as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

National Nutrition Council-7 regional nutrition program coordinator, Dr. Parolita Mission said that the 2022 Nutrition Month emphasizes on the importance of nutrition in building resilience and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic

NNC-7 hopes to come into agreement with partners and stakeholders on key actions to build back better the design, delivery, and scale-up of nutrition interventions.

“While nutrition has always been a major concern in the past, the pandemic and the current economic unrest has only exacerbated causes of hunger and malnutrition which needs immediate multi-sectoral attention,” Mission added.