Maasin City aims for zero malnourished kids

By BONG PEDALINO (PIA Southern Leyte)
January 25, 2008

MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte  –  The local government unit here has targeted a zero incidence of malnourished kids, particularly in the top eleven out of its total of seventy barangays noted for high incidence of malnutrition among children aged 0-5 years old.

And in this rather tall order of a quest, the city government has found an ally in Rep. Roger Mercado, who had set aside P500,000 for the supplemental feeding of the city Department of Social Welfare and Development  (DSWD), the office tasked to handle the fight against malnutrition in the city.

City Social Welfare and Development Officer (CSWDO) Fe Sta. Cruz told PIA by phone on Tuesday that the amount entrusted to them by Cong. Mercado will be used for the nutritious meals in the eleven priority barangays to start within this month for a duration of 120 days.

For other barangays not covered in the priority list, the annual allocation budgeted by the city government for supplemental feeding in the amount of P120,000 will be used, said Sta. Cruz, who was concurrently designated as the city’s Nutrition Action Officer.

The identified eleven barangays where supplemental feeding is a must Monday to Friday at the barangay’s center included Lunas, Pansaan, Pinaskohan, Sto. Niño, Sta. Rosa, Lib-og, Badiang, Mahayahay, Canjuom, Cagnituan, and Pasay.

A total of 190 less nourished children with ages from 0 to 5 were counted in these villages, where every child has a budget of P22 for a choice menu that varies everyday.

Sta. Cruz said the supplemental feeding for this priority places began last year, and next month the social workers would sit down to assess their progress in the light of their stated objective.

But while feeding the kids has been the center of activity held at different times of the day in the concerned barangays, the parents, Mothers especially, will also be listening inputs shared by DSWD staff assigned, the topics ranging from proper preparation of cheap yet nutritious foods, to responsible parenthood, and family planning.