DAVAO CITY --- Tagum City is among the top three
performing local government units of the Supplementary Feeding Program
(SFP) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). The
other two being Tarragona, Davao Oriental and the Municipality of
Nabunturan in Compostela Valley Province.
This was bared by
Director Priscilla N. Razon of DSWD who pointed out that strong
collaboration among the city government officials, barangay leaders,
parents, day care teachers, Barangay Nutrition Scholars, and Barangay
Health Workers is very crucial in the city’s implementation of the
feeding program, one of the component services under the Day Care
Service Program.
Tagum has been running the program in four cycles now, covering 5,228 children in 91 day care centers, Director Razon said.
Director
Razon also noted that organization of SFP Technical Working Group,
regular monitoring, supervision during the actual feeding, parent
participation, and provision of health services like deworming, dental
examination, and Vitamin A supplementation, are among the factors that
contributed in the success of the feeding program.
Compliance
to City Ordinance No. 647, series of 2013 also known as The Day Care
Teachers Code of Tagum City [which provides for timely submission of
reports and conduct of daily feeding], has also helped in running the
program.
DSWD records show other pertinent factors
that the city has guaranteed in support to the feeding program include:
1] functional kitchen, cooking and dining area in 90% of day care
centers; 2] attendance of all parents in the Enhanced Parent
Effectiveness Seminar; 3] vegetable gardens in all day care centers
dubbed “Gulayan sa Paaralan at Day Care Centers” which gained a national
award; 4] posting of Monthly Nutritional Status Report in all day care
centers, and 5] summer recruitment and enrollment in every barangay
that facilitated timely start of every feeding cycle.
Sally
C. Balili, City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) Division
Chief and SFP Focal Person likewise made sure that she conducts
quarterly monitoring supervision along with the city’s Monitoring Team
and the City Accountant Office in all the 91 day care centers. “We are
very happy to report the high participation rate among
parents and children-beneficiaries in our day care service centers.
Absences and drop-outs have been minimized among our enrollees too. Most
importantly, we recorded an increase in nutritional status among the
underweight and severely underweight children.”
“We see to it
that parents are aware of their roles and responsibilities in the day
care centers as well as towards their children. The daily encounter and
cooking session of parents in the center also provided more opportunity
for bonding and camaraderie among the day care teacher, children and
parents, Balili said.”
In a recent report submitted to
DSWD, Balili indicated that consumption of junk food was also lessened
as children were instead served with a nutritious hot meal. “Every
day, the day care children look forward to a hot, nutritious and
delicious meal prepared by their parents in the day care centers.”
Nora
H. Lupiba, CSWDO Department Head, lauded the involvement of
non-government organizations in the feeding program. “They augment the
insufficient resources we have in our respective day care centers like
upgrading of kitchen and dining area, repair and maintenance of day care
centers, and provision of additional cooking materials.”
“Parents happily shared that the feeding program really augmented
their financial and food consumption needs at home. Apart from
stretching their food budget, the foods served are low cost and
nutritious. They also learned new vegetable recipes which they now serve
to their families, resulting to healthier family members and lesser
medical expenses especially among their children. We hope that DSWD
will sustain funding of the SFP and to continue its monitoring to
determine the strong points as well as the gaps in program
implementation for appropriate interventions. Kaya namin ang pagbabago
dahil patuloy ang suporta at monitoring na ginagawa ng DSWD,” Lupiba
conveyed.
Hot meals
The Supplementary Feeding Program is administered nationwide to
address the increasing prevalence of under- and over-nutrition among
Filipino children.
It is an augmentation support in the feeding program of local
government units using indigenous foods and/or locally processed foods
equivalent to 1/3 of Recommended Energy and Nutrient Intakes (RENIs).
The program also aims to improve knowledge, attitude and practices
of children, parents and caregivers through intensified nutrition and
health education.
Feeding in a form of daily hot meals is provided within 120 days.
The feeding program is managed by parents who have been organized into
Day Care Service Parents Group (DCSPG) with different working
committees.
The parent committee on Food Preparation provides voluntary labor for
the cooking/preparation of food and management of feeding sessions.
Parents are also required to attend all the nine sessions of
Enhanced Parent Effectiveness Seminar with topics on self, family and
parenting, health nutrition, love of country, and home and environment.
Aside from feeding, children are taught proper hygiene such as
washing hands before and after eating, table manners, prayer before and
after meals, simple concepts on health care and nutrition, among others.
DSWD/Carmela C. Duron
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