Nutrition program cited by UN Children's Fund

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City’s comprehensive barangay nutrition program (CNBP) earned praises from the United Nations Children’s Fund and might be used as a model in future UNICEF efforts to address malnutrition among children across the country.

In a case study on the infant and young child feeding program in the Philippines published in June 2009, UNICEF cited the city’s program as a success story.

The nutrition program, the UNICEF said, is more promising if implemented in the community level.

But it will be successful only if there is an intensive and proper delivery of comprehensive nutrition services to priority households.

Frequent monitoring must also be done to come up with early attainment of the maximum program output and outcome, which is to control and prevent malnutrition.

The program, currently being implemented in four nutritionally depressed barangays, started in September 2007 by the Cebu City Nutrition Council in partnership with the Nutrition Center of the Philippines.

It is being implemented in 400 priority households in barangays T. Padilla, Mambaling, Kalunasan and San Roque.

These barangays recorded a higher prevalence of malnutrition than the city’s average of eight percent in 2006.

The program aims to ensure all pregnant and lactating women get iron-folate supplement, to educate parents of underweight children about good health and nutrition practice, to ensure access and availability of commonly eaten fruits and vegetables, to establish school-based bakery that will allow freshly basked bread fortified with iron and Vitamin A and rehabilitate undernourished children through supplementary feeding.

Former city mayor Tomas Osmeña had provided P1.4 million budget for its implementation.

The city government is expanding the program by providing another P5 million for its implementation in 35 other barangays of the city.

Based on the latest Operation Timbang (OPT) conducted by the City Health Department, the three nutritionally depressed barangays listed before the program was implemented are now out of the top 10 with high prevalence of malnutrition.

The only barangay remaining in the top 10 is barangay Mambaling, which placed second this year.

The top ten barangays with high prevalence of malnutrition for 2010 are Ermita, Mambaling particularly in sitio Alaska, Buot Taup, Inayawan, Duljo Fatima, Sapangdaku, Pamutan, Agsungot, Pahina San Nicolas and Punta Princesa.

“The strategy of first implementing the program in one or several typical demonstration barangays is one that UNICEF could encourage. The approach of identifying and focusing on the most disadvantaged barangays and with them, the households needing support, is critical, especially given limited resources,” according to the UNICEF. — THE FREEMAN