DSWD sets aside P169M to feed toddlers in CV

CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-7 has allocated P169.8 million for its Supplementary Feeding Program (SFP) intended for children enrolled in government-run day-care centers, preschools and supervised neighborhood play group.

DSWD-7 Director Evelyn Macapobre said there are 101,838 target beneficiaries in Central Visayas, in which 68,038 are in Cebu province.

Bohol has 31,657 beneficiaries, while Siquijor has 2,145.

Children-beneficiaries of SFP are kids that are five years old and below.

Macapobre, in a statement, said that of the total amount, about P134 million will be transferred to the Local Government Units (LGUs) for the purchase of viand and the rest of the amount will be channeled to the National Food Authority for the rice.

SFP is the provisioning of food on top of the regular meals for children, as part of DSWD’s contribution to the Early Childhood Care and Development program of the government.

The food supplementation will be in a form of hot meals to be served during snack/meal time to children, five days a week for 120 days.

The feeding program will be managed by parents based on a prepared meal cycle using available indigenous food supplies.

Children beneficiaries will be weighed at the start of the feeding and 60 days thereafter and after the completion of 120 feeding days to determine improvement and sustenance in their nutritional status.

Melinda Cañares, DSWD-7’s SFP focal person, in the same statement, explained that the budget per meal is P15/child/day.

The P11 is for the purchase of the viand and P4 is allocated for the Iron-fortified rice.

Cooking utensils are also pegged at P1, 000 per day care center while the eating utensils cost P75 per child.

Cañares added that aside from the provision of free meals, complementary activities are undertaken to fully maximize the impact of the SFP.

These include deworming twice a year, Micronutrient Supplementation specifically of vitamin A, Nutrition Education (conduct of Parent Effectiveness Seminar, Family Development Session, Pabasa sa Nutrisyon, etc) and Growth Monitoring (monthly weighing & height taking).

She also added that the success of the past six SFP cycles implementation was due to the strong partnership with the LGU’s social welfare offices. (FREEMAN)