Three Cebu towns pledge to end hunger

CEBU, Philippines — Three more towns in Cebu Province have signed up to adopt a school-based feeding program concept of Gawad Kalinga (GK).

The towns of Samboan, Catmon, and Madridejos have pledged to implement the Kusina sa Kahimsug ug Pag-amuma (KKP), a local counterpart GK’s Kusina sa Kalinga, a feeding program which aims to end hunger and to help in the development of child’s well-being by providing free meals to some 5,000 school children for 120 days.

The program was piloted in San Remigio town in northern Cebu with 5,256 beneficiaries.

The local government of Samboan targets to feed over 3,500 elementary students.

The other towns, on the other hand, are yet to determine the number of beneficiaries.

Funding for the program will come from the Capitol, the town and some government agencies.

The meals will be prepared by the volunteers and parents using different 20 healthy recipes.

Aside from feeding program, the children’s parents will also undergo a nutrition awareness seminar so they will have an idea of what local ingredients they can use to prepare healthy meals.

The program is in partnership with GK, provincial government, Department of Education, and Department of Social Welfare and Development.

According to the joint estimates of the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Bank, the Philippines has about six to eight percent of children under five who are wasted, and about two percent are severely wasted.

Also, they said about a third of these children under five years old have stunted growth, while a fifth of them are underweight. — /KBQ (FREEMAN)