The Malabon City government was recognized as the "Most Innovative Local Government Unit in Nutrition Program Management" for its efforts in developing food security during the "2021 Gawad Parangal sa Nutrisyon" by the National Nutrition Council (NNC) on Tuesday, Dec. 7.
The city was awarded for its nutrition programs namely the “Karinderia Para sa Kalusugan ni Chikiting” (KKC) which was launched in March 2018.
The KKC is a 120-day feeding program where the local government partnered with 50 karinderias, as of 2019, to cook nutritious meals for children aged six months to five years and also for pregnant women.
This program aims to reduce the malnutrition rate of the city, to provide livelihood assistance to the partner karinderias, and to educate parents on proper child care and basic nutrition led by the Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNS).
The program also provided canned goods, rice, and other basic items to the beneficiaries and karienderia owners.
According to the NNC, the program was able to feed 514 undernourished children and two nutritionally at-risk pregnant women in the 21 barangays in the city in 2018.
In 2019, the city was able to aid 1,000 children and other pregnant women.
During the pandemic from 2020 to 2021, the local government utilized the KKC program to serve nutritious meals to patients who contracted COVID-19. According to the NNC, individuals were given nutritious food rations, vitamins, and grocery packs as they recovered in the five isolation facilities operating in the city.
Around 33 percent of households in Malabon city experienced chronic food insecurity in 2019.
The prevalence of malnutrition in stunting children decreased from 7.1 percent in 2015 to 5.8 percent in 2019, a similar decrease is seen in overweight children from 3.9 percent in 2015 to 2.9 percent in 2019, according to the 2019 Expanded National Nutritional Survey.
Malabon City Mayor Antolin “Lenlen” Oreta III thanked the NNC for naming Malabon City as the 2021 Nutrition Champion.
He also expressed the local government’s commitment to continue projects and programs that benefit the health of every family in Malabon city.
“Nagbubunga na ang lahat ng pagtutulungang ginawa natin to ensure na natutugunan natin ang pangangailangan ng kalinga at suporta sa nutrition ng Malabonians (We are reaping the fruits of all our efforts to ensure the nutritional needs of the people of Malabon),” Oreta said on his official Facebook page.
Other awardees from Malabon who were recognized for their efforts in the National Capital Region (NCR) are Chef Melissa Sison-Oreta as the 2019 Local Nutrition Action Officer of the Year; and City Nutrition Officer Fidel Baltazar P. Dela Cruz and Nancy T. Mendoza as finalists to the 2019 Local Nutrition Program Coordinator of the Year and the 2019 Regional Outstanding Barangay Nutrition Scholar, respectively. (Khriscielle Yalao)