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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider PH Red Cross urges Asia's agricultural scientists to join forces against food insecurity, child malnutrition

PH Red Cross urges Asia's agricultural scientists to join forces against food insecurity, child malnutrition

Published Nov 14, 2023 08:15 am

Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Chairman and CEO Richard "Dick" Gordon, in a statement on Tuesday, Nov. 14, urged the agricultural scientists from Southeast Asia to collaborate with humanitarian leaders to "wage war" against food insecurity and child malnutrition in the Philippines.

PH Red Cross-MB.jpeg
PH Red Cross / Manila Bulletin

Gordon spoke at the International Society for Southeast Asian Agricultural Sciences (ISSAAS) conference on Nov. 8, emphasizing that two percent of households in the Philippines are "severely food insecure."

PH Red Cross 11-14.jpg
Photo courtesy of PRC

As reported by the 2021 Expanded National Nutrition Survey (ENNS) by the Philippines' National Nutrition Council (NNC), the two percent means over 500,000 households.

Even as shown by the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) 2020 Census of Population and Housing (CPH), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) wrote that every day 95 children in the Philippines suffer malnutrition.

"In this country, every day, I witness a disaster," Gordon said.

Because of the alarming statistics mentioned, he urged agricultural scientists to work with the Red Cross to develop new and innovative ways to address these issues.

"We need to find ways to increase food production, improve nutrition, and reach those most in need," he said.

Gordon also explained that the PRC would focus on tackling malnutrition among zero-to-five-year-old children, a critical phase in a child's development — where during the first two months, the PRC intends to distribute food and provide them with sustainable livelihoods.

"Simultaneously, the PRC will train mothers or guardians on how to prepare nutritious food independently, providing them with sustainable livelihoods," he said.

The chairman highlighted the organization's focus on providing immediate relief and promoting long-term sustainable solutions.

He said the PRC's ongoing food security and nutrition interventions include distributing hot meals during disasters through PRC's Hot Meals on Wheels program and food distribution to impoverished communities under the Food Donation Law.

Others are establishing vegetable and fruit farms nationwide and deploying payloaders to clear farms inundated by mud after typhoons or flooding.

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