DSWD, DOH, LGUs vow to strengthen nutrition services vs stunting
Recognizing the need for a more consultative process in carrying out government programs, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Health (DOH) held on March 28 a Mayor’s Forum with local chief executives and other local officials to enhance the implementation of the Philippine Multisectoral Nutrition Project (PMNP).
The PMNP is a holistic project that aims to harmonize the delivery of nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions to reduce stunting in targeted localities across the country.
The DSWD will serve as a co-implementer of the PMNP along with the DOH.
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian assured the local chief executives of a stronger partnership with the agency.
“We want to make sure that your voices are heard. We want to make sure that this is collaborative and consultative. This will be the driving principle of the DSWD in the future whenever we release programs,” Gatchalian said.
The DSWD chief also pointed out the need to create a holistic plan to combat stunting in the country.
“There are things that we can do that are a stimulus to fight stunting. For instance, day care centers, WASH facilities, improvement of food security facilities. We used to look at these things not as health interventions, but stand-alone interventions. But now, the strange thing here is that we will tie them all into a holistic program that both looks into nutrition-specific and the nutrition-sensitive angles of it. We believe that when we combine these solutions, soon, we will see that the number of stunting in our country will be decreasing,” Gatchalian said.
As co-implementer of the program, the DSWD will conduct community-based nutrition service delivery and multi-sectoral nutrition convergence through the Kapit-Bisig Laban Sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS) program.
Kalahi-CIDSS uses the community-driven development approach that empowers community members to actively take part in identifying and prioritizing the problems of their locality.
The program also enables locals to design, implement, and manage solutions to their priority problems, including solutions to proactively address health concerns such as stunting.