FINDING ANSWERS

Sufficient funding is the lifeblood of any project, serving as fuel to propel ideas into action and transform aspirations into reality. If an essential program is unrealized due to shortage of funds, the loss can be profound.

Among the most essential programs is one that addresses the nagging crisis the UNICEF has warned about: Poor and inadequate nutrition are causing very young Filipinos to suffer from varied forms of malnutrition leading to stunting or being too short for their age.

“Despite the critical importance of the 1,000 days of life from conception up to two years, infants are not eating well. As a result, they are surviving but not thriving.  Only a third of babies are exclusively breastfed during the first six months. Around 44 percent of children aged six to 23 months are not fed fruit and vegetables, and 59 percent are not fed eggs, dairy products, fish or meat. They are not getting their required nutritional intake by consuming from at least five of the seven food groups,” the UNICEF said.

The Children’s First One Thousand Days Coalition (CFDC) has launched an operations manual on how non-government organizations (NGOs), together with DILG, DOH, and DSWD, can help achieve the objective of RA 11148 or the “Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Magnanay Act” which calls for a whole-of-government approach, in collaboration with civil society organizations and the private sector, to fight malnutrition.

The CFDC manual illustrates how NGOs and barangay governments can combine efforts to optimize the health of both mother and child, with precise interventions throughout the pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, and post-pregnancy stages.

The manual guides NGOs on how to adopt a barangay for implementation of First One Thousand Days Nutrition Program whereby pregnant women and lactating mothers, especially those from the poorest families, are identified and enrolled.

Those enrolled shall be provided comprehensive dietary guidance throughout pregnancy, with emphasis on essential nutrients, food groups and portion control. A balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, dairy products, and healthy fats shall be promoted.

The NGOs’ health and nutrition program, aimed at helping government in “scaling up health and nutrition for the first one thousand days of life” as sought by RA 11148, certainly requires sufficient funding. To raise needed funds, the CFDC, in partnership with The Manila Hotel, will present a pre-Valentine dinner concert on Feb. 9, 6 p.m. at the Tent City.
Called “The Greatest Love of All” and under the overall direction of George Tagle-Sison and Paul Dizon, the concert features Beverly Salviejo, Niña Campos, Jenny Sugay, Rachelle Rule, Rachel Verns, Pam Esquivel, Bobby Alvarez, Egay Rubiano, Jeffrey Panado, Egay Banaag, the Adeodatus Children’s Choir (Baseco), and the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Rodel Colmenar. I’ll also sing, together with former Press Secretary Mike Toledo and former Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea.

The benefit concert gives NGOs a fund-raising opportunity. NGOs that implement the nutrition program in barangays will receive 40 percent of ticket sales and sponsorships they generate for the concert, upon submission of a project proposal based on the CFDC operations manual. Whatever is left of net proceeds will be used to organize more NGO coalitions nationwide and lend support to other NGOs needing further assistance for their nutrition projects. 

Helping to make the upcoming concert a success are CFDC member organizations like Rotary International, Lions Club International, Kiwanis International, Junior Chamber International, The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippines, The Fraternal Order of Eagles - Philippine Eagles, Knights of Columbus, Knights of Rizal, Save the Children Philippines, World Vision Philippines, Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals, Philippine League of Government and Private Midwives, Crusade Against Violence.

Unless the malnutrition crisis is effectively addressed in the Philippines now, the full impact of stunting due to poor nutrition will hit in the coming years when today’s malnourished children become adults.

“Stunting in the first 1,000 days is associated with poorer performance in school, both because malnutrition affects brain development, and also because malnourished children are more likely to get sick and miss school,” according to the UNICEF’s flagship report, The State of the World’s Children.

“And this disruption to children’s physical and cognitive development stays with them into adulthood, compromising their economic prospects and putting their futures at risk. Collectively, the loss of potential and productivity has huge implications for the broader socio-economic development of societies and nations,” the report stressed.

The quality of nutrition and nurturing environment during the crucial first thousand days in a child’s life can spell the difference between a good life in which the child develops, grows, learns a lot in school, and eventually flourishes with a rewarding livelihood, or a life of poverty and misery with many health problems.

Thus, the need to address malnutrition during the critical period of immense vulnerability is vital and of extreme urgency if we are to have a new breed of smarter, stronger, and taller Filipinos within the next 10 years. ([email protected])