FINDING ANSWERS
The rallying cry to make Filipino kids healthier in mind and body reverberated across The Manila Hotel’s Tent City.
“Brighter…stronger…taller,” the well-heeled crowd yelled in unison, proclaiming what they wanted our future generations to become.
It was between song numbers at The Greatest Love of All concert on Feb. 9 that the hundreds of guests showed great enthusiasm for the mission of the Children’s First One Thousand Days Coalition (CFDC).
All the fervor at the fund-raising concert wasn’t really surprising. After all, paying for tickets ranging from 5,000 to 20,000 showed how committed they were to the CFDC cause. And to think the guests came even when none of the performers were big celebrities in the entertainment world was certainly amazing.
But though they weren’t really commercial singers who usually attract huge crowds, I must say their performances were nonetheless fascinating, gauging from the tremendous rounds of applause and cheers from the audience as the show was ending.
The cheers seemed loudest for the Adeodatus Children’s Choir (Baseco) whose enchanting voices blended perfectly with the enthralling music of the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra.
So here’s a big thank you to the choir and orchestra, and also to Beverly Salviejo, Niña Campos, Jenny Sugay, Rachelle Rule, Rachel Verns, Pam Esquivel, Bobby Alvarez, Egay Rubiano, Jeffrey Panado, and Egay Banaag. Their performances were simply breathtaking.
A lot of thanks also to the mesmerizing Atty. Mike Toledo and Atty. Salvador Medialdea who also sang with me. Of course, musical director Rodel Colmenar and Gorge Sison-Tagle who supervised the overall direction of the concert, along with Paul Dizon, also deserve many thanks.
The Greatest Love of All was an entertainment spectacle as we sang our hearts out for a heavenly cause: To raise funds for nutrition programs in barangays to combat malnutrition of Filipino infants during the crucial period from conception to their second birthday.
With the funds generated, the CFDC can go full blast in its mission to tackle, in tandem with government, widespread malnutrition during the first 1,000 days in the child’s life – a crucial period when the impact of poor nutrition can be profound, long-lasting, and even irreversible.
At the CFDC where I’m national project chairman, we use an operations manual that illustrates how non-government organizations (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 operations manual shows how to collaborate with local government units and establish a joint NGO and Barangay First One Thousand Days Nutrition Committee to educate communities, identify pregnant and lactating mothers, and enroll them in the First One Thousand Days Nutrition Program.
The manual cites the need for comprehensive dietary guidance during pregnancy, promoting balanced diet rich in essential nutrients, and providing trimester-specific nutrition, as well as the need for monitoring and evaluation – with focus on breastfeeding support, optimal nutrition, and growth.
The CFDC manual also guides NGOs on how to adopt a barangay, especially in areas where malnutrition is rampant, based on a list of the National Nutrition Council. It promotes NGOs’ collaboration with Department of Health-accredited health centers, Barangay Health Workers, and Barangay Nutrition Scholars for regular health care checkups, immunizations, monitoring, among others.
Getting good nutrition in the womb and throughout early life is of utmost importance, as shown by many studies and expert testimonies of professionals, from neuro scientists to child care specialists worldwide.
Brain development starts long before birth, and progresses at astonishing speed very early on during pregnancy. All throughout brain development in the womb, a mother’s diet and her stored nutrients are the child’s only source of nutrition.
“Nutrients fuel the formation of synapses, which provide the basis for learning ability. When a mother lacks adequate calories, protein, fatty acids or key micronutrients in her pregnancy, these vital neurodevelopmental processes can be impaired,” according to a study published in the Handbook of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience.
UNICEF Philippines said that malnutrition in the first 1,000 days is associated with poor school performance as brain development has been affected, and malnourished children are more likely to get sick and miss classes. And when our students perform poorly, our country’s future can be bleak.
“The persistence of very high levels of childhood undernutrition, despite decades of economic growth and poverty reduction, could lead to a staggering loss of the country’s human and economic potential,” the World Bank (WB) said of the Philippines.
Thus, eradicating or significantly reducing malnutrition is the ultimate goal of CFDC members that include 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, and many more.
Before I sang my finale “The Impossible Dream” at the concert, I told the audience that CFDC’s dream isn’t impossible if each of us gives all-out support. Indeed, what seems impossible becomes possible as we adapt a mindset of “I’m possible” in working toward the ultimate goal. And as God is with us, nothing is impossible indeed. ([email protected])