Preventing adolescent pregnancy among younger adolescents requires more than health services. It calls for communities where children are protected, families are supported, and institutions work together to respond before risks become crises.

Valenzuela City’s experience offers valuable insights into what this collective effort can look like.

Photo above: The Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) Adolescent and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health (AYSRH) team tours the Valenzuela Sentro Health Hub, witnessing how the city integrates adolescent-friendly health services into its broader child protection system.

Local Civil Registry data reflect encouraging progress. Live births among girls aged 10 to 14 remained low, with five cases in 2023, none in 2024, and six in 2025. Births among adolescents aged 15 to 19 also declined substantially from 218 in 2023 to 136 in 2025. Yet city leaders emphasize that every pregnancy among younger adolescents represents a child in need of protection, making even a single case one too many.

This perspective has shaped how Valenzuela City designs its response placing child protection, rather than adolescent pregnancy alone, at the center of its interventions.

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One important learning from the Valenzuela City Child Protection Center (CPC) is that even the language used in adolescent pregnancy prevention can shape how children are viewed and supported. Dr. Soidemer Claire Grecia, Pediatrician and Child Protection Specialist of Valenzuela City CPC, explained, “For 10 to 14-year-olds, we should not use the term family planning because they are not expected to be planning a family—they should be studying.”

This seemingly small shift in language reflects a larger shift in perspective. Children aged 10 to 14 should first be recognized as children—with rights to protection, education, and healthy development. Framing interventions through a child protection lens helps ensure that programs, messages, and services remain developmentally appropriate and responsive to their realities.

The experience underscores an important lesson for local governments: preventing pregnancy among younger adolescents is not solely a health concern but a child protection and governance issue. Effective strategies require coordinated leadership across sectors, with health, education, social welfare, justice and communities working to prevent risk before they escalate into harm.

Across the city, this perspective is reflected in a network of coordinated initiatives involving multiple sectors.

Health services are supported by 49 adolescent-friendly facilities, adolescent health focal persons, and more than a hundred dedicated staff known as barangay population managers who are trained to help bring information and services on adolescent health closer to communities. At the same time, youth listening sessions and youth organizations provide opportunities for adolescents to express their concerns and contribute to programs designed for them.

Child protection is likewise strengthened through close collaboration among schools, health facilities, social welfare offices, barangays, law enforcement agencies, civil society organizations, and the justice sector. Schools serve as important referral points for children needing protection, while partnerships with organizations and offices such as LAMP-SINAG (Libreng Abogado Para sa Maralitang Panlungsod-Sumbungan ng Inaaping Nanay, Anak, at Ginang) help ensure legal assistance for child victims throughout court proceedings.

Prevention efforts also begin early, recognizing that safe and nurturing homes are essential to children’s healthy development. Personal Safety Lessons are introduced in daycare centers and schools to teach children about body safety, protective behaviors, and help-seeking skills. Parents and caregivers are engaged through parenting modules which the local government customized based on inputs from partner non-government organizations and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Photo above: At the Valenzuela Child Protection Center, the ZFF AYSRH team meets the people who turn the city’s whole-of-system vision into action for every child.

According to Kristina Ramos, head of the Valenzuela City CPC, “‘Pag nakalubog ka talaga dito, malalaman mo ang needs ng parents.” (Once you are fully immersed here, you will know the needs of the parents.) Parenting initiatives are taught through the Nanay-Teachers Camp in collaboration with the day care center teachers. These initiatives reflect an understanding that preventing adolescent pregnancy cannot rest on one office or one program alone. It requires a coordinated system where different sectors contribute according to their roles while keeping the best interests of the child at the center.

Valenzuela City’s experience also highlights that strong systems continue to face evolving challenges. Local leaders pointed to issues such as the influence of social media, peer pressure, migration, and the emotional demands placed on frontline workers. High attrition in learning sessions and rapid turnover among social workers require continuous innovation—from providing transportation support for participants to ensuring that critical positions are filled quickly so that services remain uninterrupted.

Rather than slowing progress, these challenges have reinforced the city’s commitment to continuous learning and adaptation. Local stakeholders continue to refine programs, strengthen partnerships, and explore new ways of responding to the changing realities faced by children, adolescents, and families.

One lesson stands out from Valenzuela City’s experience: protecting younger adolescents is not the responsibility of a single institution. It is a shared commitment among families, schools, communities, service providers, civil society, and local government.

When every sector plays its part, children are better protected, families become stronger sources of support, and communities are better equipped to ensure that every young person can grow, learn, and thrive in a safe and nurturing environment. The city’s experience reminds us that protecting children is never the work of one institution, it truly takes a village.

Author: KC Lyn Razon, ZFF AYSRH Learning and Development Associate

The Municipality of Del Carmen in Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte is improving nutrition service delivery by integrating care into the government eKonsulta platform. This move enables more timely, coordinated, and data-driven support for nutritionally at-risk pregnant women and young children.

As part of the Zuellig Family Foundation’s (ZFF) roadmap for strengthening local nutrition systems, representatives from ZFF’s Nutrition team visited Del Carmen last June 17, 2026 to engage local health leaders and frontline workers. The sessions focused on role-specific technical modules that demonstrate how digital tools can improve nutrition governance and primary health care delivery.

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A key area of discussion was integrating the Pook Malusog Dashboard, a ZFF-developed digital health and nutrition information system, with the eKonsulta platform. This integration allows health workers to systematically identify, monitor, and manage at-risk mothers and children. By strengthening digital tracking and embedding nutrition data into routine primary care, providers can deliver timely interventions, track client progress, and ensure continuity of care throughout the maternal and child health continuum.

Photo above: ZFF Nutrition team meets with Mayor Alfredo Coro II (third from right) and frontline health workers at the Del Carmen Super Health Center.

The initiative supports a broader vision of building a responsive digital ecosystem where nutrition data guides decision-making at both municipal and provincial levels. With better data capture and interoperability, health workers can more easily identify service gaps, prioritize high-risk clients, and coordinate referrals and follow-up care.

Del Carmen is one of the country’s municipalities with a Super Health Center, providing a strong foundation for integrating digital health innovations into comprehensive primary care. By leveraging existing government platforms like eKonsulta, the municipality is demonstrating how digital transformation can strengthen local nutrition governance while expanding access to quality services.

For ZFF, Del Carmen serves as a key learning site for developing a scalable model of digital nutrition governance. Insights gathered here will help shape future strategies that enable local governments to identify at-risk individuals earlier, manage cases more responsively, and improve health outcomes for mothers and children.

Author: Samantha Morales, ZFF Nutrition Knowledge Management and Communications Associate

Cebu Province is making progress in tackling child stunting, one of its most urgent public health challenges, collaborating with the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) and the Department of Health-Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD) Central Visayas.

Following meetings with the Provincial Health Office (PHO) and Governor Pamela Baricuatro, Provincial Health Consultants Dr. Nikki Catalan, and Dr. Tristan Rebalde convened with the ZFF Nutrition team to explore strategic partnerships aimed at improving nutrition outcomes across the province.

The discussions focused on Cebu’s current nutrition situation and the critical need to strengthen local nutrition governance. Although the province is classified as having a medium level of public health significance based on stunting prevalence, it records one of the highest absolute numbers of stunted children in the country due to its large population. Poverty, food insecurity, and other social determinants continue to impede child nutrition improvements, making coordinated, systems-oriented interventions as urgent matters.

Photo above: PHO-ZFF partnership meeting last June 15, 2026 lays the groundwork for resilient local nutrition systems to combat child stunting in Cebu.

In response, both parties identified concrete opportunities to reinforce local nutrition committees and enhance multisectoral collaboration across provincial and municipal governments. Through its Bridging Leadership approach and proven governance frameworks, ZFF aims to help Cebu build more resilient local nutrition systems capable of delivering responsive and sustainable services for children and families.

Dr. Catalan underscored the importance of strengthening existing local nutrition structures, emphasizing that effective governance, leadership, and cross-sector cooperation are essential to addressing malnutrition’s complex root causes. She noted that ZFF’s technical expertise and leadership development programs can empower local government units to better coordinate nutrition planning, implementation, and accountability.

Complementing these efforts, the DOH-CHD Central Visayas has initiated a Memorandum of Agreement with several provinces, including Cebu, in partnership with ZFF. This collaboration seeks to advance Universal Health Care by embedding stronger nutrition governance into local health systems and promoting healthier, well-nourished families throughout the region.

As Cebu Province deepens its commitment to nutrition, this partnership marks a pivotal step toward creating resilient local systems that place children and families at the center of development.

Author: Samantha Morales, ZFF Nutrition Knowledge Management and Communications Associate

Harnessing better health data to improve planning, strengthen investments, and deliver better health outcomes took center stage during the second Bayang Malusog Leadership and Governance Program (BMLGP) Executive Session for Benguet on July 2, 2026.

Guided by Governor Melchor Diclas’ HEALTHIER Benguet agenda (Health Equity and Access across all Life-stages Towards Healthier I-Benguet through Efficient and Responsive Health Systems), the Province of Benguet reaffirmed its commitment to building a more responsive and data-informed health system that advances Universal Health Care (UHC).

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Collaborative Leadership for Health Transformation

The Executive Session brought together the Provincial Government of Benguet, national government partners, and the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) to revisit commitments from the first Executive Session in 2025 and align on priority actions for the next phase of health systems transformation.

The Province of Benguet was led by Governor Melchor Diclas, together with the Provincial Health Office headed by Dr. Meliarazon Dulay. Also joining the discussions were Dr. Maria Imelda Ulep, Chief of Hospital of Benguet General Hospital; Dr. Mercedes Calpito, Provincial Health Team Leader of the Baguio-Benguet Department of Health (DOH) Office; and Ms. Marilyn Dizon, representing PhilHealth Local Health Insurance Office Benguet. The ZFF delegation was led by Chairman Dr. Manuel Dayrit.

Photo above: ZFF Chairman Dr. Manuel Dayrit and Benguet Governor Melchor Diclas tackle how to turn health data into better services for the province.

Building on Progress

The Provincial Health Office highlighted key milestones achieved since the first Executive Session, including:

• The enactment of the Provincial-wide Health System (PWHS) Ordinance.
• The development of the Special Health Fund (SHF) Manual of Operations.
• Ongoing efforts to strengthen electronic medical records (EMR), telemedicine, and community-based health services through the HEALTHIER Benguet Caravans.

The province also shared continuing challenges, including fragmented health information systems, delayed fund releases, medicine availability, and the realities of delivering services to geographically isolated and disadvantaged communities.

Strengthening Data for Better Health Governance

Recognizing that better health data leads to better decisions, Governor Diclas highlighted the importance of strengthening the province’s EMR system to improve care coordination, monitor service utilization, and support more strategic resource allocation across the province.

He also noted the need to clearly demonstrate how public investments translate into better health services and outcomes—strengthening the province’s ability to advocate for continued investments in health.

Alongside these efforts, Governor Diclas identified completing hospital and dialysis infrastructure, as well as sustaining investments in nutrition and noncommunicable disease prevention, as key priorities under the HEALTHIER Benguet agenda.

From Investments to Measurable Outcomes

Supporting this direction, Dr. Manuel Dayrit encouraged the province to move beyond tracking expenditures and focus on measuring how health investments improve access, service delivery, and population health. He underscored the importance of documenting progress, strengthening health information systems, and using disaggregated data to identify gaps and guide future investments across municipalities.

“You are more clear with what you want to do. You are aware of your bottlenecks,” Dr. Manuel Dayrit said, emphasizing that a clear understanding of both the province’s progress and remaining challenges provides a strong foundation for more focused and measurable health systems transformation.

Photo above: Participants unite during the Executive Session to reaffirm their shared commitment to a data-informed and collaborative health system for a healthier Benguet.

Sustaining the Momentum

The Executive Session concluded with renewed commitments from the Provincial Government of Benguet, the Provincial Health Office, DOH, PhilHealth, and ZFF to strengthen health governance through better data, collaborative leadership, and sustained partnerships.

By advancing stronger health information systems, operationalizing the Special Health Fund, and improving equitable access to quality healthcare, Benguet continues to lay the groundwork for a healthier future for every I-Benguet.

Author: Ayeza De Mesa, ZFF BMLGP Associate

Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF)’s Executive Dialogue with Baguio City highlights how the city’s health system transformation is creating new opportunities to strengthen primary health care, deepen partnerships, and improve access for every community.

Photo above: Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong personally thanks ZFF Chairman Dr. Manuel Dayrit for his guidance, which helped transform the city’s frustrations into renewed motivation for its UHC journey.

“What we discovered today is that Baguio City has experienced massive organizational growth in just a few years. There has been growth in the budget, growth in human resources for health, and growth in population access to health services and the capacity of District Health Centers to provide care. What this tells me is that while your organization and capacity are growing, you are also uncovering more needs. As the Mayor said, ‘Hindi pa natin naaabot lahat.’ You are growing and increasing your budget, but as you grow, you continue to uncover more needs. Umaangat nang umaangat ang accomplishment ninyo, but the bar keeps getting higher.”

This was the central message of Dr. Manuel Dayrit, ZFF Chairman, during the Executive Dialogue with Baguio City officials as they reflected on the city’s continuing journey toward Universal Health Care (UHC).

Despite these remarkable gains, city officials acknowledged that many families living in pockets of poverty continue to face barriers in accessing quality health care. The discussion reflected both the accomplishments and the persistent challenges of local leaders committed to making UHC a reality.

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• The Universal Health Care Journey in Benguet and Baguio: Celebrating Gains, Navigating Hurdles
• Mayor Magalong Completes ‘Deep Dive’ to Assess Baguio Health System

The Challenge of Translating Policy into Impact

Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong observed that while national health reforms have expanded policy guarantees and strengthened people’s entitlement to health services, these commitments have also raised public expectations. Local governments, however, often face the challenge of translating national policies into tangible improvements on the ground, where implementation requires time, resources, and sustained collaboration. As a result, communities may become frustrated when the benefits envisioned by policy are not immediately realized.

Echoing the Mayor’s observations, City Councilor Hon. Elmer Datuin shared his experience in facilitating guarantee letters for indigent patients seeking access to health services. While the city has continuously worked to bridge health inequities through local legislation and financial assistance, he acknowledged that reaching every marginalized family remains a challenge.

He also noted Baguio City’s legislative gains in advancing public health, including ordinances supporting non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention through alcohol and liquor regulation, anti-smoking and anti-vaping measures, and the city’s ongoing efforts to strengthen healthy procurement systems.

PhilHealth’s Perspective: Financial Protection and Its Limits

Offering the perspective of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), Dr. Glenn Lamsis acknowledged the frustration expressed by Baguio City leaders over the continuing challenge of reaching the city’s most marginalized communities. He recognized that despite the collective efforts of national agencies and the local government, some families continue to face barriers in accessing the health services they need.

Dr. Lamsis explained that PhilHealth’s primary role in UHC is to provide financial risk protection by reducing the financial burden of seeking health care. While financial risk protection is essential, he noted that it cannot, by itself, address the broader challenge of poverty.

He said, however, that PhilHealth continues to strengthen its benefit packages to narrow existing gaps. From initially covering 21 medicines, PhilHealth has expanded its formulary to 75 medicines, enabling more patients to receive medicines for many common illnesses at no cost. While not every medicine is included, medicines covered under the approved benefit package are provided free to eligible members.

Recognizing that UHC is a shared responsibility, Dr. Lamsis reaffirmed PhilHealth’s commitment to supporting Baguio City through technical assistance and by reimbursing eligible services within existing policy guidelines as the city continues to strengthen its local health system.

Rethinking Progress: From Frustration to Motivation

Photo above: Dr. Dayrit huddles with Baguio City Health Officer Dr. Celia Flor Brillantes to map out actionable next steps for strengthening primary care and expanding partnerships across Baguio’s health system.

Building on these perspectives, Dr. Dayrit explained that the relationship between national policies and local implementation often produces both intended and unintended effects. 

While UHC reforms are designed to expand access to individual health services, one unintended effect is that local governments devote considerable time and resources to meeting implementation requirements, leaving less capacity for community-based health promotion and disease prevention.

Rather than waiting for policies to evolve, he encouraged Baguio City to continue innovating, thinking beyond conventional approaches, and co-creating solutions with partners who share the same vision for healthier communities. 

“The best way forward is to think outside the box. Work with others who share the same goal of improving people’s health.” 

While the dialogue covered operational updates and implementation challenges, its defining moment came when Dr. Dayrit reframed the city’s frustrations as evidence of progress.

Dr. Dayrit emphasized that Baguio’s frustrations should not be viewed as signs of failure, but as evidence that its health system is maturing. As services expand, expectations naturally rise, hidden gaps become more visible, and the standard for success continues to move higher.

The familiar Filipino expression, “Malayo na, pero malayo pa,” is often heard in conversations about UHC. While it reminds us that much work remains, it can also overshadow the remarkable progress that has already been achieved. Dr. Dayrit challenged the city to embrace both realities—to celebrate its gains while remaining committed to continuous improvement.

Mayor Magalong welcomed this perspective, sharing that the discussion transformed his frustration into renewed motivation. “When we create solutions to one problem, new problems emerge. It is a continuous process that requires us to keep innovating. It is our responsibility to continue finding solutions. And, of course, our greatest virtue here is always patience.”

A Collaborative Platform for Reflection and Action

The Executive Dialogue was held on July 3, 2026, in Baguio City as part of  ZFF’s Bayang Malusog Leadership and Governance Program (BMLGP). It brought together members of the Local Health Board headed by Mayor Magalong and co-chaired by City Health Officer Dr. Celia Flor Brillantes, alongside representatives from the Department of Health-Center for Health Development Cordillera Administrative Region (DOH-CHD CAR) led by Regional Director Dr. Amelita Pangilinan, PhilHealth represented by Dr. Glenn Lamsis, and ZFF headed by Dr. Dayrit.

Rather than simply reporting accomplishments, the Executive Dialogue created a space for national and local leaders to reflect on Baguio City’s UHC journey, openly discuss implementation challenges, and identify collaborative strategies for further strengthening the city’s health system.

In his closing message, Mayor Magalong appealed to DOH and PhilHealth to continue listening to the experiences and insights of local government implementers, emphasizing that the realities on the ground provide valuable lessons for strengthening national policies.

Dr. Dayrit likewise encouraged Baguio City to identify more “force multipliers” through strategic partnerships that can strengthen health promotion efforts. As the city continues its transition toward a primary health care-oriented system, initiatives such as YAKAP have understandably required significant organizational focus. Expanding partnerships, he noted, will help ensure that health promotion remains a strong pillar of the city’s health agenda.

Echoing this recommendation, Regional Director Dr. Amelita Pangilinan encouraged the city to further strengthen partnerships with private health facilities, intensify its health promotion and information campaign, and continue transforming District Health Centers into fully functional one-stop shops by maximizing reimbursements from the YAKAP package.

Photo above: Participants stand together after the Executive Dialogue, reaffirming their collective resolve to turn Baguio’s growing capacity into tangible health gains.

Baguio’s UHC Milestones: A Model for Transformation

Baguio City’s experience demonstrates that implementing UHC is not simply about complying with national policies. It is about continuously strengthening institutions, investing in people, learning from implementation, and responding to the changing needs of communities.

As one of the country’s pilot sites for UHC, Baguio has become a model for local health system transformation:

• In 2025, the city achieved 100% of the DOH’s Local Health System Maturity Level, reflecting full compliance with the preparatory, organizational, and functional requirements for UHC implementation.
• For its primary care facilities, the city secured a DOH License to Operate and obtained PhilHealth accreditation as a YAKAP provider, along with other PhilHealth benefit packages.
• It expanded its human resources for health and upgraded plantilla positions.
• It fully implemented the Magna Carta for Public Health Workers.
• It developed one of the country’s pioneering locally developed health information systems through the Baguio Medical Record System (BMRS).

These milestones demonstrate that Baguio is not merely keeping pace with health reform. It is helping shape its future. The Executive Dialogue affirmed that progress is not measured by the absence of challenges, but by the willingness to confront increasingly complex ones.

As Dr. Dayrit reminded the city, growth inevitably uncovers more needs and raises the bar even higher. For Baguio, this is not a setback, but a sign that its health system is moving in the right direction.

Author: Joan Kidatan, ZFF BMLGP Associate

Barangay health workers, nutrition scholars, municipal health staff, and community volunteers completed a three-day Training of Trainers for the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF)’s Family Stunting Reduction (FaStR) Program in the Municipality of Governor Generoso, Davao Oriental. The training was conducted under the Nutrition Leadership and Equity Acceleration Program (NutriLEAP) partnership between ZFF and the Province of Davao Oriental.

A total of 40 Barangay Health Workers and Barangay Nutrition Scholars, together with 19 community volunteers from Compassion International, were equipped to serve as local trainers and facilitators. Their new role is to help families address the root causes of stunting using a family-centered approach that encourages positive behavior change.

Related article:

• Faster Action, Better Nutrition: ZFF’s Family Stunting Reduction Program (FaStR)

The FaStR Program is a practical coaching framework that helps frontline workers understand each household’s unique circumstances and guide families toward sustainable nutrition, health, and caregiving practices. Rather than focusing only on a child’s nutritional status, the program empowers families to identify their own barriers, strengthen healthy habits, and build long-term resilience.

Photo above: Over 50 frontline workers and volunteers are now trained as facilitators under ZFF’s FaStR Program equipped to coach families toward better health and nutrition.

Governor Generoso was chosen as a priority municipality because it continues to have one of the highest stunting rates in Davao Oriental. The strong leadership demonstrated by Mayor Juanito Inojales and his municipal team, along with their sense of urgency, inspired a shared commitment among the Provincial Government, Compassion International, and ZFF—showing that reducing stunting is a responsibility all share.

During the training, one Barangay Nutrition Scholar shared, “[FaStR] program is not about judging families but about holding their hand so they can stand on their own.” Together, we are building local champions who will help every child and every family thrive, one household at a time.

Author: Samantha Morales, ZFF Nutrition Knowledge Management and Communications Associate

Dr. Joyce Viar, Nutrition Director at Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF), distills key lessons from the AVPN Forum and Learning Visit in Indonesia: effective interventions do not guarantee sustainability without genuine government ownership. Malnutrition is a systemic challenge requiring coordinated governance, not isolated projects. These insights are shaping ZFF’s Pook Malusog strategy as it shifts toward nutrition resilience.

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The AVPN Forum and Learning Visit in Indonesia provided an opportunity to reflect on some of the most pressing issues in nutrition and early childhood development and nutrition across Asia. While countries differ in context and development trajectories, many of the challenges discussed during the forum resonated strongly with the Philippine experience, persistent malnutrition despite available interventions, fragmented systems, insufficient financing, and the struggle to sustain innovations beyond donor support.

The forum reinforced a critical realization: malnutrition is not simply a health problem. It is a systems challenge that requires coordinated action across sectors, strong governance, sustained financing, and community ownership. Equally important, the learning visit to Tanoto Foundation’s Rumah Anak SIGAP (RAS) program demonstrated both the promise and limitations of innovative community-based interventions. Evidence of effectiveness alone does not guarantee scale or sustainability; ultimately, government ownership determines whether promising interventions become lasting solutions.

Several insights emerged from the experience that are highly relevant to ongoing efforts to strengthen nutrition systems and build nutrition resilience.

Malnutrition is a Systems Problem

One of the strongest messages from the forum was the recognition that malnutrition is inherently multidimensional. Nutrition outcomes are shaped by the interaction of food systems, maternal health, education, social norms, governance, and economic conditions. Consequently, addressing malnutrition requires moving beyond isolated interventions toward a systems approach.

This insight reinforces the importance of viewing nutrition not as a standalone sector but as an outcome produced by multiple interconnected systems. Fragmented interventions may yield short-term gains, but sustainable improvements require stronger coordination across sectors and alignment of policies, programs, and investments.

For nutrition resilience efforts, this means strengthening the capacity of systems to adapt and continue delivering essential nutrition services even in the face of shocks and competing priorities.

The First 1,000 Days Remain Foundational

The forum reiterated that maternal health and nutrition during pregnancy and early childhood continue to be among the most powerful determinants of child nutrition outcomes. Persistent challenges in Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices indicate that technical interventions alone are insufficient.

Behavior change begins at home. Families and caregivers ultimately determine feeding practices, care behaviors, and health-seeking decisions. This highlights the need to complement service delivery interventions with stronger community engagement and social and behavior change strategies.

The emphasis on early childhood also broadened the understanding of nutrition outcomes. Child development extends beyond physical growth and includes cognitive, emotional, and social development, all of which are profoundly influenced by nutrition during the earliest years of life.

Frontline Workers are the Face of the System

Another recurring theme was the critical role of frontline workers. The quality of nutrition services is highly dependent on the competencies, confidence, and motivation of health workers and community volunteers.

The experience from Indonesia further demonstrated how community-based facilitators can bridge service delivery gaps, particularly in early childhood development and parenting support. However, it also exposed the limitations of relying solely on volunteerism without institutionalized competency standards and government support.

Strengthening frontline capacity therefore remains an essential investment. Building resilient nutrition systems requires not only technical interventions but also a capable workforce that can effectively translate policies into services that reach families and communities.

Data Must Inform Decisions, Not Just Reporting

The forum emphasized that data should serve as a tool for decision-making rather than merely a reporting requirement.

Many local governments have access to substantial amounts of nutrition information, yet translating these data into strategic action remains a challenge. Data literacy among local leaders and implementers is equally important as data availability.

When local decision-makers understand and use data effectively, they are better positioned to prioritize interventions, allocate resources efficiently, and target the populations most in need. Ultimately, evidence-informed governance is a cornerstone of effective nutrition systems.

Investing in Girls is Investing in Nutrition

An important insight from the discussions was the recognition that education, particularly for girls, functions as a long-term nutrition intervention.

Girls who remain in school are more likely to delay pregnancy, seek health services, adopt better caregiving practices, and attain improved economic opportunities. These outcomes collectively contribute to better nutrition for both women and children.

This reinforces the need to frame nutrition not only as a health issue but also as a human capital and development agenda that cuts across multiple sectors.

Financing Determines Sustainability

The forum repeatedly highlighted that successful interventions often fail to achieve scale because of insufficient and unsustained financing.

Development partners and philanthropic organizations can provide catalytic funding and demonstrate innovative approaches. However, long-term impact depends on whether governments adopt, finance, and institutionalize these interventions.

The experience of the RAS program illustrates this reality clearly. Despite strong evidence of positive child development outcomes, only three of the fourteen pilot sites were sustained by local governments. The primary barriers were the absence of dedicated government programs and insufficient budget allocations.

This experience reinforces an important lesson: sustainability planning must begin from the outset. Interventions should be designed with a clear pathway toward government financing and institutionalization.

Government Ownership is the Ultimate Measure of Success

Perhaps the most compelling lesson from both the forum and the learning visit is that evidence alone is insufficient. Innovative programs often assume that successful pilots will naturally be adopted by governments. However, the RAS experience demonstrates that effectiveness does not automatically translate into policy uptake or financing commitments.

Government ownership must therefore be intentionally cultivated through continuous engagement, alignment with government priorities, policy advocacy, and integration into existing systems.

Programs that remain external or operate in parallel structures face significant risks once donor support ends. Sustainable change occurs when governments and communities perceive interventions as their own and commit resources toward their continuation.

Integrating Nutrition and Early Childhood Development

The learning visit further underscored the inseparable relationship between nutrition and early childhood development.

Nutrition interventions that focus solely on physical growth miss opportunities to influence cognitive and socio-emotional development. Likewise, early learning programs that do not address nutrition risk limiting children’s developmental potential.

The RAS model demonstrates how integrated approaches that combine responsive caregiving, nutrition, parenting support, and early stimulation can produce holistic benefits for children.

This integrated perspective has significant implications for nutrition programming, particularly in strengthening life-course approaches and advancing multisectoral collaboration.

Implications for Nutrition Resilience

Collectively, the insights from the AVPN Forum and Learning Visit point toward a broader understanding of nutrition 

resilience.

Resilient nutrition systems are not merely those that continue operating during crises. They are systems that possess strong governance, capable frontline workers, evidence-informed decision-making, sustainable financing, and deep government and community ownership.

Building nutrition resilience therefore requires:

• Strengthening systems rather than implementing isolated interventions;
• Investing in the first 1,000 days and early childhood development;
• Building frontline capacities and community engagement;
• Enhancing data use for decision-making;
• Securing sustainable financing and government ownership; and
• Integrating nutrition within broader human development agendas

The AVPN Forum and Learning Visit reaffirmed that the pathway to improved nutrition outcomes extends far beyond technical interventions. Lasting progress depends on the ability of governments, communities, and development partners to build systems that are adaptive, coordinated, and owned by those responsible for sustaining them.

The experiences from Indonesia offer an important reminder: successful innovations do not achieve impact simply because they work. They achieve impact when they become embedded within government systems, supported by public financing, and embraced by communities.

These lessons strongly resonate with the evolution of the ZFF’s Pook Malusog strategy. Since its inception, Pook Malusog has recognized that sustainable nutrition gains cannot be achieved through project-based interventions alone. Instead, it has focused on strengthening local governance, generating political commitment, building multisectoral coordination, and enabling local governments to lead and sustain nutrition actions. The program’s emphasis on local ownership, evidence-informed decision-making, and institutionalization mirrors the key success factors highlighted during the forum.

As Pook Malusog transitions toward a nutrition resilience agenda, these insights become even more relevant. Nutrition resilience calls for systems that can not only deliver nutrition interventions effectively under normal conditions but can also adapt, respond, and recover amid shocks, competing priorities, and changing contexts. This requires strengthening governance systems, ensuring sustainable financing, investing in frontline capacities, and embedding nutrition within broader development and human capital agendas.

Ultimately, the journey toward nutrition resilience is a journey from demonstration to institutionalization, from externally supported interventions to locally owned systems, and from short-term program successes to enduring government commitment. The experiences from Indonesia reaffirm that the future of nutrition lies not merely in implementing effective interventions, but in building resilient systems that enable these interventions to be sustained, scaled, and continuously owned by communities and governments alike.

Author: Dr. Joyce Viar, ZFF Nutrition Director

In Kapangan, Benguet, where 11 out of 15 barangays are geographically isolated, the path to better health is rarely easy. 

Last May 15, 2026, Kapangan Mayor Harris Dizon with Dr. Joy Fermin, Municipal Health Officer, joined a guided community immersion referred to as Deep Dive, as part of the Bayang Malusog Leadership and Governance Program (BMLGP) of the Zuellig Family Foundation. 

Related articles:

• From Data to Dignity: How a Bedside Visit in Kibungan, Benguet Changed a Mayor’s Approach to Universal Health Care
• Kibungan and Kapangan’s Grand March Toward a Shared UHC Vision

Following their training in November 2025, the mayor together with the municipal health team committed to a learning journey rooted in empathy. The Deep Dive asked leaders to see the health system through the eyes of the poor and marginalized.

During the orientation, Dr. Fermin presented the municipality’s key health indicators, which set the lens for the Deep Dive that followed. In Kapangan, hypertension is the number one cause of outpatient visits and a leading cause of death, alongside cancer and stroke. In 2025, thirteen percent of all deaths were premature Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) deaths involving individuals under seventy years old.

The team identified several barriers. At the facility level, the clinical laboratory remains unlicensed, preventing essential cholesterol testing. There are periodic stockouts of maintenance medicines. At the community level, patients face out-of-pocket costs, cultural beliefs that normalize very high blood pressure, and the challenge of treatment fatigue. The mountainous terrain and frequent bad weather also keep many seniors from reaching the health stations.

To ground these problems in real life, the team visited an 89-year-old hypertensive living in a household of ten family members who survive on farming and a small pension. The visit shifted the team’s perspective dramatically. The mayor admitted that seeing her difficulty in walking reminded him of his own vulnerabilities.

During the debriefing, the team moved from emotion to action. The mayor committed to a house-to-house visiting program for immobile seniors and pointed to the upcoming July budget cycle as the time to allocate more funds for health. The MHO proposed creating a dedicated NCD  technical working group under the Local Health Board. She also pushed for a functional Electronic Medical Record system, since the current manual tracking only reveals that a patient has stopped their medication months after the fact.

Despite admitting that he considers himself an older learner, Mayor Harris closed the session with a strong statement of commitment. He said he is ready to learn every day to ensure the success of Kapangan’s health programs. The team will reconvene in June 2026 for a practicum assessment and the BLMGP Module 2 training will be held in July to refine their municipal health roadmap.

BMLGP is a three-year commitment (2025–2027) to strengthen Primary Health Care in Benguet and Baguio City by empowering local leaders in operationalizing Universal Health Care.

Following the executive session with Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose “Bong” Lacson as part of the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF)’s Nutrition Leadership and Equity Acceleration Program (NutriLEAP), the province is taking concrete steps to advance its nutrition agenda through stronger governance and local leadership. On June 3, 2026, ZFF met with the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental to map out context-specific pathways for implementing NutriLEAP and supporting the province’s nutrition priorities.

Key developments include reconstituting the Provincial Nutrition Committee (PNC), strengthening the Provincial Health Office’s role in convening the NutriLEAP Core Team, and aligning nutrition initiatives with the upcoming local planning and budgeting cycle. 

The discussions also included plans to roll out Nutrition Leadership for Development (NutriLE4D) with mayors and Municipal Nutrition Action Officers (MNAOs) across priority municipalities to ensure nutrition stays a strategic investment during the critical July planning and budgeting season. NutriLE4D is a specialized course designed to train participants with leadership and governance capacities to effectively implement and sustain nutrition programs.

As Negros Occidental builds stronger systems for nutrition, ZFF remains committed to supporting local leaders. Together, they are creating sustainable, data-driven, community-centered solutions for better nutrition outcomes that last.

Author: Samantha Morales, ZFF Nutrition Knowledge Management and Communications Associate