Resilience to natural and man-made disasters tops the agenda of Siargao Island mayors after they witnessed the devastation of typhoon Odette (international name: Rai). To reach resiliency, the mayors are prioritizing health and nutrition improvements to ensure their constituents’ good health and safety even during emergencies. The Alumni Association of Asian Institute of Management (AAAIM) and the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) partnered to bring the Municipal Nutrition Governance Program (MNGP) to five local government units (LGUs).

The first of the multi-modular training program was held from February 1 to 3. Taking time off from their busy schedules to attend the sessions were three mayors and one vice mayor: Mayor Angie Arcena of Burgos, Mayor Maria Liza Resurreccion of Pilar, Mayor Arwela Dolar of Sta. Monica, and Vice Mayor Wellybell Requirme of San Benito.

“We have a scheduled event in Manila but we chose to be here because we see the importance of looking into our nutrition system. At the end of the day, this is not for us but for the youth who will become our municipal leaders in the future,” shared Mayor Resurreccion.

The MNGP focuses on improving the nutritional outcomes during the first 1,000 days or from conception until a child reaches two years—a period of critical brain and body development.

The mayors had four other municipal members form their core teams for nutrition. The core team from the LGU of San Isidro was also present.

The teams identified specific steps they will be taking in the next 12 months to improve nutrition service delivery systems. Their progress will be monitored by AAAIM and ZFF, which will also provide coaching support.

Technical assistance will come from National Nutrition Council regional program coordinator Dr. Archie Labordo, who was present during the training.

Aside from ensuring actual steps are done from now until the next training in the third quarter of the year, ZFF and AAAIM will evaluate the program based on decreases in nutritionally at-risk pregnant women, low birth weight, stunting, and wasting.

The design of the MNGP is based on ZFF’s past nutrition programs in rural municipalities, cities, and provinces that immediately brought down cases of stunting and wasting.

(Published February 16, 2023)

Just three months after attending the Barangay Leadership for Nutrition and Development (BL4ND), five barangays (villages) in Manila fulfilled needed nutrition reforms, including:

• the formulation of the Barangay Nutrition Action Plan with funding;
• the designation of the Barangay Nutrition Action Officer; and
• intensified tracking, profiling, and assessment of pregnant women and malnourished children.

Barangays 123, 212, 564, 598, and 733 attended the BL4ND on Sept. 27-28, 2022. Organized by the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF)-trained facilitators from Manila’s health department and Samaritan’s Purse, an international NGO, the two-day training helped the participants see clearly the gaps in their nutrition systems. The participants then organized their next steps with the end goal of improving the nutritional outcomes of their population—particularly pregnant women and children under two years old.

ZFF will be checking the progress again in March when barangays are expected to meet all of their targets.

Learn more about ZFF’s programs on nutrition, focusing on the first 1,000 days: https://zuelligfoundation.org/programs/nutrition/.

(Published February 14, 2023)

In a nod to Zuellig Family Foundation’s (ZFF) programs on Universal Health Care (UHC), the Department of Health’s Center for Health Development in Region 8 (DOH-CHD 8) collaborated with ZFF to accelerate UHC implementation and address nutrition challenges in the region. The DOH-CHD 8 has been a ZFF partner since 2013 under health governance leadership and municipal leadership programs.

The virtual ceremonial signing of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) held on November 29, 2022, marked the start of a new partnership under the Bayang Malusog program. The leadership development program will capacitate DOH regional leaders to support provincial leaders in creating effective and responsive province-wide health systems supporting the national health agenda.

Among those who signed the MOU were: Dr. Exuperia Sabalberino, DOH Eastern Visayas Regional Director; Austere Panadero, ZFF Executive Director; Dr. Anthony Faraon, ZFF Deputy Executive Director; Dr. Joyce Viar, ZFF Nutrition Portfolio Director; and Dr. Catherine Chung, ZFF Local Health System Portfolio Director.

In his message during the ceremonial signing, Dr. Abdullah B. Dumama Jr., Health Undersecretary of DOH’s Field Implementation and Coordination Team (FICT) for Visayas and Mindanao, highlighted the importance of collective action to realize UHC. He emphasized DOH’s commitment to working closely with local government units (LGUs) and partners by supporting local initiatives and providing technical assistance.

Similarly, Health Undersecretary Camilo Cascolan of DOH-FICT Visayas echoed DOH’s commitment to work with LGUs in achieving UHC saying that UHC will help resolve health inequities.

To cap the ceremonial signing, Faraon expressed optimism that the MOU signing will not only be the start of a new partnership but the start of collaborative work toward delivering better health outcomes in Region 8. He said that UHC must be realized through more and better services. With the Bayang Malusog program, Faraon hoped to realize the message, “Tayo ay bayang malusog—bayang hangad ang mabuting kalusugan ng lahat.” (We are a healthy nation—a nation that desires good health for all.)

(Published December 20, 2022)

The Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) concluded the initial training and learning sessions to its two partners that share ZFF’s vision of ensuring the proper nutrition of pregnant women and children up to two years of age or what is known as the first 1,000 days (F1KD) of life.

Cebu

From Oct. 5 to 6, ZFF conducted a learning session for the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) officials headed by its president and CEO, Amaya Aboitiz, and COO Riela Mae Guioguio.

ZFF’s orientation deepened the understanding of their role in providing the enabling environment in Cebu to improve nutrition governance and scale up relevant program interventions. As a result, RAFI committed to partner with ZFF in implementing the City Nutrition Governance Program in Cebu City and the Municipal Nutrition Governance Program in the town of Bantayan.

The governance programs can potentially benefit 55,343 F1KD population in Cebu City and another 4,951 in Bantayan.

Manila

In Manila, last Sept. 27 to 28, the first batch of Barangay Leadership for Nutrition Development was held. It had 28 participants from five Manila barangays (villages): 2 in Tondo, 2 in Sampaloc, and 1 in Malate.

The training is part of ZFF’s partnership with the Manila City government, headed by Mayor Honey Lacuna, and the Samaritan’s Purse, an international non-profit organization with programs on nutrition in selected barangays in Manila since 2016.

Under the program, ZFF capacitated the staff of Manila’s health department and Samaritan’s Purse to run its nutrition leadership and governance program for barangay officials. Those trained facilitated the recently concluded leadership program for barangay captains, barangay councilor on health, barangay nutrition scholar, barangay health worker, youth council chairman, and other relevant barangay officials.

Barangay leaders who participated in the training saw weaknesses in their nutrition systems and vowed to do the following:

. Reorganize the barangay nutrition committee

· Develop comprehensive barangay nutrition action plans

· Appoint barangay nutrition action officers

· Include F1KD nutrition in the agenda items of barangay assemblies beginning October

· Update profiles of families to capture the complete F1KD population

. Purchase vitamins and standard nutritional measuring tools for pregnant women and children

· Hold seminars for 4Ps beneficiaries and households with members belonging to the F1KD group

· Organize community gardening

With these, ZFF expects the five barangays to have functional barangay nutrition committees enjoying the support of their communities as improvements are expected to benefit an estimated 1,648 pregnant women and children aged two years and below.

Mayor Lacuna’s husband, Dr. Arnold Pangan, also Manila’s health department chief and nutrition action officer, graced the event and committed to roll out the program in more barangays.

(Published October 22, 2022)

There will likely be more stunted, wasted, and underweight children because of COVID-19. Without proper interventions, these children are put to a disadvantaged up to their adult lives.

It was Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, who also heads the government’s hunger task force, who expressed the bleak expectation following the September SWS poll that showed 7.6 million households had experienced involuntary hunger at least once in the past three months.

The Zuellig Family Foundation, through its City Nutrition Governance Program, works with Puerto Princesa, Tacurong, and Tagum to improve nutrition in the first 1000 days, and mitigate the impacts of the pandemic as well as integrate nutrition into their overall COVID-19 response programs.

The city mayors aim to address the unsustainability of food packs distribution and cash amelioration programs, and then make their constituents more food self-sufficient.

Puerto Princesa supports the organic backyard gardening by distributing gardening and farming tools, seedlings, and information materials to families in barangays where malnutrition cases are high.

Tacurong City appointed a new city action nutrition officer, activated the city and barangay nutrition councils, and upgraded front-line health workers’ skills.  Pregnant women and mothers with malnourished children get priority seed allocation.

Tagum City’s agriculture office introduced programs that brought fresh produce directly to barangays, encouraged residents to plant on vacant lots around the city, and gave residents free access to seeds and seedlings.

Malnutrition remains serious in the Philippines, where according to a 2018 survey, 15 percent of children 0-23 months were underweight, 25.5 percent were stunted, and 7 percent were wasted.

The 2018 Expanded National Nutrition Survey by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department to Science and Technology also showed that iron-deficiency anemia, which can increase risks of infection and dying among pregnant and lactating women, as well as infants, affected 26 percent of pregnant women, 14 percent of lactating women, and 39 percent of 0-23 months old children.

Left unchecked, malnourished babies—especially the poor—could become poor learners in school, and have limited employment opportunities and low productivity. Undernourished girls, according to the Department of Health and National Nutrition Council, “are likely to be undernourished through adolescence up to adulthood, including the period of pregnancy.”

Through the enactment of the Republic Act 11148 or the First 1,000 Days Law, this cycle of producing malnourished Filipinos will hopefully be prevented. Signed into law late in 2018, it envisions to give the marginalized families easier access to health and nutrition programs in the first 1,000 days i.e. conception until two years of age.

With the intent of helping the country improve F1KD nutritional outcomes, the Nutrition International and Zuellig Family Foundation forged a partnership to improve capacities of mayors and other health leaders in delivering better nutrition services in the cities of Puerto Princesa headed by Mayor Lucilo Bayron, Tacurong led by former Mayor Lina Montilla and Mayor Angelo Montilla and Tagum led by Mayor Allan Rellon. These LGUs had undergone other health leadership and governance programs of the ZFF.

Launched last July 10, the Urban Nutrition Governance project will strengthen capacities of mayors and local governments to plan, finance, and govern integrated nutrition service delivery networks. The project will coach and mentor city and village governments on systems-approach for nutrition through enabling policies and participatory governance, multi-sectoral collaboration, and improvements in technical capacities of health and nutrition workers.

The project aims to reduce undernutrition in the F1KD and specifically targets adolescent mothers, indigenous women and children, urban poor women with young children, and transient families in the three cities.

During the launch, F1KD law co-author Senator Rissa Hontiveros said, “…partnerships with the private sector… and even with other nations like Canada, which has generously supported these worthwhile endeavors, form a cornerstone to achieving our goal of better nutrition and health outcomes for all Filipinos.”

Likewise, DOH Assistant Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, M.D. said of the nutrition governance project, “It will bring together the respective expertise, experience, and strengths in governance and program management of the government, Nutrition International, and the Zuellig Family Foundation-and leverage these for tangible results on improving health and nutrition outcomes.”