DSWD Strengthens Supplemental Feeding Program to Combat Malnutrition

Though malnutrition among children is a problem that needs to be addressed by the government, children who are at risk of malnutrition should also be given equal consideration to prevent them from becoming malnourished.

Thus, the government’s supplemental feeding program is strengthened through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as the lead agency to prevent malnutrition among day care children.

Maasin City Social Welfare Office Staff, Fe Nida Sy in an interview with the Philippine Information Agency-Maasin revealed that their office is delegated to provide social welfare and development programs through technical assistance and resource augmentation, while providing also nutrition services to clients, particularly children at the local level through the supplemental feeding program as one of the government’s priority programs.

Sy reported that for this year, food supplementation is in the form of hot meals to be served during break time in the morning session or during snack time in the afternoon to children in day care centers for five days a week.

The parents will manage the feeding program based on a prepared meal cycle using available indigenous food materials. The children will be weighed at the start of the feeding and a monthly weighing thereafter will be done to determine the improvement and sustenance in their nutritional status, Sy said.

The budget allocated for this purpose will be through the DSWD regional offices, while LGUs implementing the said project is required to submit liquidation report for the disbursement of funds, the report said.

The food supplementation allocated P12.70 per child which include rice and a P10.00 for the viand per child per day for 120 days hot meal feeding. An average of 10 children is estimated to cover a kilo of rice priced at P27.00.

Cooking materials to include big frying pans and big cooking pots are distributed to the 72 day care centers through its Day Care Workers throughout Maasin City, not to include the 1,503 each for the spoon and fork, tumblers and plates for the day care children.

Source: Philippine Information Agency

Tagged Department of Social Welfare and Development, feeding program