Dalhin Dalaguete
We rise by lifting others
Poor Nutritional Status of Children Ages 0-59 months
Every day, 95 children in the Philippines die from malnutrition. Twenty-seven out of 1,000 Filipino children do not get past their fifth birthday. A third of Filipino children are stunted, or short for their age. Stunting after 2 years of age can be permanent, irreversible and even fatal. - UNICEF PHOur aim is to give the children of Dalaguete the proper nutrition they need while teaching mothers simple, nutritional and locally available recipes they can recreate at home.
Goal:
To decrease the number of underweight children ages 0-59 months from 25 % to 5% in Barangay Bag-ong Dalaguete, Mahayag, Zamboanga del Sur by the year 2020
Cues:
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25% of Children are categorized as Underweight for Weight-For-Age (18 out of 73 children)
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“Niwang ug gamay ang laing mga bata diri.”
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
ACTION AGAINST MALNUTRITION
Our proposed solutions are geared in changing the mind-set of the people in Bag-ong Dalaguete towards healthy lifestyle and taking in their hands the responsibility of pursuing good nutrition for themselves and their families. Our programs will focus on creating a community that would work hand-in-hand to build a good foundation for their children’s health and prioritize in making healthy decisions.
Accomplishments and Updates
Update as of 2020
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE 1: Establishing an effective growth monitoring system for children 0-59 months
Conducted "Operation Timbang"
In 2017, the medical students in partnership with the Barangay Nutrition Scholar and the Local Government Unit of Barangay Bag-ong Dalaguete, conducted a house-to-house visit gathr the anthropometric data of all children ages 0-59 months which includes the height, weight and mid-upper arm circumference.
Creation of "Monitoring Cards"
A monitoring card was created adapted from the World Health Organization Child Growth Standard Z-score. This card contains a child's important information. Monthly, a child's status will be assessed, such as their weight, and will be plotted in the the monitoring card for continuous assessment of the child's nutritional status.
Creation of Master List for Underweight Children
Creation of Mater List for all identified underweight children ages 0-59 months. The master list will be submitted to the Municipal Nutrition Action Office for their enrollment to the supplementary feeding program.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE 1
Establishing an effective growth monitoring system for children 0-59 months
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE 2
Increasing the knowledge of primary caregivers of children 0-59 months on the importance of proper infant and young child feeding.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE 3
Increasing the availability of food supply in the community
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE 4
Increasing the utilization of existing health programs and strategies for malnutrition
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE 2: To increase the knowledge of primary caregivers of children 0-59 months regarding the importance of proper infant and young child feeding.
"Kaalaman ni Mommy, Kalusugan ni Baby"
True transformation comes from knowing, hence, teach the primary caregivers of children ages 0-59 months regarding proper nutrition for children through various health education would give them the necessary tool to care and feed their children appropriate and healthy food.To be able to educate and empower the community especially the primary caregivers of children to take care of the children’s health through proper nutrition, we conducted a series of health classes focusing on breastfeeding, meal preparation and good child care practices.
"Distribution of IEC Materials"
The medical student distributed Information, Education and Communication materials. It was adopted from DOH “Complementary food for children” handbook to primary caregivers of children under 5 years old.
“Masustansyarap” Cooking Demonstration
Knowledge on meal preparations is vital in child care. A class was conducted with participation of the community mothers and primary caregivers together with the barangay nutrition scholar and barangay health workers. The primary caregivers were taught how to prepare meals from locally available ingredients that are nutritious and appetizing for children ages 0-59 months.
"Nutrition Month Celebration"
To celebrate the nutrition month, a program was conducted at Bag-ong Dalaguete Elementary School which was attended by the students and school teachers.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE 3: To increase availability of food supply in the community of Bag-ong Dalaguete.
"Planning for Communal Garden"
A communal garden is important to be present in the community to create a sustainable source of locally available food resources. Thus, we coordinated with barangay officials to create “Gulayan para sa Tanan” Community Garden in each Purok for an alternative source of vegetable for the community. It would be present for each purok and will be a purok project to create a sustainable source of varieties of vegetables.
Coordination with Department of Agriculture for Acquisition of seeds and trainings
Last November 2019, the medical students coordinated with the Department of Agriculture Region IX Field Office in Pagadian City for acquisition of vegetable seeds which are to be used in the communal gardens in Barangay Bag-ong Dalaguete.
Proper Seed-handling
The cooperative and generous office of Department of Agriculture headed by Sir Hannibal Bayo-ang provided ample amount and varieties of vegetable seeds ranging from leafy vegetable like Kangkong to crops like Kalabasa and Corn. Aside from providing the seeds, the Department of Agriculture also conducted a short interactive lecture regarding proper seed-handling to increase the produce and yields of the vegetable garden.
"Planting Seeds of Hope"
One way to combat malnutrition is by providing increased and consistent access to fresh, nutritional food. Communal gardens do have the potential to provide an important source of increased micronutrient intake, to fill the gaps not met by supplementation and fortification, and therefore to support improved nutritional status and immunity to disease.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE 4: Increasing the utilization of existing health programs and strategies for malnutrition
"Supplemental Feeding Program"
Our aim is to give the children of Bag-ong Dalaguete the proper nutrition they need while teaching mothers simple, nutritional and locally available recipes they can recreate at home. Coordinate with the Barangay Officials and Municipal Nutrition Action Office for the implementation of “Masustansyarap” supplemental feeding program for undernourished children less than 5 years old.
Last February 2020, the medical students coordinated with the LGU for acquisition of ingredients for the 30-day feeding program; together with the treasurer Barangay Bag-ong Dalaguete, Mrs. Antonia Pids, 15,000php worth of ingredients was purchased.
"Mothers Cooking"
Mothers play a very important role in the health and wellness of children, thus, a knowledgeable and well-equipped mother makes a big difference in the nutritional status of their children. In Bag-ong Dalaguete, mothers play a main role in the preparation of meals for the feeding program.
Our Mother's / Primary Caregivers working hand in hand to solve malnutrition in the community.
#NoChildLeftBehind
#EradicateMalnutrition #FeedingProgram #CookingShow
"Masustansyarap"30 days Feeding Program
Implementation of a 30-day feeding program, with meals high in energy and protein for children less than 5 years old. For 30 days, the community mothers cooked a healthy and delicious, mid-morning meal for the 15 undernourished children. The meal usually consist of 1 cup of rice, a healthy viand and 1 glass of milk to be consumed during mid-morning as a supplemental food to help children increase their weight.
The meal would be delivered to their house everyday and weekly, they would be weighed to monitor their weight. most of the children gained weighed at the end of the 30-days and only 2 children remained underweight.
A short eye's view of the lengths we brave to travel to distribute the "daily" feedings of those malnourished living at the hard to reach or farthest puroks located within Barangay Bag-Ong Dalaguete. ⛰🏔🗻
This post goes to every health worker, to every volunteer, to everyone whose heart helps the community beyond of their job titles and beyond of what is expected of them. Our job is the opposite of easy, yet we still continue. May we continue to be blessed with the hearts that love to help those in need.
During the culminating day of the 30-day supplemental feeding program, a cooking competition was commence. 5 groups would compete; they could cook a meal that they created from their own recipe. The food must be nutritious, delicious and locally available. The wiining group will win a cooking set. Also during the culminating activity, the child who gained the most weighed will have prize. the primary caregivers who were also always present during the daily preparation of meal were also recognized and were given special prizes and token for their participation during the supplemental feeding program.
