Narrative Report on Feeding Program

August, 2013

 

In order to intensify health and nutrition among grade school children, Pinaod Central School as spearheaded with Nutrition Coordinator in running targeted supplementary feeding program for wasted and severely wasted children of this school. The project which was launched last week, August 5, 2013, aims at reduction of acute malnutrition among grade school children.

 

Mrs. Mylene Roque, one of the health coordinators of the school, threshed-out those who were severely wasted and wasted pupils from Grade I to Grade Vi levels. There are 55 recipients of the program. The school provides daily heavy lunch with MMK (Malunggay, Mongo, and Kalabasa) as main ingredients mixed with chicken or ground pork. The children are to be fed for 120 days during this school year. The budget is P 12 per child per meal. The meals are prepared by the HE teachers, and some PTA officer, following low-cost and balanced menus compiled by Mam Mylene. In addition, a glass of milk is provided for each child every day at 8 o’clock in the morning.

 

During feeding, health care practices such as hand washing and tooth brushing are also promoted.

NARRATIVE REPORT IN FEEDING PROGRAM

The program started on a delightful day. The whole morning, everyone was preparing the materials needed, setting up the venue while the others are busy in preparing and cooking. We are glad and lucky because the Barangay Council of the said barangay helps us in preparing and making this activity become successful. It is exactly 2 o’clock in the afternoon when the formal program started.

It is heart fulfilling for us to see that the children together with their parents are excited in preparing themselves in the said activity. The program begins in an opening prayer lead by Ms. Rhodora Alejado followed by opening remarks of Mrs. Virginia Divina and Message of Gratitude of Brgy. Captain, represented by Councilor Arnold Rivera.

The second part of program starts in EXERCISE lead by the SPG Club and participated by the children. The next part of the program is the proper hand washing lecture and Demonstration for the children. And some orientation about malnutrition for parents. After the demonstration and orientation, the PTA conducted parlor games like PABITIN wherein the children enjoy in playing, receiving educational prices like pencils and notebooks, also they received food prices. And the last part of the program is feeding activity. Everyone enjoyed and satisfied in healthy foods that we served. After that we take pictures as a documentation in our accomplishment report. The said program was attended by 150 persons consisting of children and parents.

NARRATIVE REPORT IN FEEDING PROGRAM

Every year, in the month of July, the National Nutrition Council lead the whole nation in the celebration of Nutrition Month, purposely to disseminate nutrition messages to all Filipino through a focal theme. For 2012, the theme is Pagkain ng gulay ugaliin, araw-araw itong ihain to focus on the promotion of vegetables and its nutritional benefits.

The PCS launching event for the Nutrition Month Celebration will feature vegetable gardening in schools on July 2, 2012 to emphasize the importance of eating vegetabls as part of a healty diet. All public elem and secondary scholls are encouraged to conduce simultatneous vegatble gardening on July 2 as well.

School administrators, teachers and non-teaching personnel are enjoined to participate in the month long celebration by undertaking activities which will promote vegetable consumption and production in the schools. The activities should also highlight the National greening program focused on poverty reduction, food security, biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and adaptation and Gulayan sa Paaralan project by participating in tree planting and growing activities and establishing vegetable gardens. A feeding Program for malnourished pupils is also highlighted in this celebration.

Abot-Alam’ for out-of-school youth

The mission of the Department of Education is “to protect and promote the right of every Filipino to quality, equitable, culture-based and complete basic education.” One of the DepEd’s major vehicles in carrying out this mission is the K-to-12 program.

Even as the DepEd goes full gear in the implementation of this major reform initiative, it is also mindful of the fact that not all young learners have ready or easy access to school. In far-flung communities, young learners have to walk long distances or wade or even swim through rivers just to be able to get to school. This is very taxing on their young bodies and many of them ultimately lose interest in getting an education.

There are the children at risk on the streets, unable to go to school because of extreme poverty and other constraints. A large number of children also live with their families in off-grid communities, where they use candles and kerosene lamps to read and study, exposing them to eyestrain and dangerous fumes. Then there are those who dropped out of school in the last two decades, and who are now 15-30 years old; many of them have not completed high school and now want to acquire skills to get employed or to set up their own small business.

To address the needs of these hard-to-reach learners and to provide them easier access to education and other opportunities, the DepEd, in partnership with government and nongovernment groups, has embarked on “Programs for Last Mile Learners.” One of these is “Abot-Alam” (loosely translated as “Knowledge Within Reach”), a program for out-of-school youth (OSY). Various sources of data put the number of Filipino out-of school youth aged 15-30 at anywhere between 3 million and 4 million.

Abot-Alam is a convergence program involving national government agencies under the Human Development and Poverty Reduction Cluster of the Cabinet. Through the collective effort of these agencies, in partnership with local government

units, civil society organizations, the private sector and community-based groups, Abot-Alam is aimed at mapping out-of-school youth and matching them with appropriate government, private-sector, or civil-society programs that will give them opportunities for education, employment and entrepreneurship.

Opportunities for education include the DepEd’s Alternative Learning System for those who prefer to finish their basic education and scholarships for those who want to pursue higher education. Employment opportunities are provided under skills training and employment programs of agencies such as Tesda (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority) and the Department of Labor and Employment, in partnership with private companies and enterprises. Entrepreneurship opportunities are provided by the Department of Trade and Industry and private groups such as GO Negosyo and microfinance institutions.

Some LGUs and civil-society organizations have programs that cut across the three areas of education, employment and entrepreneurship and make these available to the out of school youth in their respective communities.

Abot-Alam is being implemented by multisectoral alliances on the municipality, city and provincial levels. For this nationwide implementation, the local alliances are led by the LGUs with support from the local DepEd offices, the National Youth Commission, other government agencies in the area, and civil-society organizations.

Additionally, there are sectors or organizations that are implementing Abot-Alam in specific communities or groups. For example, the Armed Forces of the Philippines has started implementing the program for camp personnel as well as household help who wish to finish high school. Some companies or offices are also implementing Abot-Alam for their employees who have yet to complete their basic education.

As of the end of December 2014, more than 100 out of school youth have been mapped and listed in the Abot-Alam database. More than 40 of them have been enrolled under various programs in education, employment and entrepreneurship.

The success of Abot-Alam depends on: The ability of stakeholders to put together a comprehensive, community-level

database containing the out-of-school youth’s personal information, including their aspirations and reasons for dropping out

The availability of a wide range of programs sufficiently flexible, responsible, accessible and appropriate to meet out-of-school youth’s diverse learning goals

The formation of a local-level multisectoral alliance to identify all out-of-school youth in communities and pool resources and programs to address their needs

The direct and sustained participation of each citizen, who will adopt as his/her personal mission the task of ensuring that at least one out-of-school youth in his/her workplace or neighborhood gets access to the opportunities being provided by Abot-Alam

Success can be achieved if we, together as a nation, give it one big push.