Dev’t projects to help curb malnutrition in the country: NNC

TACLOBAN CITY, Dec. 5  -- The National Nutrition Council (NNC) on Tuesday called on government agencies to push for nutrition-sensitive development projects which contribute to curb malnutrition in the country.

Catalino Dotollo, NNC regional nutrition program coordinator for Eastern Visayas, said among these development projects are farm-to-market roads, coconut farm rehabilitation, gardening, poverty reduction, discounted caravan, family development sessions, sustainable livelihood, adolescent health, and sanitation.

He made the call in a speech before hundreds of stakeholders during the 2017-2022 Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) regional launch here.

PPAN is the map for an integrated program of nutrition interventions, formulated under the leadership of the NNC.

“Complementing these nutrition-specific interventions are nutrition-sensitive projects. These are development projects that were tweaked to produce nutritional outcomes. This can be done by targeting households with undernourished children or nutritionally-vulnerable groups,” Dotollo said.

During the regional launch, stakeholders from the government and private sectors have pledged to support the PPAN’s 12 programs and 46 projects serving as a framework for actions.

These projects are expected to help save 46,769 children in Eastern Visayas from suffering moderate to severe malnutrition. The number is based on the 2016 weighing activity.

Nutrition-sensitive projects have been listed in PPAN 2017-2022, which is an integral part of the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022.

It is consistent with the Duterte administration’s 10-point Economic Agenda, the Health for All 

Agenda of the Department of Health, the development pillars of malasakit (protective concern), pagbabago (change or transformation), and kaunlaran (development), and the vision of Ambisyon 2040.

It factors in and considers country commitments to the global community as embodied in the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, the 2025 Global Targets for Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition, the 2014 International Conference on Nutrition.

During the regional launch, stakeholders from the government and private sectors pledged to support the PPAN’s 12 programs and 46 projects serving as a framework for actions. (SQM/PNA)