The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) turned over  additional P31 million to Davao City for the three-year Supplementary Feeding Program (SFP) of  46,588 children  enrolled in the 338 day care centers around the city.

In 2011, the DSWD extended to the city government more than P29 million  bringing to a total of over P60 million Supplementary Feeding funds dedicated to Davao City day care children. On top of this, DSWD has allotted P15,850,920 to the National Food Authority for the iron-fortified rice intended for the program.

The SFP, which will start in July, augments the feeding program of the local government unit using indigenous foods and/or locally processed foods equivalent to 1/3 of Recommended Energy and Nutrient Intakes (RENIs). The program also aims to improve knowledge, attitude, and practices of children, parents and caregivers through intensified nutrition and health education.

Daily hot meals shall be provided within 120 days. The feeding program will be managed by parents who will be organized into Day Care Service Parents Group (DCSPG) with different working committees. The parent committee on Food Preparation shall provide voluntary labor for the cooking and preparation of food and management of feeding sessions. Parents will also be required to attend all the nine capability-building sessions on self, family and parenting, health nutrition, love of country, and home and environment.

Aside from feeding, children shall be taught proper hygiene such as washing hands before and after eating, table manners, prayer  before and after meals, and simple concepts on health care and nutrition.

All children shall be dewormed and their nutritional status determined by the day care worker in coordination with the Barangay Nutrition Scholar (BNS) or Barangay Health Worker (BHW) using the weight-for-age and height-for-age measurement based on the new WHO Child Growth Standards or the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) growth chart.

OIC City Administrator Zuleika Lopez expressed her gratitude to DSWD during the turnover rites which was attended by city officials and employees of different departments.

According to Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman, the  SFP is  implemented nationwide to address the increasing prevalence of under- and over-nutrition among Filipino children as revealed in the 2008 National Nutrition Survey by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology. ###