The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), together with the Department of Health (DOH) and the World Bank (WB), led the wrap-up discussion for the 3rd Implementation Support Mission (ISM) of the Philippine Multisectoral Nutrition Project (PMNP) on Wednesday (January 31) in Pasay City.
The 3rd ISM exit conference served as a vital platform to comprehensively assess the PMNP’s progress in terms of technical, fiduciary, environmental, and social aspects.
During the meeting, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian reported the accomplishments of the agency as the lead of the project’s Component 2 or Community-Based Nutrition Service Delivery and Multisectoral Nutrition Convergence, which is spearheaded by the DSWD’s Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS).
“A total of 1,048 sub-projects were already completed out of the target 3,875 sub-projects under the PMNP implementation, most of which resulted in improved hygiene practices under the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), access to Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) services, and access to nutrition program and services, “ the DSWD chief said.
The remaining sub-projects are set to be completed before the end of July 2024.
In terms of broadening collaboration with private sector partners, Secretary Gatchalian highlighted the current partners of the DSWD to assist community beneficiaries of the PMNP.
“We were talking about expanding partnerships with the private sector and Manila Water is with us and we have already been given technical assistance in the execution of certain WASH programs. Gawad Kalinga is with us in the community mobilization effort, and the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) with their Waves for Water member organization,” the DSWD chief reported.
Secretary Gatchalian said the collaboration with MAP and Waves for Water will help secure funding for identified needs not covered by the existing almost 5,000 community subprojects under the PMNP.
Other key officials present in the meeting were DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa; World Bank (WB) Country Director, Ndiame Diop, and Senior Nutrition Specialist, Dr. Ali Winoto Subandoro; National Nutrition Council (NNC) Executive Director, Assistant Secretary Azucena Dayanghirang; United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Country Representative Oyunsaikhan Dendevnorov, United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) Country Manager, Oscar Leonel Marenco-Ruiz.
Other executives and representatives from the DSWD, DOH, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Finance (DOF), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), and National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) were also in the wrap up meeting.
The PMNP aims to reduce stunting in targeted localities by adopting a multi-sectoral nutrition approach to deliver a coordinated package of nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions across various local government unit (LGU) platforms together with harmonized social behavior change and communication strategy.
The project will run for four years from January 2022 to December 2025. #
