NNC-7 builds up effort to eliminate malnutrition

CEBU, Philippines — The National Nutrition Council-7 hopes to align the efforts of both the members of the Regional Nutrition Committee and the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) networks towards the nutrition program implementation to cater to the needs of the Central Visayas population with the recent launching of the SUN Strategy 3.0.

As the first region in the country to organize the SUN academe, SUN business and SUN civil society networks, its secretariat, the NNC-7 is hard-pressed to ensure that members and other potential partners be able to adopt the SUN Strategy 3.0 and eliminate malnutrition in the Central Visayas.

Covering the years 2021 through 2025, SUN 3.0 is the third phase of the SUN movement and is a strategy that focuses on collective, coherent, and evidenced-based action towards accelerated nutrition progress and change.

In a statement, NNC-7 said that while the region is doing better in terms of prevalence of malnutrition, the magnitude of those who are affected remain to be a concern at the regional level with 60,819 children (2020, OPT Plus) below five years old suffering from long-term undernutrition (stunting).

The launching event aims to provide an overview of the SUN movement’s new phase and its salient features for partners and stakeholders outside of the SUN network, introduce the 40 new members of the SUN network, and affirm commitment to contribute to the Regional Plan of Action for Nutrition.

Meanwhile, NNC-7 has lauded local government units and nutrition focal persons who have exemplary performance in 2019 and 2020 in an online nutrition awards held recently by the Central Visayas Regional Nutrition Committee.

The ease in travel protocols in the second quarter of the year has enabled the Regional Nutrition Evaluation Team to push through with 2021 Monitoring and Evaluation of Local Level Plan Implementation (MELLPI) Pro visiting all four provinces, 16 cities and 15 municipalities and 68 barangays as well as a total of eight nominees for Outstanding Barangay Nutrition Scholar (BNS), three nominees for Outstanding Ci ty/Municipal Nutrition Coordinators (C/MNPC) and one nominee for Outstanding Nutrition Action Officer (NAO).

Those recognized also were the Overall Best Performing Local Nutrition Committees (LNCs), Best Performing LNCs per Dimension at barangay, municipal, city and provincial level, Good Nutrition Project Awards and Nutrition Project of Merit. Also given awards are outstanding BNSs, C/MNPCs and NAOs.

The awarding ceremony hopes to inspire LGUs to continue good nutrition program management despite COVID-19 restrictions. —GMR (FREEMAN)