PIA Press Release Thursday, January 19, 2012 DSWD’s Supplemental Feeding program serves 19,438 pre-schoolersTUGUEGARAO CITY, Jan. 19 (PIA) -- The supplementary feeding program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has served a total of 19,438 pre-schoolers enrolled in the different day care centers in the region for the year 2011. Regional director Arnel Garcia said the feeding program was aimed at improving malnutrition problems in the region. Food and regular meals provisions are given to currently enrolled day care children ages 3-4 years old, and 5-year old pre-school enrolled in the day care centers not catered by the Department of Education (DepEd) for 120 days. Of the 19, 438 children, 4,945 are Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries, 1,318 from Cagayan; 2,667 from Isabela; 856 in Nueva Vizcaya and 104 from Quirino. "In this program, the parents manage the feeding program based on a prepared meal cycle using available indigenous and locally processed food materials. The children are weighed at the start of the feeding and a monthly weighing thereafter is being done to determine improvement in their nutritional status," Garcia explained. The supplementary feeding complements the goal of Pantawid Pamilya to improve the nutritional status among children who belong to poor families. The DSWD region 2 has started implementing the program in the region by the third quarter of 2011. This is spearheaded by the Operations Division in coordination with the Local Government Units thru the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO), Day Care Workers and Parent Groups. (TCB/BM/OTB/PIA-2) |