The First 1,000 Days of the child’s life is considered the “Golden window” of opportunity for the child to achieve his or her full potential in the different aspects of development. This is the period during which key health, nutrition, early education, and related services should be delivered to ensure the optimum physical and mental development of a child. The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) approved the provision of the dietary supplementation program (DSP) for children 6-23 months and nutritionally-at-risk, pregnant women, to prevent stunting in children during the first 1000 days of life.
The Tutok Kainan Supplementation Program aims to improve the quality and quantity of nutrition of beneficiaries by supplying nutritious food commodities. The primary purpose of the program is to furnish supplemental food for the nutritionally at-risk or undernourished pregnant mothers for 90 days and complementary food for children 6-23 months old for 180 days.
In Caraga Region, Surigao del Sur was identified by NNC as one of the priority areas in Phase 4, the region’s priority group are stunted and wasted 6-23-month-old children from five (5) municipalities which includes Carrascal, Lanuza, Bayabas, San Agustin, and Lingig covering 7 barangays. The province is identified as 2nd priority area under the Human Development and Poverty Reduction Cabinet Cluster (HDPRC) which serves as a basis in the prioritization of target provinces in the region for the DSP implementation. Initially, a social preparation activity is conducted by requiring identified LGUs for the submission of masterlist of malnourished children targeted for the DSP with a total number of 650 beneficiaries. A dry food commodity scheme will be adopted in the entire food supplementation period using the complementary foods developed by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute.
Furthermore, the National Nutrition Council Caraga initiated a virtual meeting last September 25, 2021, to orient the target LGUs on the Guidelines of the Tutok Kainan Dietary Supplementation Program. Highlights of the meeting were the presentation of the program overview by NNC Caraga OIC-Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator Ms. Retsebeth Laquihon along with Provincial Nutrition Focal Point in the Province of Surigao Del Sur Ms. Julianne Janine V. Carrillo. She emphasizes the program roles and responsibilities of NNC Central office down to the local barangays as a synergetic effort in the reduction of stunting and wasting in the Philippines. Moreover, an overview of Tutok Kainan Nutritext was discussed by Senior Nutrition Officer II Leah Vina P. Vargas.
NNC Caraga through Provincial Nutrition Focal Point in the Province of Surigao Del Sur, Julianne Janine V. Carrillo will take the lead as the focal person for Phase 4 Tutok Kainan Dietary Supplementation Program in coordinating and assisting the management and implementation of DSP. PNFP Carrillo will facilitate the streamlined activities for the program which includes social preparation, LGU mobilization of dietary supplementation, nutrition education through Nutritexts and Idol ko Si Nanay and food demonstrations, nutrition interventions connecting project beneficiaries and monitoring, evaluation, and reporting, respectively. The implementation of the Dietary Supplementation Program in Surigao Del Sur will provide opportunity to address the prevalent problem of stunting especially during the first 1000 days of life. (PNFP Carrillo)
