BORBON, Cebu--The National Nutrition
Council (NNC)-Region-7 continues to shepherd various local government units
(LGUs) in Central Visayas to strengthen the nutrition program management and
improve local nutrition governance in line with the Philippine Plan Action for Nutrition
(PPAN), a six-year plan to improve nutrition in the country through 2028.
“The 2024 Nutrition Shepherding Project aims
aid LGUs to help strengthen their nutrition program management and improve
their local nutrition governance. The
Team is expected to review the recent nutrition situation of priority LGUs and
help identify gaps in their management of the nutrition program,” NNC7 regional
nutrition coordinator Dr. Parolita Mission shared in an interview with the Cebu
Online News Press Corps (CONPC).
Mission said that the regional monitoring team
assists local nutrition workers in integrating nutrition in local policies,
local development and investment plans and budgeting, which was done in Borbon town,
Cebu on December 3.
Target LGUs for shepherding
and monitoring activities are those with potential to be nutrition champions
and low functional LGUs according to the LNC functionality score cards and based
on criteria agreed by the LGU shepherding team and the Regional Nutrition
Council (RNC) full committee, Mission explained.
In 2024, the Central Visayas
RNST targets the following LGUs in Cebu that include Bogo City, Borbon, Danao,
Tabuelan, Balamban, Compostela, Carcar City, Talisay City and Boljoon. The Team
schedules visits and other follow-up activities as the RNST finds necessary to
ensure that LGUs are guided to include nutrition programs in the local budgets.
The shepherding teams to be
deployed are based on the target LGU needs with a database to be prepared by
the NNC7 secretariat based on the LGU's MELLPI Pro scores, LNC functionality monitoring
report, OPT Plus report and other relevant reports, Mission said.
On December 3, members of the
Regional Nutrition Committee-Technical Working Group, renamed as Regional
Nutrition Shepherding Team (RNST) conducted a one-day shepherding activities in
Borbon town in Cebu.
“With regards to the nutrition program here in
Borbon, 100% in place jud ang implementation because I started this when I was
still a member of the council being the chair of the committee on health and we
sustain these nutrition programs here where we garnered six awards as nutrition
champions given by the NNC7, DOH and the Province,” Borbon Mayor Noel Dotillos told the CONPC coverage team.
Mayor Dotilos said that Borbon has limited fund
for local programs but he always prioritizes health and nutrition activities
noting that an early intervention especially on health and nutrition programs
intended for children, pregnant women and the first 1000 days bring out the
best health care from the government, he said.
The local health unit in Borbon proudly shared
that the town has a health laboratory where townsfolks can come and avail of all
lab tests and screening that proved to be the best investment of the town.
What is
Nutrition Shepherding?
Nutrition Shepherding is a concept that started
in 2016 in Central Visayas and was previously referred to as "LGU
Nurturing", where members of the Regional Nutrition Committee-Technical
Working Group and the Human Resource for Nutrition (HRH-NS) visit select
municipalities to assist, engage low performing LGUs to mentor and provide
technical assistance to local nutrition workers and members of the local
nutrition committees to improve the efficiency of nutrition program management.
Members of the RNST advises priority LGUs on
how to effectively administer their nutrition programs, focusing on three major
areas-- nutrition policies; nutrition planning and budgeting; and local
nutrition structures and human resources.
The mentoring would entail the transfer of
technical knowledge, skills, and attitudes required for effective local
nutrition program management. Expected output of the LGU Shepherding include
the Local Nutrition Action Plan; Local Nutrition Committee Functionality; PPAN
Accomplishment Report; List of gaps and/or areas of improvements and
recommendations; Written feedbacks to LGUs and a documentation report of the entire
program.
According to the Borbon local health team that
the shepherding project has helped the municipal and barangay health workers in
enhancing their knowledge, skills and attitudes on how to manage nutrition
programs in the communities. (Photos: CONPC Coverage Team)