BUTUAN CITY (PIA) -- Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Nutrition Council (NNC) Caraga continues to promote healthy living, proper nutrition for the first 1000 days of life to prevent malnutrition and diseases among babies and children.
According to Retsebeth Laquihon, OIC-Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator of NNC-Caraga, the First 1000 Days is globally recognized as the “golden window of opportunity” for nutrition and related interventions to have a positive impact on the child’s physical and mental development. “Good nutrition of both the mother and the child is an important driver for a child to achieve maximum growth and development potential that has lasting, profound effect in the life course,” she said.
This campaign is also intensified in time with this year’s 47th National Nutrition Month celebration come July by virtue of Presidential Decree 491 to create greater awareness on nutrition.
“This year’s theme: Malnutrisyon Patuloy na Labanan, First 1000 Days Tutukan, aims to encourage various stakeholders to participate and engage in activities to improve nutrition,” cited Laquihon.
Guided by the theme, Laquihon further revealed that the campaign aims to increase understanding on the importance of the First 1000 Days of life and the Philippine Plan of Action as the framework for action to address malnutrition, to foster collaboration among stakeholders to scale up nutrition interventions to solve malnutrition and to generate interactions from the stakeholders that we target or the corresponding commitments and actions as a result of the first and second objectives.
On July 2, the NNC-Caraga will also meet the media practitioners in Caraga for a Press Conference through face-to-face and virtual platform following the health protocols. The media has been active in the promotion of healthy lifestyle, proper nutrition, and importance of breastfeeding of babies. (JPG/PIA-Caraga)
