(Photos courtesy: Valenzuela City Public Information Office)
QUEZON CITY, (PIA) -- A total of 4,684 learners from Valenzuela City have benefited from the local government's Enhanced K to 6 (Kinder to Grade 6) Citywide Feeding Program held at the Apolonia F. Rafael Elementary School (AFRES) in Barangay Mapulang Lupa recently.
“Akin pong hinihikayat ang tulong ng ating mga magulang, ‘wag po nating sayangin ang napakagandang programa na ito. Suportahan at tutukan po natin ang ating mga anak na maipagpatuloy ito hanggang sa matapos (I encourage the support of parents, let’s not take this beneficial program for granted. Let us support and oversee the progress of children until the end of the program),” Mayor Wes Gatchalian said.
The supplemental feeding program, in partnership with the Ateneo Center for Educational Development (ACED), catered to students who are experiencing "wasted" or "severely wasted" status of malnutrition.
According to the Department of Health, severely wasted children have been estimated to have a greater than nine-fold increased risk (relative risk of 9.4) of dying compared to a well-nourished child and moderately wasted children a threefold increased risk.
The student beneficiaries will undergo a series of feeding cycles every week for 70 days starting March 6 to June 16.
Aside from the supplementary food, the learners will also receive new lunch boxes and a health card, which will be used to track their feeding records and nutrition status from the beginning until the end of the program.
The Valenzuela City Government said students who will complete the feeding attendance are going to receive a gift certificate as an incentive for participating.
The initiative is part of the city’s Education 360 Degrees Investment Program which employs a holistic developmental approach to student learning that includes the priority attention to health and nutrition.
The citywide feeding program was first implemented in 2012 to address the pressing issue of malnutrition among school-aged children.
Due to the restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the program was temporarily discontinued after catering 67,716 student beneficiaries from public schools in the city.
At present, the relaunch of the program has been formalized through signing a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) led by Mayor Gatchalian, Vice Mayor Lorie Natividad-Borja, and ACED Project Officer Joel Luanzon.
The oath taking of parent volunteers who will aid in the preparation of nutritious meals for student beneficiaries at the City Central Kitchen was also conducted.
Meanwhile, the local government likewise offers free check-ups for children through the city’s mobile medical and dental clinics. (PIA-NCR)
