ARTECHE, Eastern Samar (PIA) — The local government of Arteche in Eastern Samar has partnered with ASA Philippines Foundation Inc. to implement a 120-day feeding program for children aged six months to five years old who are severely wasted and underweight.

The program will be implemented under the nutrition flagship program of the municipality, coined Project SUStainable-Nutrition And Nanay Empowerment (Project SUSAN.e), which aims to address malnutrition. 

Under this program, the LGU will provide feeding supplements to 519 malnourished children five times a week for 120 days, beginning in March.

Project SUSAN.e consists of four major components: a feeding program, empowerment of the mother or father, skills development, and livelihood.

Mayor Rolando Boie Evardone said the program focuses on empowering mothers through training, health education, sanitation seminars, and livelihood opportunities.

“Every malnourished child has a story behind him or her. That is why the LGU believes that the government should not end with feeding programs but empower, train, and provide livelihood programs to ensure sustainability and a holistic approach. This way, gains will be sustained with or without government intervention,” Evardone said.

He also announced two upcoming programs under Project SUSAN.e. The first one is the Masustansyang pagbubuntis, Masiglang kamusmusan (MaMa) / Masustansya at Masiglang first 1,000 days. It is a 36-month program that aims to secure the nutritional needs of mothers and children in their first 1,000 days of life and prevent malnutrition and stunting.

Another one is the Lunchbox Library: Healthy Readers On-the-Go!, a 20-week program that provides books, other learning materials, and supplementary feeding. 

This program aims to complement a child's in-school literacy development and foster a love of reading among students and community members.

“These programs aim to address the malnutrition problem in the community and improve the living conditions of the Artechehanons,” Evardone added.

Through the visionary leadership of Evardone, the municipality of Arteche was chosen in 2019 as a beneficiary of the Zero Extreme Poverty PH 2030 (ZEP2030). ZEP2030 is a collective movement of various civil society organizations and non-government organizations, such as the ASA Philippines Foundation, Inc., which aims to reduce extreme poverty in the Philippines in the year 2030 by fueling support and funding for deserving local government units in the country, such as Arteche. (AAC/VTG/PIA Eastern Samar)