Raising the Bar in Addressing Children’s Malnurishment: The “Makulay ang Buhay ng Batang Pinoy” Supplementary Feeding Programme

Raising the Bar in Addressing Children’s Malnurishment: The “Makulay ang Buhay ng Batang Pinoy” Supplementary Feeding Programme

In the Philippines, the health of some four million children under the age of 10 are threatened by malnutrition, making them prone to anemia, blindness, skin conditions and other diseases, as well as inhibited cognitive development. For many families, the condition may even be aggravated by poverty that limits their access to nutritious food.

Fortunately, there are organisations that have been working tirelessly to combat malnutrition among children in the country’s poorest communities. That is why one of Unilever Philippines’ core Corporate Social Repsonsibility (CSR) programmes focuses on children’s nutrition. Since 2002, Unilever Philippines has been running the Pasiglahin ang Batang Pinoy Supplementary Feeding Program in partnership with Kabisig ng Kalahi, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and various local government units (LGUs) through the barangay health centers. Since then, the programme has achieved a 63% success rate in normalising the nutrition rate of over 1,700 undernourished children in over 58 modules in various areas such as Manila, Rizal, Paranaque, Las Pinas, Bicutan, Cavite and Batangas.

Today, with the involvement of Unilever’s number 1 food brand Knorr, the program will now be known as the “Makulay ang Buhay ng Batany Pinoy” (MBBP) Supplemetary Feeding Program, which is a nationwide campaign to alleviate the number of malnourished Filipino children, ages 5 and below, by 10% in the year 2015. This vision is in parallel with the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals, specifically on Goal Number 1, which is to eradicate poverty and hunger in developing countries.

The MBBP feeding programme was formally launched in 2008 during the Thanksgiving Lunch with the various partners who have supported us in ensuring the continuous implementation and success of reaching more undernourished children and lead them out of malnutrition. The programme’s development is explained by our Managing Director for Foods, Mr. Benjie Yap, “We know that the company’s Pasiglahin feeding programme is viable, solid and successful. Knorr shall come in with its objective of promoting healthy eating through the MBBP campaign, and shall ensure the programme’s success through the brand’s marketing expertise. We want every Filipino in the country to know that we are here to help kids get out of malnutrition and help improve their lives.”

The Makulay Feeding Program provides 1 nutritious meal a day for a period of 6 months to the 30 most malnourished children in a targeted barangay nationwide. A glass of milk, courtesy of Mead Johnson, is also given to the children daily. MBBP likewise teaches mothers values formation and proper nutrition, to make sure that the gains of the program are sustained beyond the 6 month period.

Knorr’s MBBP is expected to scale up the corporate feeding programme, with the objective of reaching more than 150,000 Filipino children nationwide. Together with Kabisig ng Kalahi, DSWD and various government partners, Knorr MBBP will launch approximately 200 feeding modules in selected depressed communities within Luzon and Visayas annually, until 2015. Through the words of Kabisig’s Lead Convenor, Ms. Vicky Wienke, “With the scale up, we hope to be able to help more children, strengthen more communities, and make this humble contribution to nation building.”

These figures are expected to get even bigger with the involvement of the United Nations’ World Food Program (WFP), the world’s largest humanitarian aid organisation. With the partnership of WFP and Knorr’s MBBP, some 71,000 school children in Sultan Kudarat and North Cotabato will be given rice and corn-soya-based meals daily. WFP’s contribution is expected to reach 427 schools in 12 municipalities in the said provinces. This commitment from WFP is further strengthened in the words of their Country Director, Mr. Stephen Anderson, “Hunger and malnutrition remains the biggest risk of children worldwide, and WFP will bring more than 30 years of experience in providing food assistance to people, mostly mother and children, in the world’s poorest communities. With Unilever’s valuable support, we will be able to provide for the children in the target areas. We look forward to working together to meet our goals and ensure the children (in Mindanao) a healthy start and a nutritious boost to support their full potential.”

The MBBP’s success relies on all the partners coming together and working towards the same goal. This was expressed by the Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Hon. Esperanza Cabral, “By all of us working together, we can make a difference. We know that these partnerships that we formed with you is going to continue as long as it is necessary, as long as there are children who needs to be fed properly and well.”

With these instrumental partnerships and multi-sectoral campaign, the threat of malnutrition to Filipino children may soon become a thing of the past.

Side Bar:

We would like to recognize and give appreciation to all the partners of the Pasiglahin Ang Batang Pinoy Feeding Programme since 2002. Unilever is looking forward to work with you again in alleviating the malnourishment in the country through the “Makulay ang Buhay ng Batang Pinoy” Supplementary Feeding Programme.

• Kabisig ng Kalahi
• Department of Social Welfare and Development
• Ajinomoto Philippines, Inc.
• Arvin International Marketing
• BagongBarangay Health Center, District 1, Manila
• Barangay 650, Zone 68, District V, Manila
• Barangay 662, Zone 71, District V, Manila
• Barangay 664-A, Zone 71, District V, Manila
• Bgay 673, Zone 74, District V, Manila
• Barangay 850, Zone 93, District VI, Manila
• Barangay 865, Zone 94, District VI, Manila
• Barangay 651, Zone 68, District V, Manila
• Barangay 671, Zone 73, District V, Manila
• Barangay 672, Zone 73, District V, Manila
• Barangay 679, Zone 74, District V, Manila
• Barangay 821, Zone 89, District V, Manila
• Barangay 824, Zone 89, District V, Manila
• Barangay 825, Zone 89, District V, Manila
• Barangay 846, Zone 92, District V, Manila
• Centech Labels Philippines, Inc.
• Centra Azucarera Don Pedro, Inc.
• City of Manila
• City of Pasig
• DSWD, Baseco Area, District V, Manila
• DSWD, District I, Manila
• DSWD, District V, Manila
• DSWD, District VI, Manila
• DSWD, NCR
• DSWD, Pasig City
• DSWD, Region IV-A
• Dominion Chemicals Corporation
• Enrique Zobel Foundation
• Flexo Manufacturing Co.
• Food and Nutrition Research Institute
• FugosoHealth Center, Parola & Isla Puting Bato, Manila
• I. Mendoza Health Center, District VI, Manila
• IFF Philippines, Inc.
• Inter-National Starch Co.
• JuanPosadas Health Center, District I, Manila
• KarangalanManggahan Health Center, Pasig City
• Malinta Corrugated Inc.
• Mead Johnson
• Municipalityof Calatagan, Batangas
• Municipalityof General Trias, Cavite
• NapicoHealth Center, Pasig City
• PacoHealth Center, District V, Manila
• Purechem Corporation
• RosarioHealth Center, Pasig City
• RosarioReyes Health Center, Barangay 650 & 651, Intramuros, District V, Manila
• Vitachem Industries