I.

Rationale

High incidence of poverty still prevails among Filipinos. Statistics show that 40.7 percent of the total number of Filipino families belongs to the poverty threshold while 20.2 % of the families belongs to the food threshold, (NSCB 1991).

As a result of this scenario, they cannot provide the required dietary food intake of their children.

In addition, poor environmental conditions due to lack of sanitary toilets, potable water breed infections which aggravate the problem of malnutrition. Lack of knowledge and proper nutrition practices are also a relevant deterrent factors in attaining desirable weights or nutritional status of children.

The recent Operation Timbang conducted by DOH showed that 1,397,889 pre-schoolers are severely and moderately underweight. The latest surveys also show four prevalent malnutrition disorders which still persist in depressed communities:

a) Protein-energy malnutrition which affects 14% or 1.6 M pre-schoolers.

b) Iron-deficiency anemia affecting about 21.4 M Filipinos.

c) Iodine deficiency disorders including goiter which affects about 1.2 M Filipinos.

d) Vitamin A deficiency which is common among pre-schoolers in far-flung areas and urban poor communities.

As a response to the nutrition situation, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has been implementing the Supplemental Feeding (SF) Program for the 0-6 underweight children since 1976. This program was implemented in 75 provinces of the country. However, with the implementation of RA 7160, the program was devolved to the Local Government Units in 1992. The transition period caused tremendous setbacks to the implementation of programs and services of the national government and one of those affected is Supplemental Feeding. A review of the 5 year implementation program from 1986 to 1991 revealed that out of the yearly average of 1.018 million beneficiaries, only 14 percent were rehabilitated. This was because the involvement of the families of beneficiaries and communities in the project is minimal. Also families have limited knowledge and skills on proper nutrition as well as the lack of opportunities and skills to engage in income generating activities.

The Food Security Project for Distressed Families Project is designed as a stop gap measure or safety net in the phasing out of PL 480 food commodities by utilizing the locally available food.

The priority areas identified for FSDF project are the nutritionally depressed municipalities and is not a recipient of other nutrition program/projects such as the LAKASS and UNICEF program as well as the CIDDS project.

In order to help the plight of the underweight pre-school children the FSDF project is developed by the Department to improve the nutritional status of the identified beneficiaries through empowerment of the family and the community in responding to the needs of the underweight pre-school children.

II.

Objectives

General Objectives:

To improve the nutritional status of the moderately and severely underweight pre-school children by empowering the families and communities to actively participate in the rehabilitation of the child.

Specific Objectives:

1. Improve the nutritional status of the 35% severely and moderately underweight pre-school children.

2. Enhance the knowledge and skills of the parents on nutrition education and inculcate positive values on the importance of proper nutrition.

3. Provide livelihood opportunities to ensure food security among family beneficiaries.

4. Develop the capability of the indigenous leaders/volunteers to ensure sustainability of nutrition related community activities.

5. Provide opportunities for mothers of beneficiaries to develop and enhance their skills in the preservation/processing of indigenous food products.

6. Encourage the families and communities to engage in Bio-Intensive Gardening (BIG) for home consumption and additional income of the family.

7. Raise the level of awareness of the family and community on their existing reality and to enable them to act collectively in responding to it.

III.

Project Description

The project seeks to assist approximately 55,000 families to attain a level of food sufficiency and economic upliftment during its five year implementation. It will be implemented in 50 provinces of the country outside the Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (CIDSS) areas/provinces with one nutritionally depressed municipality per province. Municipalities shall be selected using these criteria: 1) Outside Food Transition Strategy/SEA Kaunlaran or CIDSS areas; 2) Non-recipient of similar programs from other sources, and; 3) With active support from LGUs. Each Municipality will establish 16 feeding centers, with a total of 800 feeding centers nationwide. Feeding Centers shall be set up in most nutritionally depressed barangays and it shall be manned by a Food Assistance Center Worker (FACW) under the supervision of a Food Assistance Project Manager (FAPM). Community organizing approach will be utilized to maximize the participation of the families and communities in sustaining and institutionalizing the project.

IV.

Main Features of the Project:

1. Community Organizing

Families and communities will be involved in bringing about development in the community through collective problem-solving. It is aimed at raising peoples awareness, develop/discover their capabilities, interest/desire and willingness in answering to their needs, solving their own problems and working towards a common good through cooperative and collective self-help efforts.

2. Food Assistance to Underweight Pre-schoolers

Supplemental Feeding refers to the provision of food supplementation to the SF beneficiaries who are 2nd and 3rd degree underweight. Food supplementation provides 1/3 or 435 kilo calories including 10-20 grams protein of the recommended dietary allowance.

A centralized neighborhood feeding for a cluster of 15-30 families shall be adopted. Locally available indigenous food will be purchased as food supplement at P50/child/month.

A total of 55,000 SF enrollees will be targeted for the project. Twenty Five Thousand (25,000) of this is targeted for the first year of implementation while 7,500 enrollees are expected to be served yearly from 1995 to 1998. Of these targets, the project aims for a 35% yearly increase in nutritional level from 2nd and 3rd degree to first degree normal level through the end of the project life.

3. Nutrition Education

This component aim to enhance skills and knowledge of mothers to improve their capability to provide and maintain the nutritional needs of the family.

This component will have the following interventions



However, since this is a continuing value formation activity, a resource person like the devolved worker will be tapped to provide Parent Effective Service (PES) and other family welfare services to mothers of SF beneficiaries.

These group of mothers will be utilized to act as agents of change towards community wide participation in responding to community needs/problems.

4. Home Based Food Production

Home-based food production will be implemented even in areas where space is limited. Indigenous materials like plastics and cans will be used for planting fruits and vegetables.

In areas where backyard space of at least 50 sq. meters per household is available, the Bio-Intensive Gardening method will be introduced. Initially, supply of seeds will be sourced out from the Department of Agriculture (DA). Upon harvest, families should set aside portions of the seeds for the next planting.

Parents will be oriented on proper planting techniques to increase their knowledge in the use of indigenous planting materials as well as the Bio-Intensive Gardening method. It will be facilitated during meetings of mothers with an invited resource person from the DA. Assistance from the Local Government Units, as well as other sources will be tapped to provide logistic and technical support.

V.

General Policies and Procedures:

A. Project Policies:

1. Target Area

The target area shall be the most nutritionally depressed municipality and 8 barangays each with at least 2 feeding centers.

2. Target Clientele and Eligibility Requirement


3. Rate of Assistance





4. Site/Venue for Feeding and Training

A feeding center/multi-purpose center or vacant house shall be utilized for feeding. Training on Food Processing/Preservation and other nutrition activities shall be conducted in the same venue or in the house of one of the mothers with kitchen utensils/facilities for processing and preservation of food in coordination with BWW worker.

5. Fund Management







6. Monitoring/Evaluation



7. Reporting





B. Procedures in Project Implementation:

1. Pre-implementation Phase



2. Implementation Phase












3. Post-Implementation Phase





4. Phasing out/Sustainability

After the project life, it is envisioned that the Barangay as well as the Local Government Units will institutionalize the project. Certain strategies to ensure sustainability of the project include the use of trained local volunteers and organized community structures which will continue responding to the welfare needs of the community as well as replicate the project at the LGU level. Integrating the project as part of the Supplemental Feeding of the Local Government will also ensure its continued operation. Linkages with NGOs and other GOs will be strengthened in support to its continuous operations.

The pilot project will be slowly phased out from its target municipality and move on to other areas if it meets the criteria of termination which are as follows:


VI.

Roles and Responsibilities:

Department of Social Welfare and Development

A. Central Office Level

1. Bureau of Emergency Assistance


B. Field Office Level

1. Field Director/Assistant Field Director


2. Specialist on Assistance


3. Regional Senior Dietary Nutritionist



4. Food Assistance Project Manager


5. Food Assistance Center Worker


For strict compliance.

Adopted: 28 December 1994

(SGD.) CORAZON ALMA G. DE LEON
Secretary