3-day project implementation on nutrition confab starts Tues

All levels of national, regional, provincial and municipal program implementers of the first Project Implementation (PIR) of Right Start Initiative will convene atAlona Kew White Beach Resort, Panglao, Boholstarting on Tuesday.
This was disclosed by Maria Fatima Dolly R. Reario, Masteral in Public Health(MPH)-Senior Programs Manager, Helen Keller International in her letter to Dr. Larry M. Pamugas who is the Provincial Nutrition Action Officer (PNAO) dated November 20, 2018 she emphasized that this event is a celebration of the gains from the project, to discuss the challenges and gaps, modify/ adjust the project approaches and strategies, if necessary, and plan the next Barangay First 1,000 Days (BF1KD) activities in the coming years.
Reario added that in the event it also features the sharing on the progress of the Right Start Project in the provinces of Antique, Iloilo, Cebu, and Bohol.
She said that for the past 12 months (November 2017 to November 2018), the project has achieved significant accomplishments in the delivery of nutrition specific interventions for women and children.
These accomplishments are: advocacy forum, annual operations planning for nutrition program, behavior change intervention (BCI) workshop, training of trainers (ToT) on the tracking system and integrated data management, ToT on BF1KD, rollout trainings for the BF1KD, advocacy meetings to local chief executives and nutrition committees, implementation of the BF1KD in the 200 barangays per province, and lastly institutionalizing the BF1KD through the passage of the LGU issuance at the municipal level and adoption at the barangay levels.
Reario explained that to support the nutrition programs in the country, the Nutrition International (NI) in collaboration with the Department of Health (DOH) introduced the Right Start Initiative to help ensure better health for women, adolescent girls, newborns, and young children.
She clarified that this initiatives is being implemented through the selected partner, Helen Keller International (HKI).
The project was designed to contribute to the following objectives: strengthen (DOH) system in the delivery of nutrition services; strengthen LGU capacity in planning; implementation and management of nutrition specific services; and increase coverage of nutrition specific services or interventions to include Iron Folic Acid (IFA) supplementation for pregnant women, community-level promotion and uptake of exclusive breastfeeding, improved complementary feeding and micro-nutrients powder supplementation for infants 6-23 months to help reduce micronutrient deficiencies (especially anemia).
In the first day of the activities during the opening program Gov. Edgar M. Chatto and Fred Grant, Regional Director for Programs, Asia Pacific, Helen Keller International will give the welcome message and this will be followed by Loreto Roquero Jr. MD. MPH Country Director, Nutrition International who will give the overview of the PIR and Right Start Interventions, while Reario will discusss the starting right with the Right Start Initiatives: 2018 in Review (an audio visual presentation).
There will be sharing through “AnoangKwento Mo? Stories from the field in operationalizing the BF1KD from the province of Antique through Dr. LeoncioAbiera, Jr. (PNAO); Private Health Nurse/Municipal Nutrition Action Officer (PHN/MNAO) Keith SiegfredNangkil (Ubay, Bohol); Municipal Health Officer (MHO)/MNAO Dr. Rodina Mondragon (Pototan, Iloilo); while EleanoreLafuente, National Project Coordinator, Helen Keller International will give the summary from the field visits.
In the afternoon of Dec. 4, Tuesday up to Thursday most of the activities are workshops. (AtoyCosap)