The Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Innovations and Program Development Cluster on Monday (August 19) checked on the status of the implementation of the Bangsamoro Umpungan sa Nutrisyon (BangUn) Program for children in Madamba town, province of Lanao Del Sur.
The BangUn is a DSWD nutrition program implemented in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) that aims to reduce vulnerabilities among malnourished children aged 0-12 and provide health support to Pregnant and Lactating Women (PLW).
“No work in DSWD central office today due to Quezon City Day celebration. But here we are in Mindanao reporting for duty. Monitored the implementation of our Bangsamoro Umpungan sa Nutrisyon Program in Madamba municipality by inspecting the delivery of supplies, witnessing the feeding of beneficiaries and meeting with Mayor Amer Hussein Mindalano,” Undersecretary for Innovations Edu Punay, who is also the BangUn Program Head, posted on his office’s official Facebook account.
Undersecretary Punay inspected the goods that were delivered which comprised of high-quality protein sources and a variety of fresh vegetables complemented by carbohydrates to ensure a well-rounded diet for the beneficiaries of the BangUn program.
This marked the 15th delivery of goods to the local government unit (LGU) of Madamba. The supplies were personally received by Madamba Mayor Amer Hussein Mindalano.
A total of 2,715 children and 555 PLW benefit from the Madamba feeding sessions under the BangUn program. For Lanao del Sur, there are a total of 4,200 children and 800 PLW beneficiaries.
Divided into two phases, the first phase of the program includes identification of beneficiaries and their needs, while the second phase is the program implementation which covers a 180-day period of meal distribution to beneficiaries based on a prepared schedule.
The Monday feeding session was already the 98th day of the 180-day nutrition program in the town.
The municipality of Madamba is one of the program’s priority municipalities due to its high incidence of stunting and malnutrition.
According to Usec. Punay, by the end of the second phase, the BangUn program is expected to have improved the nutritional status of the beneficiaries, reduced the number of identified malnourished children, and imparted nutrition education and advocacy among children and families.
After the program monitoring, Usec. Punay met with Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Adiong, Jr. to discuss the other agency’s projects with the LGU.
“We also dropped by at the provincial capitol and met with Governor Mamintal Adiong, Jr. to discuss the DSWD Tara, Basa Tutoring Program and the upcoming implementation of our DSWD Walang Gutom Program in the province,” Usec Punay said in his post.
The Tara Basa Tutoring Program recently rolled out in the BARMM.
As of August 16, each of the 210 college student-tutors and 105 youth development workers of the tutoring program in the region have received their cash-for-work for their 20-days of tutorial to struggling and non-reader elementary students and for assisting the parents of the pupils in the Nanay-Tatay reading sessions.
The DSWD’s Walang Gutom is also set to be launched in Lanao del Sur. The program will address involuntary hunger by providing beneficiaries with monetary-based assistance and encouraging them to become more productive citizens. #