Govt's Food-for-School Program addresses hunger, nutrition woes
Roxas City -- A total of 13,950 pre-schoolers and grade one pupils including their families will benefit the scheduled resumption of the government's Food-for-School (FSP) Program as part of its hunger mitigation efforts in the countryside.
National Food Authority (NFA) -- Capiz Provincial Manager Sergio A. Balofiños, Jr. said that truckloads of imported iron fortified rice are expected to arrive in the province this month for eventual distribution to identified beneficiaries under the FSP Program.
"Repackaging at 1 kilogram per pack is now underway from the initial bags delivered at the warehouse," noted NFA Acting Public Information Officer Edna Artates.
The continuation of FSP in the province will cover a total of 15,345 bags of imported iron fortified rice.
She explained that the FSP Program is being led by the Department of Education (DepEd) in partnership with NFA covering a 55-day rice supply in line with the National Food Fortification Program of the Department of Health (DOH) to fight poverty and provide Filipinos with better health through proper diet and nutrition.
About 29,003 bags or more than 1.4 million kilogram of iron fortified rice was already delivered to different identified public schools and day care centers in the province for the school year 2006 -- 2007 which benefited 22,412 day care and grade one pupils based on the records from the NFA Provincial Office.
Also, the NFA monitoring and assessment on the impact of the program in coordination with different school coordinators showed that children who have availed of the program have become more active, enthusiastic and energized in attending classes while the parents of the beneficiary pupils claimed that the daily rice supply helped sustain their family rice needs.
The government has also created an Anti-Hunger Task Force last month to speed up the implementation of the government's hunger mitigation program (HMP).
The task force has to fast-track and improve the existing components of the HMP, including the food-for-school program (FSP), the food-for-work program and various feeding programs of the non-government and religious organizations, among others.
(PIA/NFA)