Project CARE-SBFP (Collaborative Activity on Remediation & Enrichment thru School Based Feeding Program)
Keywords:
Undernourishment, School Based Feeding, Nutritional Status, Wasted, Severely WastedAbstract
INTRODUCTION
Baseline data result conducted by Banaba Cerca Elementary School on the nutritional status of pupils in July 2016, it was tallied that there are twenty-eight (28) & six (6) pupils under wasted and severely wasted status, respectively -a total of thirty-four (34) pupils. Its objective is to validate the effectiveness of the School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) to thirty-four 34 pupil beneficiaries at Banaba Cerca Elementary School for five (5) months from October 2016-February 2017. It also aimed to reduce undernourishment by eighty-five percent (85%).
METHODS
A descriptive method is utilized in the application project. Purposive sampling was employed wherein the thirty-four (34) pupils under the wasted and severely wasted nutritional status were the respondents. Aside from the feeding program implementation, the following activity was also conducted to complement the project -orientation of parents and pupils especially the beneficiaries, advocacy campaign to gain stakeholder support, values formation to inculcate good eating habit, hygiene and sanitation and monitoring evaluation to gauge the progress, assess the strength and challenges of the project.
RESULTS
School-based feeding implementation results showed the reduction of wasted, severely wasted & normal nutritional status of pupils from 27 to 5 pupils, 5 to 0 pupils, and 2 to 29 pupils, respectively, for a period of five (5) months from October 2016-February 2017. Undernourishment was reduced by 85%, that is, 29 out 34 pupil beneficiaries having normal nutritional status after the duration of the feeding program.
DISCUSSIONS
School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) is a worth continuing project of the Department of Education. Even though there are challenges on meager budget & community support, generally we can claim the success of its implementation. Aside from budget allocation, success can be attributed to the collaboration of all the kind-hearted stakeholders who shared their time & resources to make every meal & feeding experience for every pupil palatable & valuable.
