“Hapag-Asa, Alay Kay Maria” Supplemental Feeding Program 2007
August 11, 2009 by MMM
Filed under Feeding Program
Hapag-Asa, Alay Kay Maria, supplemental feeding program, is an integrated nutrition program. It aims to feed 120,000 malnourished children from across the country aged 3-12 years old. This project was undertaken by the Mama Marys Movement Foundation Inc in 2007 in cooperation with the Claret Urban Poor Apostolate (CUPA). This project was based on a survey conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), children ages 0-5 years old suffer severe problems in malnutrition. Around 3 out of 10 children are underweight and under height. These children also suffer micronutrient malnutrition. These children were discovered to have been inflicted with anemia and lacks vitamin A. This same survey showed that 5.6% of these children lack the necessary requirement of iodine.
The goal of this project was to alleviate the poor and malnourished children and to improve their health condition of anemic, mental retardation and stunted growth. To spread the catholic spirit of SHARING and LOVING with our neighbors and to provide the children with VITAMEAL, a high protein-vitamin-mineral concentrate, for 6 months, 5 days a week.
The initial beneficiaries of this program were the urban poor communities in these locations: Inside the bureau of Forestry Compound, Beside the Lung Center of the Philippines, Infront of the Philippine Heart Center; Back of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas; Front of Bureau of Internal Revenue; Front of National Telecommunications Corp.; Inside the Phil. Zoological & Botanical Garden; Front of the National Power corporation; and infront of the Philippine Children Medical Center. When the program started, we immediately felt the effect of the vitameals to the children. Parents of the beneficiaries were very grateful because their children gained weight, and were very active.
