Implementation Period: December 2021 to September 2022

Grant given by SCBPMM for this project: $6,018

Mindful of the fact that stunting and malnutrition are influenced by the nutrition a child receives in the first 1000 days of life, the Ateneo Center for Educational Development (ACED) has embarked on providing food packs that consist largely of vegetables, root crops, and fruits for young pregnant women and mothers with children who are 0 to 3 years old. The Food Augmentation Program for Young Mothers and Children from the Nuestra Señora Dela Paz (NSDP) Chapel Community, Payatas, Quezon City addresses both hunger and malnutrition through the provision of weekly food packs containing root crops, fruits, and vegetables and other food items, when available. The contents of the food packs are guided by the findings in a study which states that less than 50% of children in Metro Manila have fruit, vegetables, milk, and milk products in their diet. A total of 3,200 food packs were given. A total of 480 individuals benefitted from the weekly food packs. In addition to the food packs, support sessions are provided to the beneficiaries on such topics as health, wellness, and good nutrition.

The project has also been beneficial for the farmers from where the contents of the food packs are sourced. The current (low) cost of food packs is possible due to direct sourcing from these farmers. It is good to note that the farmers are benefiting from the program because they can sell their produce at better rates than they would have been able to sell to traders.

The beneficiaries of this SCBPMM-ACED program are young mothers from Payatas Area B, Quezon City. Most of the residents fall below the poverty level, living under harsh and poor conditions in very depressed areas. In the site, the program was supervised by Mrs. Estela Rivera, former NSDP pastoral council president. Impact of the Food Packs on the Beneficiaries Form of Financial Assistance. Almost all partners or husbands of the beneficiaries are palero or garbage collectors. Some of them are only part-timers or “on-call” which means that they only report for work when a regular worker fails to report for duty. A few of them are gas/water delivery staff, sidewalk vendors, construction workers and garbage truck drivers who do not even receive the equivalent of the government-mandated minimum wage. Among them, there are also “mangangalakal” or those who go through garbage to take advantage of items that can be sold to junkshops such as plastic bottles. Half the total number of young mothers’ partners or husbands are elementary or high school undergraduates. They have had to work instead of finishing their studies because of the need to support their families financially. Thus, the beneficiaries consider the program as “isang malaking biyaya” or a big blessing. The weekly food packs are an important form of financial assistance.

Healthy Mothers, Healthier Babies. Positive improvements were observed with regards to the health of the children involved in the program. Ideal weight gain for children was observed among the babies who were born during the program as noted in the well-baby check-up and vaccination schedule in the health center. They attribute the nutrition status of the infants to the nutrition the mothers derive from the food packs. They also attributed this to breastfeeding. The mothers also mentioned that their children were not sickly. No one among the mothers who were interviewed experienced bringing their children to the health center, clinic, or hospital due to serious illnesses. They attribute these to the nutritious vegetables that they can enjoy regularly through the program.

The program for beneficiaries in the Nuestra Señora Dela Paz Chapel community in Payatas, Quezon City was successfully completed. Eighty young mothers aged 16 to 25 years old were selected as beneficiaries. Given an average of 6 individuals per household, about 480 individuals benefited from the weekly food packs. The evaluation of the project from the partners in the community highlighted three benefits for the beneficiaries: the food packs were a form of financial assistance, improvement of health-related practices, and good health on the part of the mothers translated into good health for the children. Webinars on Special Topics for the Beneficiaries A face-to-face program orientation session was conducted among the beneficiaries last March 16, 2022, at the chapel of Nuestra Señora Dela Paz in Payatas, Quezon City. Throughout the run of the program, webinars on selected topics were also conducted to address the beneficiaries’ needs. Two (2) webinars have been successfully conducted: (1) Kahalagahan ng Wastong Nutrisyon para kay Mommy at sa Unang 1000 na araw ng Buhay ni Baby and (2) Usapang Safe Sex para sa mga Nanay. (1. Importance of Good Nutrition for Mommy and Baby in the First 1000 Days 2. Discussion about Safe Sex for Mothers).