PALO, LEYTE – Nutrition advocates across the country were gathered to be trained and updated with the Maternal Nutrition Infant Young Child Feeding (MNIYCF) Peer Counseling in two batches on 15-18 October and 15-25 October 2019 at B Hotel, Alabang, Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila.

The said training was in line with the Republic Act 11148 otherwise known as “Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act” and its Implementing Rules and Regulations led by the Department of Health in its continued commitments to improve the health, well-being and nutrition interventions of mothers and children.

The law seeks to scale up the national and local health and nutrition programs through a strengthened integrated strategy for maternal, neonatal, child health and nutrition in the first 1,000 days of life, where national policies are streamlined across DOH offices and bureaus to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in programing and resource allocation.

Among of the topics are: (1) Importance of the Health and Nutrition of the Mother and Child in the First 1,000 Days; (2) Maternal Health and Nutrition; (3) Recommended IYCF Practices Breastfeeding; (4) MIYCN related policies; (5) How to Counsel on Maternal, Infant and Child Feeding Nutrition; (6) Recommended IYCF Practices, Complimentary Feeding for Infants and Young Children; (7) IYCF in the Context of Emergencies, HIV, and other Infectious Diseases; (7) Child Health, Development and Nutrition; (8) Behavior Change Activities; and (8) Community Organizing and Supportive Supervision.

The training was primarily designed to equip community breastfeeding and nutrition counselors, and primary health care workers who have contact with pregnant women, mothers and their infants and young children in the community. The harmonized training package ensures tha tpreventive and curative interventions for malnutrition in routine and emergency programming are in place, and that there is integration of care through the life-stage approach.

In Region VIII, three attended who will eventually conduct a roll out training, namely: (1) DOH 8 Nutrition Manager, Ms. Felecita Borata; (2) NO III Nino Archie S. Labordo of NNC 8; and (3) Dr. Roy Maribojoc, City Nutrition Action Officer of Calbayog City, Samar. The training of trainers was conceived with the technical assistance from the Nutrition Center of the Philippines (NCP) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the DOH and National Nutrition Council (NNC).#