Saloma Zamora has been the Barangay Nutrition Scholar of Barangay Mabini J. Rizal in Mandaluyong City for 17 years now. She could have been a Nutritionist-Dietitian, taking a course in nutrition then at the Philippine Normal College but because of financial difficulties and being a self-supporting student, aside from having a weak body, she finished only up to 1st year in BS Nutrition and Dietetics.

But as if fated to be in a nutrition-related work, she became the BNS of Barangay Mabini J. Rizal in 1999. Starting from scratch, she attended basic training as BNS for the conduct of Operation Timbang and other trainings conducted by the National Nutrition Council-NCR and other agencies. In her early years as BNS, although there was constant support from the barangay, the expenses for nutrition-related activities would at times, necessitate her to solicit support from program partners. The documentation, printing, compiling of reports for her regular tasks were out of her pocket expenses.

Over time, Saloma has established a close relationship with the children and the families, monitoring the children’s health improvement and watching them grow into healthy and productive adults. Ate Sally, as Saloma became known in the barangay, even became godmother to some of these children who would just drop by the health center and ask for her hand to make “mano”. Some became “Little Ms. MJR” while most of the children in her OPT list then, are already degree-holders and gainfully employed or have families of their own now and none have malnourished kids.

She also helped parents avail of the “Kasalang Bayan” so that the documents of their children will be in order. At some point, she even gets involved in the families’ personal problems/situation like those needing employment. One sad experience she vividly remembers to this day is, in one of her rounds in 2013, she learned that the mother of a malnourished child died of severe asthma attack but long after the mother died, she still dropped by her house thinking she was still alive.

Ate Sally finds fulfillment in being a BNS. “Initially, I thought that nutrition is only about cooking food. When I became a BNS, I felt excited and always looking forward to going to the barangay health center,” she confided. “I get a different kind of satisfaction in my job. Everyday provides new learning opportunities for me as a BNS,” she added.

She feels lucky to find most parents of malnourished children in her barangay cooperative and interested in improving their children’s nutritional status. In 2000, she had 26 malnourished children. The number decreased every year. In 2015, there were only 9 underweight children in the barangay and this was reduced to 8 in first quarter of 2016.

An integral part of her activities as a BNS is that every year, a Christmas Party is conducted for 30 families, mostly the mothers and her child/children in her barangay. The beneficiaries would always include the malnourished children and the poorest of the poor to be given food packs, clothes, toys, etc.

Despite her activity-filled daily schedule as a BNS, she still finds time for her tasks as Coordinator and President of the non-government organization Kababaihan Kakaiba ng Mandaluyong and for her volunteer work at the Grace City Church, where she is Chairwoman/Primary Leader and conducts weekly Bible study for the mothers in the barangay.

Every morning, Ate Sally’s prayer is for the Lord to use her in any way for the good of the children and families she encounters at the health center.