Ms. Levemae J. Tanjay, a 29-year-old Barangay Nutrition Scholar, born on November 19, 1992, is one of the contenders in this year’s search for the Outstanding Barangay Nutrition Scholar in Caraga region.

BNS Tanjay is married to a loving husband and blessed with two children. Before she became a BNS, she was a collector and a student at the same time. She took the education course at Agusan del Sur College (ADSCO) and graduated last July 2020. She plans to take the licensure examinations for teachers this October 2022.

For ease of reporting, the veteran BNS of the Barangay requested an additional BNS who is computer-literate. With this request, in 2019, Ms. Leve Mae Tanjay was appointed as one of the Barangay Nutrition Scholars of Barangay Maygatasan, Bayugan City.

The BNS thought that the role of the BNS was easy and its function was only to conduct OPT, but it is more than that, she said. Being a BNS is not an easy obligation, and it needs good communication skills to coordinate with different sectors, she added. Nonetheless, BNS Tanjay strived to fulfill the role and responsibilities of being a BNS with the help of the supportive Barangay Nutrition Committee.

To fully capacitate herself, she completed several trainings such as e-OPT Training, Basic Life Support Training, BHW/BNS Enhancement Training, and Basic Training on Health Care among BNS, BHW, and BASHAW.

In her three years of service, BNS Tanjay concluded that the primary cause of malnutrition in their area is the lack of food, employment, and food and nutrition knowledge. In addition to this, she sees a great improvement on nutrition situation in their barangay after the implementation of dietary supplementation program and provision of multivitamins to malnourished children.

The BNS faced challenges during her service. One of them was the parents’ lack of cooperation during the implementation of the nutrition programs. Facing this struggle led her to devise a strategy such as conducting house-to-house visits and giving incentives to the mothers to implement the program effectively.

BNS Tanjay, during her interview, remarked that the role of a BNS is to help improve the nutrition status of a barangay. Her goal is to reduce the barangay’s malnutrition rate by promoting backyard gardening and encouraging guardians to participate in nutrition programs. #RRJGabaisen/MPRayco