NNC Region VI convened a face-to-face Consultative Meeting with the Regional Shepherding Team and Target LGUs on May 25, 2022, at Smallville 21 Hotel, Smallville Complex, G.T. Glicerio Pison, Avenue, Mandurriao, Iloilo City. The attendees were from DOH, DAR, DILG, NEDA, DPWH, and COP-BIDANI, as members of the Regional Shepherding Team. Also present are the target LGUs from Maasin, Iloilo, and DSB, Negros Occidental together with the DNPCs of their respective provinces.

The National Nutrition Council (NNC) together with its partners has initiated actions aligned with the Local Government Unit (LGU) mobilization to ensure that more LGUs invest in nutrition and contribute to the desired nutrition outcomes. The LGU Mobilization Strategy entails the engagement and management of nutrition champions from among well-performing Local Chief Executives (LCEs) as coaches and mentors of peer LCEs/LGUs. The strategy has now evolved to adopt a peer learning approach composed of three equally important modalities for effective nutrition program management: 1) Nutrition champions Project 2) (LHEARN) Project. These three modalities are interlinked with each other. Moreover, Shepherding includes the transfer of technical knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed for effective local nutrition program management.

Further, recognizing the need to shepherd LGUs to multiply the LGUs ascending in their work for PPAN and to standardize the Shepherding initiative across all regions, the NNC will be implementing the Nutrition Shepherding Project this 2022. The following are the specific objectives of the project:

1. Organize Regional Nutrition Shepherding Teams to provide regular mentoring support in each region.

2. Develop standard tools for providing mentoring to LGUs under this project.

3. Raise the level of performance on the nutrition of LGUs across each region.