(Photo courtesy of Negros Occidental PIO)
Nearly 73,000 children in Caraga will receive food assistance for six months as the Department of Social Welfare and Development moves forward with a region-wide supplementary feeding initiative.
The program has been allocated Php 327.96 million to provide meals to 72,881 children across 73 local government units.
Under the Batang Nutri-Care Supplementary Feeding Program, each beneficiary will receive Php 25 worth of supplemental food per feeding day for a total of 180 days.
The assistance will cover children attending Child Development Centers as well as those participating in Supervised Neighborhood Play activities.
Preparations were already underway, with DSWD Caraga personnel checking food inventories and facilitating the delivery of Alternative Meals to participating communities.
The Alternative Meals will provide another source of food for beneficiaries during the program period, helping maintain the scheduled provision of supplemental nutrition.
Local governments will play a role in implementing the initiative, with the regional DSWD office coordinating with LGUs on the distribution, management and monitoring of supplies.
DSWD said the program was designed to support the nutritional needs and well-being of young children while ensuring that allocated food supplies were delivered and used as intended.