Cebu Province Begins ECCD F1K Trainings

Good nutrition in the first 1000 days (between a woman’s pregnancy and her child’s second birthday) sets the foundation for all the days that follow.The first 1000 days is recognized as the golden window of opportunity in which key health, nutrition, early learning and social development services should be available for optimum growth and development of the child.Hence, the National Nutrition Council together with its partner agencies is implementing the Early Childhood Care and Development in the first 1000 days (ECCD F1K) in ten focused provinces including Cebu Province.

One of the components of the ECCD F1K program is the capacity building activities. It aims to strengthen knowledge and skills of barangay-based health and nutrition workers in delivering services with special focus on counseling mothers and caregivers on complementary feeding in the community.

Trainings for the F1K Program comprise of three phases which are strategically focused in capacitating health care workers’ skills in handling nutrition education classes and nutrition counseling to foster behavioral change among the mothers in the community thereby affecting the child’s nutritional outcome.

The training of trainers on the use of the DOST PINOY Module commenced on 15 August 2017 in Cebu province. Among the participants for the said training were key health and nutrition managers in the region, province and F1K areas including Nutrition Officers, selected members of the Provincial Nutrition Council, Municipal Nutrition Action Officers, Municipal Nutrition Program Coordinators, Municipal Agriculturists, and Municipal Social Work Development Officers.

On the other hand, trainings for the barangay level health and nutrition personnel have also begun in Dalaguete, Cebu on 10-11 September 2017. Among the personnel who were trained in the barangay level were midwives, barangay nutrition scholars and nurses under the Nurse Deployment Program of the DOH deployed in different barangays. Barangay level trainings in Santa Fe and Tuburan are scheduled in November and December 2017, respectively.

The ECCD F1K Program in the Province of Cebu is aimed at improving maternal and child health outcomes in the province and lead other LGUs in the region in reducing stunting prevalence as part of the primary thrust of the 2017-2022 Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition. Retz Pol O. Pacalioga

nnc.gov.ph