Feeding Program to Benefit Over 2,000 Schoolchildren in Ilocos Norte

ILOCOS NORTE – A collaborative initiative between the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) is set to launch a 28-week feeding program targeting 2,173 elementary students in Ilocos Norte, starting August 19.

According to Philippines News Agency, chief agrarian reform program officer of DAR Ilocos Norte, this feeding program is designed to provide dual benefits. It aims to improve the nutritional status of students while supporting the economic conditions of members of agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations (ARBOs) through the Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty. “The feeding program offers two-fold benefits by linking consumers and producers, while learners are provided with quality nutritious food and the farmers have a steady market for their produce,” Aquino explained during an interview with the Philippine News Agency.

The program will involve ARBOs supplying the necessary food items for DepEd’s supplementary feeding initiatives. DepEd Schools Division Superintendent Donato Balderas Jr. highlighted the strategic nature of this partnership, noting that it ensures a better return on investment for ARBOs while providing access to quality food for the program’s beneficiaries.

Previous iterations of similar feeding programs have shown significant success, with DepEd Ilocos Norte data indicating that 3,368 malnourished children benefited from the program run from February to May earlier this year. Elma Irapta, the provincial nutrition action officer, reported a consistent decline in malnutrition rates among children in the region. “The prevalence rate of malnutrition in the province continues to decline, and we hope to achieve lower or even zero malnutrition figures as we continue to sustain our supplementary feeding programs in schools and in the villages,” Irapta stated, citing a decrease in stunting rates from 8.9% in 2019 to 4.6% in 2023.