Who are you trying to help? What issue are you trying to address?

We are trying to help mothers and children improve their health and economic and nutritional status in two pilot areas, and to build community awareness and participation in efforts to reduce malnutrition and diseases among children and adults through food production activities, nutrition education, food processing, herbal medicine promotion and livelihood activities.

Among other things, we are addressing food security, health and nutrition issues. For example, in Nueva Ecija where the project is located, many people suffer from lack of food. Though we do not know the exact number of people, it is known that many families are no longer able to afford three meals a day regularly. We have also endured 2 strong typhoons (Typhoon Pedring and Quiel) during which crops, livestock and property were destroyed. School children attend their classes with empty stomachs. Older children are forced to miss school to care for younger siblings. Meanwhile health conditions in the province are made worse by continuous inaccessibility of basic commodities and services. Morbidity rates increase due to malnutrition, so do mortality rates because of proliferation of infectious diseases.

It is against this background and context, that our programme is being undertaken.

What is your project and how will it help?

Pre-School Education and Nutrition Programme

The project will be composed of the following components:

1. Plant Nursery and Backyard gardening: Food production will be encouraged particularly vegetables, root crops and fruits. A plant nursery will be set up at the school through cooperation with the school administration and the organization of parents, teachers and community. The nursery will also serve for the production of herbal plants.

2. Community Kitchen: Closely intertwined with the plant nursery project is the community kitchen component. People will be taught how common vegetables can be combined or processed into nutritious food. This aims to promote nutrition awareness.

3. Community Herbal Project: A herbal tour will be conducted to make the community members familiar with various varieties of herbal medicines in the Philippines. Then a herbal collection activity will be conducted to gather available varieties in the community. Herbal training will be sustained to provide skills in the processing, preparation and use of various herbal medicines.

4. Socio-Economic: To augment the income of the people indirectly eradicating malnutrition especially among the 0-6 year old children. Women will train in food processing and food preservation, pig rearing, etc. The produce will be sold to generate income.

5. Day-care Project: The day-care project was conceived because of the need to provide mental and physical aid for pre-school children in preparation for formal schooling. It was deemed necessary since peasant families cannot afford the high cost of pre-school education and are unable to provide proper nutrition for the crucial physical demands of this particular growth period. The project objectives: to provide supplemental feeding for children aged 3-5 as Nutritional support for disease prevention and normal physical development. To provide literacy classes for the same age group in preparation for formal education.to provide literacy classes for the same age group in preparation for formal education. The project will conduct daily supplemental feeding for pre-schoolers during their snack break in between literacy classes and other mental activities. The menu will include low budget high calorie, high protein meals which are usually lacking in their diet and are certainly inadequate for body and brain development at this age.

How can other people partner with you on your project?

Other people can partner with us by volunteering especially those who have knowledge and special skills in health and nutrition.

Establishing initial partnerships with community sectors in other areas for future expansion of the project.

Existing women`s organization can also be our partners by joining and involving themselves in the activities to be conducted by the programme, such as training, herbal processing, herbal production etc.

Please detail the resources that you need.

Budget:

Items Total Amount

Investment Cost:

1. Laptop computer (surplus) Php 30,000.00
2. Construction of multipurpose centre
Serve as day-care, training centre & office) Php 550,000.00
1. Television set & DVD player for day-care Php 15,000.00

Total Php 585,000.00

Operational Costs:

A. Administrative

1. Salaries of Staff and 13 month pay Php 468,000.00
P 9,000 X 4 staff x 13 months
2. Transportation allowances
P 2,000.00 × 4 staff x12 mos. Php 96,000.00

Total Php 564,000.00

B. Office rentals and maintenance

1. Rentals
2. Phone bills/internet Php 2,500.00
3. Electric bill Php 1,500.00
4. Office and school supplies Php 5,000.00

Total Php 108,000.00

C. Community Activities in 2 pilot areas

1. Meetings with other health actors &
Community sectors (food) Php 3,000.00
2. Solicitation of launching materials/
school happing/legworking Php 3,000.00
3. Project launching
Transportation (p 1, 000, 00)
Food counterpart (P5, 000.00)
Streamer (P 2,000.00)
P 7000 1x area Php 7,000.00

4. Construction of Plant Nursery
Seedling Production Materials
Nails and net, Plastic bags Php 10,000.00
Bamboo, nipa, cogon (local counterpart)
Garden tools Php 10,000.00

5. Community Kitchen
Nutrition Education (cooking session)
Ingredients P2, 000
Handouts &visual aids P3, 000
Cooking contest:
Streamers, transpo for solicitation of prizes Php 10,000.00
P5, 000.00

6. Day-care

1. Feeding expenses (fuel &marketing cost)
50 children x P13x 13 days x12 mos. Php 101,000.00
Cooking utensils and equipment
Eating utensils Php 10,000.00
2. Literacy class expenses
Teaching aid P1000,00 × 10 mos. Php 10,000.00
3. Allowance of teacher & assistant
Teachers seminar/training Php 10,000.00
4. Educational tour (2x/year) Php 30,000.00

7 Socio- Economic Project

100 beneficiaries for various socio eco proj.
Pig raising, marketing of processed food as a
Result of nutrition training
P2, 000.00/beneficiaries x 100 Php 200,000.00

GRAND TOTAL Php 1,651.000.00 USD38, 819.66