Coverage

The LAKASS Programme (Lalakas ang Katawang Sapat sa Sustansiya) 46 started in 1989
and is ongoing in selected areas throughout the Philippines. The programme is funded
by the Government of the Philippines (GoP), from the GoP-Japan Increased Food
Production Programme. It covers 175 nutritionally depressed municipalities in the
country.

Objectives of the programme

LAKASS aims to: (a) improve the nutrition situation in all identified nutritionally
depressed municipalities; and (b) provide effective and sustainable services for the
community to improve their nutritional status.

Programme impact
Community participation
As a community-based nutrition programme, community involvement was an integral
component of LAKASS from project identification, implementation and management, and
was based on an in-depth analysis of causes of malnutrition at the community and
household levels. This programme has generally led to peoples empowerment and
mobilization, which enabled the villagers as well as local chief executives to build and
sustain their capabilities to improve their own nutrition situation. Innovative strategies for
ensuring a high loan repayment rate and for generating resources ensured the expansion
of LAKASS beyond the initial scope of loan provision, to increase the number of those able
to access loans.

Initially, community participation was motivated by prospects of material incentives, in this

case the loan. However, with advocacy, orientation, training, technical backstopping and
recognition of good performance, communities eventually graduated to self-mobilization.
Lessons learned

An integrated, multidisciplinary programme is able to exploit possible complementarities of various nutrition

interventions (short and long-term). For example, health, sanitation, supplementary feeding programmes and food
production complement each other.
Community involvement permits better targeting of beneficiaries.
Community consultation can help identify the best practices, those congruent with local culture, capabilities and the
physical environment.
Community participation is an orientation, which must not be taken for granted; it should be an overriding and
conscious concern, so as to avoid degenerating into mere rhetoric.
Community mobilization of resources lessens the burden on Government resources. Schools have been very effective
in generating funds for nutrition and health programmes.
Proper training is a critical component of an integrated, communitybased programme, and must not neglect topics
such as proposal preparation, resource generation, evaluation.
To ensure proper coordination, there should be a clear assignment of roles and tasks among key programme actors,
especially when implementing a mix of interventions.
The lack of a good monitoring and evaluation system is an obstacle to the effective operation and implementation of
community-based programmes.
Participatory planning (based on a sound situation analysis), implementation and monitoring and evaluation
contribute to successful project implementation at the community level and ensure sustainability.
Partnerships (Government NGOs private sector academe) can contribute immensely towards effective integration
as well as resource generation, and should be encouraged.
Development and mobilization of indigenous development workers (e.g. barangay nutrition scholars) should be based
on the most effective worker:client ratio.
Consistent with devolution, there is a need to emphasize area-based bottom-up planning.
Strong political will is a necessary ingredient that can be generated through strong advocacy efforts.
Nutrition advocacy and resource generation should be further coordinated. The lack of appreciation for the importance
of good nutrition among many local leaders or sectoral workers clearly justifies such efforts.
Resource generation for nutrition involves three levels of implementation in a devolved government structure. At the
national level, budget allocation to nutrition-related expenditures should be maintained and advocacy should press for
funding. At the local level, there should be a better sharing of internal revenues with the national government, and
strong initiatives to exploit tax powers. Finally, at the community level, local organizations and even beneficiaries can
help to generate resources, if only to avoid developing or perpetuating a welfare mentality among the latter.
Nutrition policy directions

The Philippine Nutrition Programme is premised on a nutrition-in-development perspective. It adheres to the principle that
a healthy well-nourished population is a prerequisite to attaining national development goals. Health and nutritional well-
being is considered an integral part of national socio-economic development, guided by the following policy directions (NNC,
1995):

focus public resources toward the implementation of community-based nutrition interventions and poverty-alleviation
measures in identified nutritionally depressed areas targeting nutritionally at-risk families and individuals;
promote a supportive policy environment across development sectors to ensure nutritional improvement;
integrate nutrition considerations in sectoral development plans and programmes that pursue the reduction of poverty and
address its causes, increased food availability, improved environment, better health, and increased productivity and
economic growth;
strengthening local government units and community capability to plan, implement, monitor, and evaluate sustainable and
integrated nutrition programmes;
improve and strengthen existing mechanisms for nutrition planning, policy formulation, implementation, monitoring,
evaluation, surveillance and advocacy at all levels;
conduct basic, applied, and operations research on nutrition; strengthen research utilization and technology transfer; and
regularly assess plan implementation;
increase the emphasis on the vital role of information and development communication in promoting good nutrition;
involve NGOs including peoples organizations and the business sector more systematically in plan implementation.
B: PROGRAMME DESCRIPTION

The Lalakas ang Katawang Sapat Sa Sustansiya (LAKASS) is a community-based nutrition action programme which
combines the delivery of direct nutrition services with effective and sustainable development programmes to ensure
the nutritional well being of the population within the framework of community development.

Objectives

As a strategy to alleviate poverty and malnutrition in the most depressed areas of the country, the programme has the
following objectives:

to improve the nutrition situation in all the identified nutritionally depressed municipalities;
to provide effective and sustainable services for and by the community to improve their nutritional status.
Key features

The programme embodies a number of key features including the use of a set of predetermined criteria for the
selection of target areas and beneficiaries as preconditions for its implementation.

Prevalence of malnutrition: the most nutritionally depressed barangays in the poorest municipalities are prioritized
for LAKASS implementation. Within these barangays, families most at risk of malnutrition are selected as programme
beneficiaries.
Programmes and projects, designed to prevent and treat malnutrition and promote good nutrition, are identified,
implemented and managed by the community with government agencies and NGOs extending technical, financial, or
material assistance.
Communities are mobilized and empowered to build and sustain their capabilities to improve their own nutrition
situation.
Planning

Formulation of nutrition action programmes has been an institutionalized activity of local nutrition committees. The
nutrition action plan serves as the key document and basis for the integration of nutrition considerations into the local
development plans. It also serves as the working document and guide for field implementers and for monitoring and
evaluation. The planning activity is initiated by the Municipal Mayor as Chairman of the MNC, while the municipal
nutrition action officer coordinates the activity.
Project preparation, appraisal, and implementation

The provision of funding support to local government units is intended only to supplement the municipalitys existing
resources. It may be used for the implementation of new projects identified by the community as well as ongoing
intervention activities of the local Food and Nutrition Programme.

The preparation, appraisal and implementation of projects for funding under the LAKASS Programme are guided by the
following:

selection of priority barangays for project implementation;

first five depressed barangays identified during the municipal planning activity with an organized Barangay
Development Council;
selection of project for funding;
proposed project addresses an identified problem;
community selects the projects under the supervision and guidance of the MNC;
criteria are applied to select appropriate interventions: relevance, feasibility, integration with similar existing
programmes, effectiveness, ease in targeting and evaluation, cost-effectiveness and likelihood of becoming a long-term
ongoing programme;
project funds of up to P 230,000 per municipality can be used to fund projects identified by the community; of this, at
least 80 percent is allocated for productive projects and a maximum of 20 percent for consumption projects;
productive projects are those which are revenue-generating and transferable through a rollover or repayment
mechanism; consumption projects are those that are direct, non-transferable and non-revenue generating activities.
 New feeding program ex.
Below is a project proposal we submitted to the Presidential Management
Staff. The Foundation of Our Lady of Peace Mission Inc is a faith based
organization so hopefully you'll understand the holistic approach of the
program.

Name of Project: "Our Children, Our Future: Child Development Assistance

Program"

Objectives:
To assist indigent children in their physical, mental and spiritual development
that will allow them to be at par with their age group.

The poorest of the poor children who come from the 8 daycare centers of the
Foundation of Our Lady of Peace Mission, Inc. will be the beneficiaries of the
program.
Background:

The national situation: 70% of the population of the Philippines is children. Among
Filipino parents, 35% have enough means and capacity to educate their children, 25%
are able educate their children with the help of government and nongovernmental
assistance. This leaves 40% whose parents have no means at all to find assistance.
Their children dropout of schooling after 2 years. This 40% represents 8,000,000
Filipinos who will not be able to improve their status in life. They are hungry,
uneducated and worse multiplying themselves in numbers by brining up their own
children in the same environment.

What our Foundation is doing?

The foundation has established 8 day care centers and 9 feeding centers for children
for 6 years old and below. We are able to help about 300 children every year. After age
six, we can only help by means of scholarship to only 1% of the graduates.

What this proposal would like to do?

To organize a new program, helping these children go up further and be part of the
mainstream, where they are no longer a liability to the community.
 Components of our Proposal
1.) The Nutrition Component shall provide adequate food with complete nutrients to
the children. Many children are hungry and are sickly, hence they cannot perform
normally at home and in school. We have made initial arrangements with the Food
and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) to develop a nutritious instant meal. Once
developed the product can be adopted and be distributed to the feeding centers.
Enclosed with this letter is the project proposal by FNRI for the research and
development of the said meal. Compared to foreign food relief products, this will be
made from indigenous raw materials and palatable to the Filipino taste..
2.) The Educational Assistance shall provide proper uniform, shoes and school materials for
each child from the start of the school year. A student monitor will be employed to guide the
parents of the children together with the school authorities throughout the school year.

3.) The Health Component shall be the counterpart of the foundation where these children,
belonging to the poorest families, shall have a reqular monthly examination. Medications and
referrals shall be met accordingly.

4.) The Spiritual Component shall be the counterpart of the parish and parents through the
coordination of the student monitor.

The initial beneficiaries shall be grades 1 and 2 with an estimated total of 300 students who
have graduated from the foundation's daycare center and underwent a psychosocioeconomic
screening.
 Another feeding program ex

Just a simple letter would do. Something like this. Dear Principal, Good day. We are (name
of group) and we would like to seek assistance from you. We are a group of people that do
feeding programs to schools and we have chosen your school to be one of the many
schools that we do feeding programs. The students that will be participating would be
from the 1st grade through (depending on the grade that you want). Hope you can assists
us on this so we can help the students on your school. Thanks and more power. Sincerely,
Name. source: Kindly send me a sample letter of permission to the principal of school
about conducting a feeding program?

Read more: Sample letter on how to conduct feeding program? - Example of letter of
request for permission to conduct a feeding program :: Ask Me Fast at
http://www.askmefast.com/Sample_letter_on_how_to_conduct_feeding_program-
qna6567300.html
Feeding Program Proposal

Community Service Program

a Requirement in NSTP 1

STI College

Cagayan de Oro City

Submitted to:
Febe A.
Bacalso

Submitted by:
Jeddan M.Ferrer
FEEDING PROGRAM

Introduction

In an effort to help the youths in disadvantaged situation, we must vigorously push

for more human resource development programs and leadership capability building
activities.

One common problem in our community are food. Almost every Filipino are
suffering hunger and are starving to death. That affects our children and their growth.
There are about 6 million malnourished children on the Philippines. With the help of every
foundation, organizations, individual and our government. We can start a program that
could help the children on our society on this dillema.

Feeding program is the most outreached solution we could offer to our society.
Basically, its a best preparation to pre-school students on public school so they will
encourage to eat healthy and their health are to be monitored weekly if there are any
progress and development.
Objectives

To improve the nutritional health of the student To stimulate regular attendance at

schools and also to introduce nutrition education. To provide an estimate of the
nutritional requirements of children with moderate malnutrition, examining wasted
and stunted children separately. To formulate recommendations to improve the dietary
management of moderate malnutrition.

To assist indigent children in their physical, mental and spiritual development that will
allow them to be at par with their age group.
 Project Proposal

For the many underprivileged Filipino children, food isnt a basic right but a luxury that their families cant
afford. To organize a new program, helping these children go up further and be part of the mainstream,
where they are no longer a liability to the community. The Nutrition Component shall provide adequate food
with complete nutrients to the children. Many children are hungry and are sickly, hence they cannot perform
normally at home and in school.

Every day, seven-year old Cheska Miranda together with her mother walks for an hour through the busy
highways of Cagayan de Oro City to get to City Central School. The young girls family lives in a gillage, a
colloquial term for gilid (side) and an upscale village where informal settlers thrive on its outskirts.

When I first saw Cheska, a first grader with a fragile frame, I couldnt imagine how she manages to walk to
school for an hour every day. Her 50-year old mom Aileen Miranda shares that Cheska should have been in
second grade now. But since she was always tired, they decided let her quit schooling last year.

Little did Aileen realize that sending her daughter to school on an empty stomach could make her youngest
child weak and sluggish. When Cheska re-entered Grade One last school year, she was still the same frail little
girl. At less than 13 kilos, she was underweight for her age.
 Without any source of livelihood, and having to care for a bed-ridden husband, Mrs. Aileen depends on her three
children who get seasonal jobs at a construction company.

When you say malnutrition, it just means bad nutrition. Malnutrition is the condition that occurs when your body does
not get enough nutrients. Everyone who has bad nutrition usually does not have nutrients that a healthy body has.

Poverty is the main cause if malnutrition because people are not able to eat the right kind of food they need. Lack of
money means lack of food and lack of food can lead to malnutrition. Kids are usually the ones being affected by this
condition, especially here in the Philippines. Some may just shrug off shoulders in this case but malnutrition is a serious
national problem that should be solved in the nearest possible time. This condition can lead to death. But the big
question is, how would we deal with this problem?

Malnutrition can occur if you do not eat enough food. Starvation is a form of malnutrition.You may develop malnutrition
if you lack of a single vitamin in the diet.
 In some cases, malnutrition is very mild and causes no symptoms. However, sometimes it can be so severe that
the damage done to the body is permanent, even though you survive.

Malnutrition continues to be a significant problem all over the world, especially among children. Poverty, natural
disasters, political problems, and war all contribute to conditions even epidemics of malnutrition and
starvation, and not just in developing countries.

According to the latest report of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), about 4 million pre-school children
in the Philippines are underweight while 3 million adolescents are chronically energy deficient.

The national situation: 70% of the population of the Philippines is children. Among Filipino parents, 35% have
enough means and capacity to educate their children, 25% are able educate their children with the help of
government and nongovernmental assistance. This leaves 40% whose parents have no means at all to find
assistance. Their children dropout of schooling after 2 years. This 40% represents 8,000,000 Filipinos who will not
be able to improve their status in life. They are hungry, uneducated and worse multiplying themselves in numbers
by bringing up their own children in the same environment.
 The United Nations Childrens Fund (Unicef) also reported that the case of malnutrition and stunted growth among Filipino
children is greatly influenced by the pre-natal practices of mothers who do not receive proper pre-natal care. Thus,
malnutrition during infancy is carried on until the childs growing up years.

Currently, with the continuous help of the government, malnutrition cases decreased and this gave a positive effect to most
of the children who participated in the program. Children can now have a full life without having to suffer from hunger and
various diseases. Feeding them and giving them what they need is truly an important thing that everyone should. Parents
must take the responsibility of providing them good food for their childrens well-being. The government is already giving its
share in eliminating malnutrition but people should also know that not everything can be asked for. A parent should know
that feeding his or her child is a responsibility that should not be neglected.

Keep in mind that in order to have a healthy body, people, especially kids, must eat good food. Everyone deserves to eat
more than three times a day, everyone deserves to have a fuller life.

The foundation of a healthy mind is a healthy body, it crosses our mind to conduct a Feeding Program that envisions for a
healthy citizenry. Individuals need to be physically healthy and mentally upright for them to function properly in our society,
so this project was conceptualized to sustain and ensure that childrens are eating the right foods especially for the lowly and
financially unstable.

We will be able to see progress from the malnourished children as they gain weight. Undeniably, three months was too short
to see progress, but this project also aspires to teach their families the importance of budgeting and providing healthy foods
at a very minimal costs.

When children are well-nourished, they are more attentive and participative in school activities. Absenteeism is minimized
and they get better grades.
 Components to start the Feeding Program:

1.) In a feeding program, the first thing to do is assess the community. Check if the project is feasible
and sustainable. The community must identify malnutrition as a problem and not merely use the
feeding program as a means to feed their children. For one, you cant make it a dole out project.

2.) Identify prospective leaders and volunteers. It is important to coordinate with the existing political
or organizational hierarchy.

3.) Identify the children who badly need the assistance. To avoid bias, use the Department of Health
method of identifying malnourished kids. The barangay nutrition scholar, a local public employee,
knows this. I believe the community health workers know this as well. There is a standard for
anthropometric measurements for Filipinos based on weight and height in determining malnutrition.
This will also be your baseline in monitoring the children every month. This is to check if you are
successful with your program.
 4.) Always engage the community. Include the parents of the children in
planning the menu, marketing, cooking, monitoring and evaluation. You
can organize the mothers and even fathers to these tasks. Someday they
will get the idea of the program and if they like it, then they can sustain it.
Remember you dont owe the community anything, you are just there to
facilitate or be an instrument. When you feel it is time for you to go and
let them do the job, then go as quickly as you can but keep a close eye.

5.) Remember to always document, monitor and evaluate. This is your

basis for the success or failure of the program. These will be your hard
evidence to the funding agencies. In 6 months, children can already
graduate from the program, meaning their weight is already at par with
their age group.
 Compared to foreign food relief products, this will be made from indigenous raw materials and
palatable to the Filipino taste. The Educational Assistance shall provide proper uniform, shoes and
school materials for each child from the start of the school year. A student monitor will be employed
to guide the parents of the children together with the school authorities throughout the school year.
The Health Component shall be the counterpart of the foundation where these children, belonging to
the poorest families, shall have a regular monthly examination. Medications and referrals shall be met
accordingly. The Spiritual Component shall be the counterpart of the parish and parents through the
coordination of the student monitor.

The initial beneficiaries shall be grades 1 and 2 with an estimated total of 300 students who have
graduated from the foundations daycare center and underwent a psycho socioeconomic screening.

The road to a hunger-free Philippines may still be far from sight. But as long as organizations like and
government continue to become part of the solution by curbing malnutrition among the poorest of
the poor, there is after all, hope for children.