By Roi Anthoni Lomotan
DUMAGUETE CITY,
Oct. 16 (PIA) – The Department of Social Welfare and Development's
(DSWD) anti-poverty program, 4Ps, has helped reduce malnutrition rate
in schools as well as maintain high number of students attending classes in the
province.
According to DSWD-7 Assistant
Regional Director Shallaine Marie Lucero, DSWD-7 is on track in promoting
the importance health and education in the over-all improvement of child’s well
being to the heads of 64, 708 households who are covered by 4Ps in Negros
Oriental.
Figures from the
Department of Education – Division of Negros Oriental (DepEd-NegOr) reveal
there was a drop in malnutrition rate in kindergarten to grade six pupils from
9,000 in 2011 to 6, 000 this year in all schools supervised by the
division.
Lucero explained that
4Ps require parents to take their children to health centers for check-ups,
de-worming and to avail of other health services that are offered freely
by the government.
This way, the health
needs of school children are addressed.
On the other hand,
DepEd-NegOr conducts school-based feeding program in coordination with the
local DSWD to respond to the nutritional needs of pupils.
But a recent report from
the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) indicates that the total
malnutrition rate in the province rose to 7.4% last year.
Lucero answered that the
DSWD can only monitor the health compliance of families that are covered by 4Ps
but aside from the mentioned program the department also conducts supplementary
feeding to address this concern.
However in terms of
compliance, Negros Oriental has registered high compliance rate to the
conditions set by 4Ps.
Lucero reported that the
province has a compliance rate of 96-97% in health and nutrition, 98% in
education, and 97% in attendance to Family Development Sessions (FDS).
The second one
translates to majority of school children under 4Ps households still attend to
schools.
But more importantly,
these figures mean that families are getting empowered and the FDS helps family
heads become aware of different government services as well as improve their
skills in parenthood, financial literacy, livelihood and environmental skills.
Lucero shared some
improvements she noticed in families who are attending FDS.
“This (high compliance
rate) indicates that parents are becoming more interested in the program and
their views on the importance of health and education are somehow changed,”
Lucero said.
Ms. Emma Mate of
DepEd-NegOr also cited the active participation of parents who are members of
4Ps during FDS.
She further said that
parents have now a heightened knowledge of government services and other skills
training by attending family development sessions.
4Ps offers monthly cash
grants of P500 for health and P300 per child in the elementary or P500 child in
high school per poor family with maximum of three qualified
child-beneficiaries.
Since its implementation
in Negros Oriental in 2008, around P2.7 billion have been handed out out to
poor families in the province. (rmn/ral/PIA7-NegOr)