Hapag-Asa Promotes Good Nutrition in Children / iamninoy and Hapag-asa Partner Against Malnutrition

The iamninoy team has been doing the rounds among its various partner beneficiaries to learn more about their projects and activities. Last October 8, 2008, the team headed to St. Joseph the Worker Parish in.Barangay Palanan, Makati City to see first hand the feeding program organized by Hapag-Asa, partner beneficiary of Analog Soul/Yo Ninoy.

The group was met by Shirley Nebrida, the head volunteer assigned to the venue. The children were already trickling in to have lunch, most of them coming from school. They were treated to a meal of afritada, rice and soup. To ensure that each child receives proper nutrition, all meals are cooked with Vitameal, a scientifically prepared lentil-rice mix power packed with carbohydrates, protein, fats plus 25 vitamins and minerals that are mixed with local dishes making it more palatable for the kids.

The program targets children between 6 months to 12 years of age, considered the most critical stage of development. Hapag-Asa identifies children in depressed areas suffering from moderate to severe malnutrition and enrols them in the feeding program. Volunteers go house-to-house to weigh children and those who are underweight are automatically eligible. A batch of enrolled children will be fed once a day, five days a week for six months. The feeding program in Barangay Palanan has 70 children enrolled in its program.

Recently, Analog Soul/Yo Ninoy visited another Hapag-Asa feeding program to experience for themselves the impact that their donations will be making on malnourished children. They have pledged to donate a percentage of profits from each iamninoy merchandise to contribute to feeding program. Mico Halili, co-founder of Yo Ninoy, affirms that the experience was truly eye-opening and has strengthened their resolve to help more children through the campaign.

According to the Food and Nutrition Research Institute, three out of ten children from 1 month to five years old are suffering from chronic malnutrition resulting in stunted growth. Hapag-Asa may hold the key to stemming hunger and malnutrition among Filipino children. It estimates that the cost of a meal per child per day is only Php10.00 translating to Php 1,200.00 per child for the entire duration of 6 months. Imagine, by simply foregoing little luxuries such as a P100 cup of gourmet coffee, a P150 movie, or a P500 Spa treatment we can already contribute much to nourish a hungry child and make a world of difference in their lives.

For those interested to donate to the project directly, you may contact HAPAG-ASA Secretariat @ Assisi Development Foundation at 6321001 to 03 or hapagasa@gmail.com.