THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Davao Region has distributed a total of P259,596,486 funds to all local government units (LGUs) here in the region for the Supplementary Feeding Program in 2017.

DSWD-Davao public information officer Carmela Duron said there are 90,057 children who benefited in this program. She added that these were only the numbers of children who have availed the program last year.

Out of the 90,057, the department has served 14,472 children in Davao del Sur including Davao City, 29,144 in Davao del Norte, 9,057 in Davao Occidental, 17,218 in Davao Oriental, and 20,166 in Compostela Valley.

The feeding program of the DSWD aims to improve the nutritional status of children enrolled in a Child Development Center or the Day Care Centers nationwide, through the provision of the supplementary feeding.

This in addition to regular meals, hot meals and alternative meals, which meet the 1/3 of the Recommended Energy and Nutrient Intake (RENI). Indigenous foods and locally produced foods are served to children during snack time either in the morning or afternoon.

Supplementary Feeding Program provides P15 a child per day for 120 days. Of this amount, P11 will be used for the viand per child per day and P4 will be used for the rice per child per day.

The program aims to serve 2 to 4 year-old children in Supervised Neighborhood Play, 4 year-old children enrolled in day care center, 5 year-old children not enrolled in preschools, and 5 to 12 year-old nutritionally-deficient children outside day care centers. (Sun Star Davao)