With a shared mission of ending hunger and malnutrition through a feeding program, the DA-Philippine Carabao Center at Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DA-PCC at DMMMSU) is in full support of the Zero Hunger Alliance as the center shared 200 Karabuns and chocolate milk for the ceremonial kick-off of the Kusina ng Kalinga+ (KnK+) Bacnotan 2nd cycle during the Zero Hunger Summit held at the International Convention Center, DMMMSU North La Union Campus, Sapilang Bacnotan La Union, on March 15.
The Zero Hunger Alliance project, formed by Gawad Kalinga, Zero Hunger, Century Pacific Group-RSPo Foundation Inc., and Century Pacific Food, Inc. (CNPF), aims to activate local partnerships to end hunger within communities.
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, keynote speaker of the event, mentioned that illiteracy and hunger are the battles that society has been fighting.
In pursuit of healthy citizens in the community, the LGU-Bacnotan, under the leadership of Municipal Mayor Divina C. Fontanilla and Gawad Kalinga, signed a Memorandum of Agreement for the Kusina ng Kalinga+ Bacnotan that helps in alleviating malnutrition and hunger in barangays with prevalent undernourished children.
“KnK+ Bacnotan was initiated via a MOA in 2022, a collaboration between LGU-Bacnotan and Gawad Kalinga. The feeding program commenced in January 2023 and ran for 123 days, until July,” John Philip Gabriel, municipal nutrition action officer of LGU-Bacnotan, said.
They recognized that while hunger cannot be eradicated alone, it can be alleviated when individuals and institutions work together.
With that, they tapped the DA-PCC at DMMMSU to provide carabao-based dairy products, as part of its mission to improve the health of Filipinos through the milk feeding program, in partnership with the Department of Education and Department of Social Welfare and Development.
During the previous cycle of the KnK+ Bacnotan, the Elyu Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative, formerly known as Rosario Dairy Farmers Cooperative, an assisted co-op of DA-PCC at DMMMSU, also supplied carabao’s milk for the said project.
Gabriel said that they will continue to incorporate carabao’s milk into their feeding program due to its scientifically proven benefits in combating stunting.
Among the beneficiaries of the KnK+ Bacnotan were undernourished children, senior citizens, and pregnant women. The feeding program will begin this March and will last for 120 days.
To fulfill the goal of this project, they adopted the 5M strategy of the Zero Hunger Alliance: Magtulungan: Partnership for Zero Hunger; Magpakain: Supplemental Feeding; Magpakalusog: Health and Nutrition Education; Magtanim: Community Food Farming; and Mag Connect: Online Platforms for Zero Hunger.
Aside from providing buns and chocolate milk, the center also featured other carabao-based products through an exhibit booth.
