Negros Occidental’s Provincial Health Office (PHO) kicked off on Wednesday the implementation of the Provincial First 1,000 Days (PF1KD) Nutrition Program for Negrense mothers and their babies.
“This is the first day of our Provincial First 1,000 Days Nutrition Program. The launching was a significant milestone for every Negrense nanay (mother) and baby,” the PHO said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
The initiative, which highlights the province’s commitment to improved nutrition and overall well-being of mothers and children during the critical first 1,000 days of life, was officially launched at the Capitol Social Hall here on Tuesday.
The First 1,000 Days – from conception until a child reaches two years old – is recognized as a crucial window for ensuring proper nutrition, growth, and development.
As such, investments during this period can help prevent malnutrition and support children in reaching their full physical and cognitive potential.
Through its nutrition and health programs, the provincial government aims to strengthen coordinated and sustained efforts to ensure that pregnant women, mothers, infants, and young children receive appropriate nutrition services, care, and support.
In her presentation during the program launch, Dr. Ma. Ayessa Hugnatan, provincial health officer I and provincial nutrition action officer, said every child deserves the healthiest start in life, but she also noted challenges, such as stunting, wasting, maternal malnutrition, and low birth weight.
That is, “every pregnant woman reached, every child monitored, every nutritionally at-risk child supported, and every family equipped to prevent malnutrition and stunting,” Hugnatan said.
“If we can make it happen in every municipality and city, the Abanse Negrense PF1KD initiative will not remain as a provincial program on paper. It will become a movement that reaches every household.”
In his message, Djovanee Bo, nutrition officer III of the National Nutrition Council – Negros Island Region, said that every child deserves adequate nutrition and a safe, caring, and nurturing environment.
“In this period, this is where interventions in nutrition have a positive impact. In this critical period of the first 1,000 days. That is why investing in it is more than an investment in nutrition and health; it is an investment in human dignity and every child’s right to a healthy and hopeful future,” he added.
The launch, witnessed by 1st District Board Members Araceli Somosa and Laurence Marxlen De la Cruz, was capped by the signing of the commitment board, symbolizing the stakeholders’ collective pledge to support and strengthen the Provincial First 1,000 Days Nutrition Program.
The pledge highlighted the importance of strong leadership, collaboration, and shared action to advance nutrition interventions for mothers and young children across the province. (PNA)
