MARAWI CITY (PIA) — A total of 2,030 indigent children from six municipalities of Lanao del Surand Marawi City received milk rations through the national government’s Supplementary Feeding Program (SFP), implemented by the Bangsamoro Government’s Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD).
The distribution, conducted March 27, marked the 7th tranche of the 14th cycle of the Milk Feeding Program. Beneficiaries include children enrolled in child development centers (CDCs) and supervised neighborhood plays (SNPs).
For this cycle, covering the school year 2024–2025 and the distribution will continue until the 13th tranche before another cycle begins.
“Since the milk feeding program is still in its pilot implementation, only the CDCs and SNPs in the aforementioned municipalities in the first district receive the milk rations for this cycle,” said Rashida Macarik, SFP’s project development officer for the first district of Lanao del Sur.
“In shaa Allah, in the next cycle, we hope to include other SNPs and CDCs that were not included in the previous cycles to serve more indigent Bangsamoro children with milk,” Macarik added.
The cycle’s beneficiaries come from the 147 CDCs and SNPs in the towns of Bubong, Ditsaan-Ramain, Masiu, Poona Bayabao, Tamparan, and Taraka, along with the 53 CDCs and SNPs of Marawi City. A total of 139,830 pouches were delivered during the 7th tranche.
The Milk Feeding Program is a component of the SFP that aims to improve the nutritional status of undernourished children, particularly those who are severely stunted. It supplements the nutritious meals provided to the children, ultimately aiming to enhance their school performance and classroom attendance.
The municipal social workers, along with SFP staff and suppliers, conduct thorough monitoring and quality inspections before each delivery to ensure that the milk being supplied to the children meets the standards set by the national government. (BIO/PIA-10/Lanao del Sur)
