Davao City – The Ministry of Health (MOH), in partnership with UNICEF and Action Against Hunger (AHH), recently held a Project Implementation Review (PIR) for the Nutrition Program in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). This review, conducted on December 3-5, 2024, which aimed to evaluate the program’s overall performance, pinpoint strengths and weaknesses, and outline future strategies.

The review delved into the program’s alignment with strategic goals, methodologies, and target indicators as outlined in the annual nutrition plan. It also scrutinized the effectiveness of project implementation and the delivery of outputs. Various Provincial and City Nutrition Program Coordinators and Nutritionists participated in the event.

The Bangsamoro Government, through the launch of its first Regional Plan of Action for Nutrition (RPAN) 2023-2028 on October 28, 2024, aspires to decrease the region’s malnutrition rate by 10% over the next four years. This ambitious plan is a response to the 2019 World Bank Study on Child Nutrition in the region, which highlighted significant rates of stunting and wasting among children under five due to food insecurity, poverty, inadequate healthcare, and frequent exposure to natural and man-made calamities.

The alarming statistics on malnutrition in the region necessitate urgent and effective interventions. A staggering 49% of the region’s population suffers from chronic malnutrition, and a concerning 45% of children under five are stunted.

The Ministry of Health, through its Nutrition Division, is committed to reducing these alarming figures by implementing programs aligned with national and international standards to mitigate malnutrition-related illnesses and deaths.

Dr. Kadil M. Sinolinding Jr., the minister of Health, vows that MOH alongside the Bangsamoro Parliament will fully support the nutrition programs as well as the initiatives of Non-Government Organization (NGO) partners in the region. “Makakaasa kayo na laging nasa likod ninyo ang Ministry of Health at ang Bangsamoro Parliament na walang sawa ang aming pakikipagtulungan para sa kinabukasan ng ating mamamayang Bangsamoro.”