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Eliminating hunger requires empowering local farmers to harvest more crops and overcome various challenges. When a farmer, for instance, asks how to treat a certain crop disease, smart algorithms match the question to other farmers that are likely to provide a relevant answer. The network relies on SMS technology to transfer messages, which benefits thousands of farmers in rural areas with limited internet connectivity.

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A key way to reverse this trend is by giving smallholder farmers — particularly women — access to the financing, information and training they need to build thriving farms. Furthermore, these resources must be delivered in a manner that promotes new ways of doing things — planting of more nutritious crops; preparing foods in ways that capture their full nutritional value. There is enormous potential for agriculture that is intentionally focused on nutrition-rich practices. This is especially true for women farmers, who produce almost half of the world’s food supply and who are primarily responsible for feeding their families and safeguarding the health of their children.

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Global Action for Children

It is almost dry season in the Sahel and millions are already facing food shortages. The constant swings between parching droughts and turbulent floods make farming difficult in this semi-arid region on the edge of Africa's Sahara Desert.

The challenges these farmers face underscore the severe impact of extreme weather on agricultural production. The weather extremes have also exacerbated problems caused by the chronic underdevelopment of agriculture - reliance on a handful of crops limits the nutritional value of farmers' harvests, for instance.

The impact on global hunger is now evident. After years of steady decline, hunger and malnutrition rates are rising. Today almost 821 million people are chronically hungry and roughly one-third of women of childbearing age suffer from anemia. It is an alarming sign that food systems are not keeping pace with our needs.

A key way to reverse this trend is by giving smallholder farmers - particularly women - access to the financing, information and training they need to build thriving farms. Furthermore, these resources must be delivered in a manner that promotes new ways of doing things - planting of more nutritious crops; preparing foods in ways that capture their full nutritional value. There is enormous potential for agriculture that is intentionally focused on nutrition-rich practices. This is especially true for women farmers, who produce almost half of the world's food supply and who are primarily responsible for feeding their families and safeguarding the health of their children.

Today, new disruptive digital technologies are starting to provide solutions.

Access to financing

Globally, smallholder farmers get less than 3 percent of the funding they need because they are viewed as risky investments. Yet their operations generate a rich trove of data on their capabilities and results. Today, companies are increasingly using this data to give lenders a more comprehensive assessment of farmers, enabling them to receive vital financing to rejuvenate farms and invest in better equipment and inputs to increase their production.

Grameen Foundation's work with Musoni Microfinance in Kenya is one example of an all-digital agricultural loan designed to meet the specific needs of smallholder farmers by matching their crop and cash cycles. Furthermore, loans delivered to local women's groups are accompanied by agricultural training that support the diversification of crops and livestock for improved income and health.

Agricultural advice

Agricultural extension officers often have little time to give farmers up-to-date training and advice because of the officers' overloaded caseloads. As a result, farmers rely on outdated techniques. Mobile technology is helping to fill the gap by providing farmers with targeted, up-to-date advice derived from data collected from their farms.

Launched in 2013, mNutrition is a global initiative organized by the GSMA and implemented by mobile phone network operators. Working in 10 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, it uses mobile phone-based messaging services to provide information and promote behavior change around key areas related to nutrition, childcare and agriculture. It is estimated that more than 1.5 million farmers had made changes in several areas from planting to land management to harvest and storage practices after receiving advice.

The focus on women

In Nigeria, the most populous country of Africa, 1 in 3 children under five years of age suffer from chronic malnutrition or stunting, which reduces brain development and their ability to learn and develop normally. Faced with this grim reality, in 2017, the government launched a national Mobile Nutrition Program. The Federal Ministry of Health, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, GSMA and Grameen Foundation had collaborated to develop and pilot life-saving nutrition content via mobile phones. After extensive research in to local conditions and knowledge, a total of more than 1,000 SMS and voice messages were crafted and translated into five local languages, with content that covers women of reproductive age, pregnancy, newborns, infants and children under five. The in-depth messaging included a close look a locally available, nutrient rich foods that women could either grow or purchase in their communities.

Nutrition, agriculture and health are intimately linked, and today, they can be consciously linked through programming that takes advantage of mobile phones that are now in nearly every community, if not every pocket.

Bee Wuethrich, Senior Director, Marketing and Communications, Grameen Foundation, [email protected]

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How Smart Technology Can Combat Hunger and Malnutrition - Impacting Our Future

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Global Action for Children It is almost dry season in the Sahel and millions are already facing food shortages. The constant swings between parching droughts and turbulent floods make farming difficult in this semi-arid region on the edge of Africa's Sahara Desert. The challenges these farmers face underscore the severe impact of extreme weather on agricultural production.

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The unhealthy environment that the community lives in was evident. Communities are aware that inadequate sanitation contributes to disease prevalence. Most of them adopt a correct behavior by trying to go further from their village for open defecation, and use soap to wash their hand. Meanwhile, the health risks associated to the presence of children faces in the surrounding is not well understood, as knowledge on hygienic environment remains weak.

Knowledge on water management and water safety were founded as insufficient with absence of proper water treatment.

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One of the main issues related to health is the difficulty to access to medical facilities. Communities seem to have an adequate knowledge of correct health seeking behaviors. Indeed, most of the caregivers reported preferring consulting a health professional when their children are sick but not being able to due to distance or lack of income. Therefore, they would often consult a traditional healer or use traditional medicine.

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Nutrition Causal Analysis: Municipalities of Aroroy, Cawayan, Milagros and Monreal, Masbate Province, Region V, Philippines, Final Report (September 2014 – January 2015)

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Nutrition Causal Analysis: Municipalities of Aroroy, Cawayan, Milagros and Monreal, Masbate Province, Region V, Philippines, Final Report (September 2014 – January 2015)

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Inadequate childcare practices

The NCA survey shows inadequate childcare practices as a main cause to child undernutrition.
Early initiation of breastfeeding is common, but infants are not exclusively breastfed. Indeed, the majority of the mothers are giving water to infants. This practice is inappropriate but also highly at risk regarding the quality of the water.

Finally, inadequate knowledge of reproductive health was found to be an important issue since it was directly related to early pregnancy and short birth spacing, what can both be related to low birth weight and difficulties of afford care for children.

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Acción Contra El Hambre/Action Against Hunger (ACF) has been working in the Philippines since 2000. Being present in Masbate, Region V, since 2014, ACF intervention focuses in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Nutrition (nutrition screening and IYCF capacity building)

The province of Masbate belongs to Region V (Bicol) and is known to be one of the neediest provinces of the Philippines with a poverty incidence of 42.5% (NSCB 2009) and 44.2% (NSCB 2012) respectively. ACF decided to implement programs in the four municipalities of Masbate having the poorest socio-economic indicators: Aroroy, Cawayan, Milagros and Monreal. Those are also part of UNICEF's areas for its country program and sites for Maternal and Young Child Nutrition Security Initiative in Asia (MYCNSIA).

ACF also aims at gathering information regarding malnutrition mechanism and therefore, decided to implement a Nutrition Causal Analysis (NCA) in those four municipalities to understand the root causes of undernutrition.

Child undernutrition remains to be a major public health issue in Bicol region with underweight and stunting rate higher than the national average (respectively 24,6% underweight and 39,8% stunting for Bicol region and 19,9% and 30,3% at nation level), while the rate of wasting remains high (7,4% for Bicol region and 7,9% at nation level).

As the rest of the Philippines the island is located along the typhoon belt in the Pacific and often impacted by typhoon of medium intensity. Its geographical location also contributes to its susceptibility of sea level rise, storm surges, flooding and drought what is believed to have an impact of farming and fishing livelihoods.

ACF together with scientific partners, have developed a standardized method of analysing the causes of malnutrition and consequently improving the relevance and effectiveness of stakeholders programming in a given context.

Based on its Nutrition Causal Analysis (NCA) approach and in collaboration with NGO partners, Research Institutes and Municipalities, ACF conducted a NCA, a first of its kind in the Philippines, in Masbate from September 2014 to January 2015.

This report presents the findings from the NCA study.
Overall Objective
The overall objective of this NCA is to provide a greater level of understanding regarding the possible causes of child undernutrition in the operational ACFPhilippines area of Masbate, Region V, Philippines.
Specific Objectives:

To identify main causes of wasting and stunting in order to inform the technical strategy and programs (WASH and Nutrition) for the prevention of the same at a local level

To understand the local seasonal and historical pathways to wasting and stunting

To support technical advocacy on causes of wasting and stunting so as to plan technical strategy especially in WASH Methodology The aim of the NCA methodology proposed is not to demonstrate statistically causal association, but rather, to build up a case for causality, based on different sources of information, using the following steps:

1. Preparatory Phase: The preparatory phase is to ensure timely recruitment process; objectives are clear and the choice of NCA methodology (comprehensive, qualitative, quick) is selected.

2. Development of causal hypotheses: a literature review, data review and stakeholders interviews (National Nutritional Council, Department of Agriculture and Department of Health, health workers) were undertaken to generate an overall understanding of the local context of undernutrition and design a set of local causal hypothesis of undernutrition.

These hypotheses have been validated to be field tested by Technical Experts during a workshop held on the 24th October 2014 in Manila.

3. Data Collection: Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected to provide more evidence on levels of undernutrition, key risk factors and community perceptions, practices and constraints.

4. Identification of highest priority causes of undernutrition, design of recommendations: Based on the evidence gathered during the data collection, the causal hypotheses were then ranked by order of importance with particular attention to seasonal differences and vulnerable groups.

The results were then validated with the local community before being presented at a final workshop on the 26th January 2015, where technical and NCA experts tried to reach a consensus on the most important risk factors and priorities for action. On the 27th January 2015, together with the technical experts a consensus was reached on the main recommendations to formulate in order to address and prevent undernutrition in the studied area.
Underlying causes of malnutrition Inadequate childcare practices Inadequate childcare practices
The NCA survey shows inadequate childcare practices as a main cause to child undernutrition.
Early initiation of breastfeeding is common, but infants are not exclusively breastfed.

Indeed, the majority of the mothers are giving water to infants. This practice is inappropriate but also highly at risk regarding the quality of the water.

Age of introduction of complementary food was found as inadequate with introduction of semi-solid food around 4 months. Moreover, meal frequency is inadequate and age of weaning is often inadequate and a consequence of short birth spacing. In few cases, absence of the mother is a direct cause of inadequate infant and young child feeding practices, since caregivers do not know how to replace breast milk when infant formula is not available/affordable.

Finally, inadequate knowledge of reproductive health was found to be an important issue since it was directly related to early pregnancy and short birth spacing, what can both be related to low birth weight and difficulties of afford care for children.
Inadequate child and maternal food intake
The link of food insecurity factors at the household level has been shown to have a relationship to inadequate dietary intake.

Limited access to food and poor diet diversity is mainly related to a limited purchase power, inadequate access to markets and a low personal fishing and agriculture production.

NCA findings also showed that limited purchase power was highly related to low income due to lack of income generating activities and instability of income sources.

Isolation location and frequency of disaster are increasing the seriousness of those factors.
Poor child health
One of the main issues related to health is the difficulty to access to medical facilities.

Communities seem to have an adequate knowledge of correct health seeking behaviours. Indeed, most of the caregivers reported preferring consulting a health professional when their children are sick but not being able to due to distance or lack of income. Therefore, they would often consult a traditional healer or use traditional medicine.

On the same time, caregivers will consult a health worker if the situation is serious.
Inadequate antenatal care was also spotted of one of the main health issue. Most of the pregnant mothers will consult a traditional birth attendant to verify the position of the foetus, but consultation of a midwife is rare.

This can explained poor nutrient supplementation among an important proportion of pregnant mother. The NCA demonstrated that caregivers and health workers have a good knowledge of deworming toward children but found such medicine as dangerous for pregnant women. Several studies showed that lack of deworming of pregnant women could be related to low birth weight.
Unhealthy Environments
The unhealthy environment that the community lives in was evident.

Communities are aware that inadequate sanitation contributes to disease prevalence.

Most of them adopt a correct behaviour by trying to go further from their village for open defecation, and use soap to wash their hand.

Meanwhile, the health risks associated to the presence of children faeces in the surrounding is not well understood, as knowledge on hygienic environment remains weak.

Knowledge on water management and water safety were founded as insufficient with absence of proper water treatment.

Participants are assuming that water is safe for human consumption if it is clear. On the same time, communities are able to see the relation between unsafe water consumption and diarrhea and seem to adopt more appropriate behaviour during rainy season, such as boiling water as the water is often mixed with mud.

NCA findings showed that inadequate sanitation should be considered as one of the major contributor of child undernutrition.

Indeed open defecation and inadequate waste management are directly related to unhealthy environment.

Finally, lack of hygiene and inadequate animal waste management, in particular poultry, were considered as important causes of child undernutrition level.
Conclusion
Through literature and secondary data review, qualitative enquiries, along with the validation of a wide range of experts, the following risk factors have been identified major and important causes of undernutrition in Aroroy, Cawayan, Milagros, Monreal, Masbate Province - Region V:

Major
o Inappropriate breastfeeding practices o Inappropriate complementary feeding practices
o Inadequate hygiene practices
o Open defecation
o Poor or inadequate sanitation
o Poor liquid/solid wastes management
o Inadequate/poor access to safe water
o Low income due to instability of income sources and/or lack of income generating activities
o Low personal agricultural production and fishing
o Limited access to food
o Poor diet diversity Important

Important o Poor psychosocial care
o Early Pregnancies
o Short birth spacing
o PLW micronutrients deficiencies
o LBW and IUGR
o Inadequate healthcare behaviour
o Inadequate management of animal waste o Inadequate family resource management

Due to a lack of information, especially quantitative data necessary to address the "weight" of the following hypothesis, the technical experts and the NCA analyst were not able to reach a consensus on:
o PLW acute malnutrition
Recommendations
Recommendations associated to risk factors classified as "major"
Food, security and livelihood
- Improvement of access to irrigation system
- Better access to veterinary services (treatments, drugs)
- Improvement on post disaster cropping provision
- Capacity building on provision of IGA, among vulnerable households
- Improvement on awareness about illegal fishing impact as a part of total costal resource management program (CRM)
- Capacitate community to access external market
- Increase access resources to strengthen existing copping mechanism
- Promotion of disaster resilient cultural practices
- Encourage locally produced food consumption

Nutrition and care practices
- Implementation of Positive Deviance (PD) strategies to better support PLW on adequate child and maternal care practices
- Reinforcement of awareness program on IYCF
- In addition to the last recommendation, capacity building toward community health workers on behavioural change and adequate promotion of IYCF
- Promote alternative breastfeeding method when absence of mother as primary caregiver

WASH
- Implementation of dry latrines in public places and households
- Improvement of knowledge toward construction of latrines with indigenous materials
- Promote awareness on hand washing, specifically before breastfeeding and strengthen hand washing behaviour
- Promote household water treatment (through chlorination, boiling, SODIS) and proper water storage
- Promote importance of improved water sources
- Provision of emergency water supplies during occurrence of hazards and increase access to safe water supplies during Kwarisma and rainy seasons
- Improve garbage collection system and implementation of liquid and solid waste safe disposal
- Promote awareness on risk related to improper liquid waste disposal

Recommendations associated to risk factors classified as "important"Food, security and livelihood
- Awareness rising on saving habits and household budgeting

Health
- Promote adequate reproductive health practices toward family approach. Awareness on danger and disadvantage related to early child bearing and short birth spacing
- Strengthen access to ANC in order to improve health condition and nutritional status of the mothers and the foetus
- Strengthen health system:
- improve access to health structure
- improve availability of care workers (doctors, midwives, nurses) in RHUs
- advocate for assignment of a permanent health provider in remote area
- advocate for an increase of budget allocation
- Promote appropriate usage and handling of herbal medicine in partnership with traditional practitioners

Nutrition and care practices
- Awareness through FGD and campaign on appropriate maternal nutrition to reduce lowbirth weight
- Promote dietary diversification and improve nutrition knowledge and behavioural change at community level with a specific target on pregnant mother, children under 5 and their caregivers
- Improve micronutrient supplementation of women in age of reproductive health by increasing supplies and compliance
- Capacity building of health workers toward importance of deworming of PLW and increase awareness of the community on importance of deworming
- Strengthen deworming program to insure proper follow-up and monitoring on worm infections
- Improve the relationship TBA/traditional practitioners with registered midwives to improve referral system and ANC.
- Integrate TBA and traditional health worker in health system to improve ANC by making them barangay health workers

WASH
- Promote awareness on risk related to free range chickens and support on implementation of safe animal waste disposal

ACF recommendations on additional survey needs
- Implement a comparative NCA of the causality of undernutrition in barangay islands in order to design evidenced based programs in WASH and nutrition
- Additional research and understanding on maternal wellbeing. Qualitative findings do not reflect an alarming situation what can be due to resigned or copping behaviour. Living conditions may have a strong impact on maternal wellbeing that can impact care practices

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Nutrition Causal Analysis: Municipalities of Aroroy, Cawayan, Milagros and Monreal, Masbate Province, Region V, Philippines, Final Report (September 2014 - January 2015) - Philippines

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Acción Contra El Hambre/Action Against Hunger (ACF) has been working in the Philippines since 2000. Being present in Masbate, Region V, since 2014, ACF intervention focuses in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Nutrition (nutrition screening and IYCF capacity building) The province of Masbate belongs to Region V (Bicol) and is known to be one of the neediest provinces of the Philippines with a poverty incidence of 42.5% (NSCB 2009) and 44.2% (NSCB 2012) respectively.

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Child stunting cases down in Bicol’s 6 provinces

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Child stunting cases down in Bicol’s 6 provinces

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LEGAZPI CITY - Cases of child stunting in all the provinces of the Bicol region have significantly decreased amid the prevailing coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, the National Nutrition Council (NNC) here reported on Monday.

Arlene Reario, the NNC-Bicol regional coordinator, explained that this is an offshoot of previous interventions implemented by concerned government agencies, particularly local governments, in the past years.

"It does not mean that because the decrease takes place or recorded in 2020 because of the nutrition interventions this year. It could be due to the previous programs too but only paid off this year," Reario told the Philippine News Agency.

Data from NNC-Bicol show that Albay posted the lowest percentage of child stunting with 14 percent in 2019 and 12 percent in 2020, or with a 2 percent drop; followed by Camarines Norte with 15.8 percent in 2019 and 14.9 percent in 2020, or with 0.9 percent drop; Sorsogon with 17.1 percent in 2019 and 15.7 percent in 2020, or a drop of 1.4 percent; and Masbate with 21.2 percent in 2019 and 18.6 percent, with a significant decrease of 2.6 percent.

Catanduanes posted 22.5 percent in 2019 and 19.2 percent in 2020, with 3.3 percent, the biggest drop in all provinces; and Camarines Sur with 23.5 percent in 2019 and 21.3 percent this year, or a notable 2.2 percent decrease in child stunting in Bicol's biggest and most populous province.

Overall, Bicol has posted an over 2 percent average drop in child stunting cases, or from 19.0617 percent in 2019 to 16.95 percent this year.

Reario said that one of the factors that could have significantly contributed to the decrease in child stunting cases is breastfeeding as preferred by most mothers over bottle feeding.

"We are glad at NNC to note that Bicol posts a high percentage in breastfeeding," she said.

She explained that the most effective way to prevent stunting is to breastfeed the child during his/her first 2,000 days from birth.

"This is because the milk of the mother contains the needed nutrients that a child needs to have a complete body development," Reario said.

She added that supplemental interventions as the child grows including supplemental feeding, giving nutritious food, and good hygiene could help prevent stunting. (PNA)

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Child stunting cases down in Bicol's 6 provinces

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LEGAZPI CITY - Cases of child stunting in all the provinces of the Bicol region have significantly decreased amid the prevailing coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, the National Nutrition Council (NNC) here reported on Monday. Arlene Reario, the NNC-Bicol regional coordinator, explained that this is an offshoot of previous interventions implemented by concerned government agencies, particularly local governments, in the past years.

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Tan Red Contemporary & Classy Outdoor Graduation Banner (5)

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Tan Red Contemporary & Classy Outdoor Graduation Banner (4)

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Therefore, if we still believe and will stand firm with the saying, "The children is the people of the future", we should take care of them. They are our assets, technically. And the life of each one of them matters not only to the country, but most importantly, to their parents.

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According to the World Health Organization (WHO), childhood stunting is “one of the most significant impediments to human development, globally affecting approximately 162 million children under the age of 5 years. It is largely an irreversible outcome of inadequate nutrition and repeated bouts of infection during the first 1000 days of a child’s life.”  Children who are stunted do less well at school and earn lower wages as adults.

In the Philippines, a third of children are stunted. the Philippines ranks fifth among countries in the East Asia and Pacific Region with the highest stunting prevalence and one of 10 countries with the highest number of stunted children in the world. In the last 15 years, little progress has been made to reduce stunting in the country despite good economic growth and increased health budgets.

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2 provinces in Bicol region have high malnutrition rate

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2 provinces in Bicol region have high malnutrition rate

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LEGAZPI CITY: The National Nutrition Council (NNC) reported that among the six provinces in the Bicol region, Catandaunes and Camarines Sur have the highest number of undernourished children.

"Catanduanes is the topnotcher this year with high incidence of malnutrition cases followed by Camarines Sur," Marilyn Valeza, nutrition officer of the National Nutrition Council (NNC) in Bicol told The Manila Times.

She added that more than a decade Camarines Sur had a high prevalence of malnourished children beginning from pre-school to elementary level.

Valeza said the province of Camarines Sur had a lesser number of undernourished children this year because many villages lacked barangay health workers so they were not able to conduct operation timbang.

Among the seven cities of Bicol, Masbate City had the highest prevalence of malnourished preschool children with 2,278 cases or 13.67 percent out of 16,666 total weighed.

The poor nutritional status in Bicol, according to the NNC official, is directly linked to high incidence of poverty which is still a primary concern that has to be addressed by local government units.

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2 provinces in Bicol region have high malnutrition rate

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LEGAZPI CITY: The National Nutrition Council (NNC) reported that among the six provinces in the Bicol region, Catandaunes and Camarines Sur have the highest number of undernourished children. "Catanduanes is the topnotcher this year with high incidence of malnutrition cases followed by Camarines Sur," Marilyn Valeza, nutrition officer of the National Nutrition Council (NNC) in Bicol told The Manila Times.

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Among the seven cities of Bicol, Masbate City had the highest prevalence of malnourished preschool children with 2,278 cases or 13.67 percent out of 16,666 total weighed. The poor nutritional status in Bicol, according to the NNC official, is directly linked to high incidence of poverty which is still a primary concern that has to be addressed by local government units.

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The province of Masbate belongs to Region V (Bicol) and is known to be one of the neediest provinces of the Philippines with a poverty incidence of 42.5% (NSCB 2009) and 44.2% (NSCB 2012) respectively.

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Increasing awareness on household rainwater tanks as supplementary water supply for island municipality in the Philippines

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Increasing awareness on household rainwater tanks as supplementary water supply for island municipality in the Philippines

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It is worth noting though that while increase in household rainwater tanks are occurring in most countries, there is a slow adaptation of this practice in developing countries especially in tropical regions where there are abundant of rainfall to be harvested during the rainy season and there is a need for additional supply of water during the dry season. This includes countries like the Philippines and Indonesia. One of the barriers in the adaptation of the rainwater tanks can be due to most people in these developing countries believed that rainwater tanks are expensive and unaffordable. With two seasons in a year, many believed that it would be uneconomical to install household rainwater tanks as  it would be empty during the dry season. It was also reported that in Indonesia rainwater is considered to be of lower quality.

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A barangay in Masbate still cries for clean water, toilet 

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A barangay in Masbate still cries for clean water, toilet 

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BIYAHENG TOTOO: A barangay in Masbate still cries for clean water, toilet

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Kinamaligan residents, who are among the 8.4 million Filipinos yearning for clean water and the 7.5 million waiting for better access to a clean toilet, may have to wait a while longer—probably until after the last State of the Nation Address of President Benigno Aquino III.  

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As technology continue to emerge, water systems also continue to become enhanced. Certain processes are recommended to ensure the safety and cleanliness of the water being offered to residents. Although having an improved water system has an advantage and disadvantage as well, particularly:

Improved water system will provide safe and clean water to people. With this, people will be assured that they have a source of water and it is consumable as well.

Improved water system costs more, making the management to increase its price offering. And with that, it will limit the people who will have access to clean water.

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Countdown to Zero Open Defecation in Masbate

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Countdown to Zero Open Defecation in Masbate

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© Rosa May Maitem/ACF

With report from the provincial information of Masbate
MASBATE CITY--The provincial government and its partner agencies have set their sights on helping all barangays achieve zero open defecation by holding the First Provincial Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Summit last June 16, 2015 at Café Cristina. "This goal of zero open defecation can be achieved if we put all our efforts together through ordinances, project implementation, performance monitoring and aggressive goal setting," acting Vice Governor Kaye Revil, who represented acting Governor Vince Revil said.

Revil said the summit on WASH project is acting governor's brainchild because he recognizes the rights of children and their families to clean drinking water and improved sanitation facilities.

With the theme, "Masbate : Countdown to Zero", the summit aims to challenge an urgent, time bound action to promote the goals of eliminating the practice of open defecation in rural communities and reducing the prevalence of water-borne diseases.

Together with development partners like United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Bank, the local government of Masbate is putting its homegrown resources to full use by implementing a holistic approach to WASH. UNICEF implementing partners ACF International and the Center for Health Solutions and Innovations Philippines, Inc. have been providing technical assistance to Masbate in the municipalities of Aroroy, Cawayan, Milagros and Monreal since June 2014.

"We call upon each other to actively campaign with us. Together with development, we are putting our homegrown resources to full use by implementing a holistic approach," Revil added.

Participants to the summit included local chief executives, municipal health officers, sanitary engineers and sanitation inspectors from all municipalities of Masbate. Milagros Mayor Natividad Magbalon and Vice Mayor Manuel Valera of Aroroy and the representatives of two other pilot municipalities, Monreal and Cawayan were present to share their best practices. Barangays Guinluthangan and Poblacion East in Milagros, Taberna in Cawayan, Cantorna in Monreal, Matalang-talang, Talib, Malubi and Cabangcalan in Aroroy have successfully achieved the grade one level which means all the households in these have their own toilets.

To encourage more LGUs, Revil announced that incentives will be given to the first barangay in other municipalities that can achieve zero open defecation.

"For ACF, it is hard to think of a more powerful reason to increase our efforts than the harsh reality that nearly a million children or 7.3 % of the Philippines population will not live to see their fifth birthday. Safe water is critical for a good nutritional standing. Today, water-related diseases are the second major reason of infant death in the world. Globally, 52 million children under five are acutely malnourished, or wasted; 19 million are severely malnourished-this is the worst type of hunger. If not properly managed, children with severe acute malnutrition are 9.4 times more likely to die compared to normal children," Faramarz Hashtarkhani, operations director for ACF, emphasized in his message.

"Open defecation is not a hopeless condition; many stories exist proving that it can be tackled successfully. We have the knowledge, skills, resources and experience to bring an end to open defecation. But it needs political will, inspiring leadership and continued commitment to go beyond words and our good objectives, and to deliver brighter future for Masbatenos," Hashtarkhani said.

ACF has been implementing the project Scaling up Sustainable and Resilience Basic Sanitation, Safe Water and Improved Hygiene Behavior with funds from the UNICEF. The project aims to deliver clean water and improve practice on WASH to households, schools and day care centers in Cawayan, Milgaros, Aroroy and Monreal. The project employs the Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS), a participatory strategy that facilitates the community's desire to stop open defecation.

A total of 10 barangays in Masbate have been declared zero open defecation (ZOD) or open defecation free (ODF). A barangay is declared ZOD when no one in the community defecates in the open anymore. Families have learned to use a toilet for defecation and wash their hands after toilet use. "Our experience in Masbate have shown that active involvement of communities contributed to achieving a clean, healthy, dignified and child-friendly environment," said Eleanor Pena, head of office in ACF Masbate.

"It made every people in the barangay and municipality proud. We are now safe from diarrhea and other life-threatening diseases. This is only the beginning and I commit to maintain and improve what our partners and our community have accomplished so far, says Maritess Agaon, 48, the barangay chief of Malubi, Aroroy, recently declared as zero open defecation. Before having a toilet, Agaon recalled how her neighbors practiced open defecation at night or during rainy season or walk in distances for bush cover which posed risks to the health and safety of the family. "The toilet installed to nearly 350 households allowed for more peace of mind in our day to day life," she shared.

A UNICEF study revealed that one out of two people in Masbate defecate in the open. Open defecation has various effect to a family and individuals health, finances, education and protection. In ZOD-declared barangays there are fewer cases of diarrhea among children. The use of toilets have resulted in comfort, security, and protection particularly for women and children as well as dignity for the whole community.

ACF International, with funds from the UNICEF, is carrying out the Philippine Approach to Total Sanitation (PHaTS) program in the three vulnerable municipalities including schools in Masbate. The PHATS initiative promotes universal access to improved sanitation and hygiene behavior. It foresees an end to the practice of open defecation by facilitating change in behavior and build resiliency. #

About ACF

ACF international | Action Against Hunger is a global humanitarian organization committed to ending world hunger and malnutrition. ACF responds to help vulnerable populations around the world through programs that empower communities to overcome the barriers standing in their way.

In the Philippines, ACF tackles the root causes of hunger, prevents outbreaks of life-threatening acute malnutrition, and helps the most vulnerable communities regain self- sufficiency through integrated programs in health and nutrition, care practices and psychosocial and care practices, food security and livelihoods; water, sanitation and hygiene; disaster risk management; good governance and advocacy while incorporating crosscutting issues such as gender, care for the environment, climate change adaptation and cultural sensitivity.

Our programs save lives and provide communities with long-term solutions to hunger and its underlying causes. We work in more than 45 countries and reach approximately eight million people annually.

To learn more about our work in the Philippines, check us out on Facebook and Twitter accounts.

To arrange for interview, please contact:

Rosa May de Guzman Maitem
Communications Manager

ACF International - Philippine Mission
Email: rmaitem@ph.acfspain.org
Cellular: + 63-999-673-9099

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Countdown to Zero Open Defecation in Masbate - Philippines

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With report from the provincial information of Masbate MASBATE CITY--The provincial government and its partner agencies have set their sights on helping all barangays achieve zero open defecation by holding the First Provincial Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Summit last June 16, 2015 at Café Cristina.

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Although being surrounded by water, it is evident that the province still suffers from problems with clean water and sanitation. And this does not just appear now, it has been one of big issues in Masbate ever since. Supply for water consumption is rare and if there is, it is not enough. The residents living in rural communities or particularly, in the mountains, have to go down to fetch water. All residents even have to bear with a dirty water just to wash their dishes and take a bath. Only fortunate people who can afford their own water filter or purifier are lucky enough to have adequate supply of water.

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It is part of the basic needs of humans that they will be provided with clean water. It is for survival. That is why an issue like this should be addressed promptly and be treated as very important. The struggles of people in Masbate should be prolonged just because they don't have a choice. We are not just talking about the survival of one family in Masbate only, but a lot of lives depend on this.

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Sanitation Learning Tour successfully pulled off in Masbate

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Sanitation Learning Tour successfully pulled off in Masbate

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As part of the implementation of the integrated safe water, sanitation and hygiene, the UNICEF, together with its local partner Action Against Hunger, has facilitated the Sanitation Learning Tour last February 8-9, 2017 in the Province of Masbate.

This Sanitation Learning Tour aims for the partner local government units in Camarines Norte (Basud and Capalonga) to learn from the experiences of the partner LGU in Masbate in terms of sanitation programming within an integrated water, sanitation and hygiene (iWaSH) approach.

"Basud and Capalonga are here because they are also part of PROWATER Joint Programme. Masbate is also included in the pilot sites of PROWATER. We also went to Cotabato to learn from them but now we are glad that municipalities are already coming to learn from us. We hope that the Province of Masbate could also give insights we learned from other provinces and municipalities, through the leadership of the Provincial Government of Masbate," said Eleanor Peña, Action Against Hunger Head of Base in Masbate.

Eleanor Pena of Action Against Hunger

"It's very heartwarming, enlightening, and inspiring at the same time that this time around, the people from other provinces are coming from us. I think that sounds an achievement for the Province of Masbate, but also for the DILG, the Action Against Hunger and all the other NGOs working hand in hand with the Provincial Government. We always need the support and the partnership among the different stakeholders," according to Vice Governor Kaye Revil.

Vice Governor Kaye Revil

On the first day of the Learning Tour, the participants have made courtesy call visits with the provincial and municipal governments. On site presentations have been carried out focusing about the Community-Led Total Sanitation and the Municipal Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Task Force of Aroroy, Masbate.

Bgy. Captain Marites Agao of Bgy. Malubi, Aroroy, Masbate has shared their experiences on how their barangay attained the G0 to G2 sanitation level through bayanihan with the community and school and their reward and monitoring system. A makeshift toilet has also been constructed on site to prove that building a sanitation facility does not cost much. To conclude the day, the participants have been to a site visit on one of the WASH initiatives in Barangay Malubi.

Bgy Captain Marites Agao of Bgy Malubi showing the barangay spot map reflecting the houses with and without sanitation facilities

On the second day, presentations on the SDGF Joint Programme on PROWATER and the iWaSH Framework, the Provincial WASH Task Force of Masbate, the Municipal WASH of Milagros, Cawayan, Monreal and Aroroy, the WASH in Schools and the WASH in Daycare Centers filled the day of the participants. The day has been wrapped up by a workshop in formulating the sanitation plans for Basud and Capalonga municipalities in line with the iWaSH approach.

The Joint Programme on PRO WATER is supported by the Government of Spain through the Sustainable Development Goals Fund and is jointly implemented in the Philippines by DILG, DOH, World Health Organization, UNICEF and United Nations Development Programme.

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Sanitation Learning Tour successfully pulled off in Masbate - iWaSH

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As part of the implementation of the integrated safe water, sanitation and hygiene, the UNICEF, together with its local partner Action Against Hunger, has facilitated the Sanitation Learning Tour last February 8-9, 2017 in the Province of Masbate. This Sanitation Learning Tour aims for the partner l…

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6 Masbate LGUs to receive P10M-worth each of water system project

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6 Masbate LGUs to receive P10M-worth each of water system project

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The municipalities of Cataingan, Cawayan, Mandaon, Milagros, Placer and Uson of the province of Masbate were among the 115 local government units nationwide identified by the National Anti-poverty Commission (NAPC) based on the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction to receive a P10M-worth each of water system project. The project is the flagship program of the Aquino administration and is anchored on Millennium Development Goal No. 7 to half the population without access to safe and potable water and is included in the Philippine Water Sector Roadmap. Specifically, the LGU beneficiaries were identified and ranked based on thematic concerns such as that of being the poorest LGU, high incidence of waterless and poverty incidence.

The project has two components: Water Supply Projects and Capacity Development to include monitoring, coaching of WATSAN teams in planning and implementation of water programs.

As an initial activity for the implementation of the project, the Municipal Planning and Development Coordinator (MPDC), Municipal Engineer, In-Charge of Water Supply System/Sanitary Inspector and the respective MLGOO of the six municipalities attended the orientation and training on the preparation of simplified feasibility study for water supply systems held at the Puerto Vista Resort, Sto. Domingo, Albay from June 15-17, 2011 conducted by the NAPC, DOH, and DILG. Mayor Christine Hao of Mandaon, Mayor Wilton Kho of Cataingan and Mayor Felipe Sanchez of Uson were present in the opening ceremony.

During the opening ceremony, DILG Masbate Provincial Director Renato Alaurin stressed that the challenge to national and local leaders is for the Masbateño to be provided with good water system in order to minimize water-borne diseases and address the other MDGs. He encouraged the LGUs to comply with the Full Disclosure Policy vis a vis the grant of the Sagana and Ligtas na Tubig Para sa Lahat Project.

On the other hand, Engr. Wally Sabater of the Department of Health said that the training is timely because the instruction of DOH Sec. Enrique T. Ona that by September this year the implementation of the project must be started. He said that the main requirement to avail of the grant is the preparation of the Feasibility Study which must be submitted, evaluated/reviewed and approved by the DOH V, followed by the MOA signing before the release of project funds. Engr. Sabater said that funds are now with the DOH V although it is a continuing appropriation that can be used up to 2012. He said that the six LGUs of Masbate are lucky having been identified by the NAPC as priority beneficiaries being waterless LGUs. Masbate is considered as one of the top 10 poorest provinces in the country and if waterlessness is not addressed, development will not happen. He encouraged the LGUs to grab the opportunity and make the most out of the project in order to enhance the development of the LGUs. Engr. Sabater said that only those LGUs who have complied with the mandatory requirements of the project namely Feasibility Study, Approved MOA Resolution Authorizing the LCE to enter into a MOA with DOH V and compliance to the Full Disclosure Policy of the DILG can avail of the grant.

During the activity, the participants were guided on how to prepare a simplified feasibility study for the project using the FS template and in the preparation of the Feasibility Study, Engr. Sabater advised the participants that they can incorporate other activities such as sanitation program implementation to make the project sustainable; information-education-communication (IEC) to include barangay orientation on sanitation and hygiene; establishment of monitoring system for the sustainable management and operation of water system and establishment of reporting and monitoring system.

Engr. Ramon de la Torre, one of the resource persons facilitated the hands- on training of the participants on the use of EPANET 2.0 software that can help LGUs in running hydraulics and simulation of water distribution system. Other subject matters discussed during the training which are necessary in the implementation of the project include seal of good housekeeping, components of water supply system, securing water permit, water reservoirs, transmission and distribution and water analysis.

After the training, the participants submitted their accomplished Feasibility Study template, printout of EPANET exercises and time action plan for the duration of project implementation. The Feasibility Study submitted by the LGUs will still be subjected for refinement and finalization.

Meanwhile, the four LGU-beneficiaries of the MDGF 1919 project namely Garchitorena and Siruma in Camarines Sur and Basud and Capalonga in Camarines Norte attended the same training held in Manila in May this year. The localized training on FS preparation and Water Supply Projects for the six LGUs of Masbate was facilitated by the DILG V-PDMU headed by Engr. Renato C. Bolon and staff with assistance from the DILG WUSSU-OPDS.

The Sagana and Ligtas na Tubig para sa Lahat Program is a flagship program of the Office of the President and a multi-agency program implemented by the DILG, DOH and NAPC. - ( AO IV Ma. Grace Joy Tango)

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6 Masbate LGUs to receive P10M-worth each of water system project

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The municipalities of Cataingan, Cawayan, Mandaon, Milagros, Placer and Uson of the province of Masbate were among the 115 local government units nationwide identified by the National Anti-poverty Commission (NAPC) based on the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction to receive a P10M-worth each of water system project.

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The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked global goals designed to be a "blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all". The SDGs were set up in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly and are intended to be achieved by the year 2030. They are included in a UN Resolution called the 2030 Agenda or what is colloquially known as Agenda 2030.The SDGs were developed in the Post-2015 Development Agenda as the future global development framework to succeed the Millennium Development Goals which ended in 2015.

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Palawan? No. It's Halea Nature Park of Ticao Island.

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Palawan? No. It's Halea Nature Park of Ticao Island.

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Boracay? No. It's Palani White Beach of Balud, Masbate.

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Boracay? No. It's Palani White Beach of Balud, Masbate.

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Maldives? No. It's Buntod Sandbar and Reef Marine Sanctuary of Masbate City.

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Maldives? No. It's Buntod Sandbar and Reef Marine Sanctuary of Masbate City.

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The Masbateño language, also known as Minásbate, is a mixture of Visayan, Bicolano, and Tagalog. It is estimated to have more than 700,000 speakers and is used primarily at home by about 60% of Masbate residents, followed by Cebuano, Hiligaynon, and Bicolano. Masbateños speak various other languages depending on where they live. eople on the north side of the island speak Masbateño, while those on the south side speak Cebuano similar to the languages spoken in Cebu.

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https://www.philatlas.com/luzon/r05/masbate.html#sectionDemog

https://www.islandsproperties.com/places/masbate.htm

https://islandsphilippines.com/bicol/masbate/economy.php

http://www.ethnicgroupsphilippines.com/2019/05/02/the-hidden-beauty-of-masbate-and-its-people/

https://touristspotsfinder.com/masbate-tourist-spots/

https://www.rappler.com/nation/rodeo-masbate-unifies-politicians

https://iwash.gov.ph/sanitation-learning-tour-successfully-pulled-off-in-masbate/

https://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/countdown-zero-open-defecation-masbate

http://region5.dilg.gov.ph/6-masbate-lgus-to-receive-p10m-worth-each-of-water-system-project/

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/specialreports/526618/biyaheng-totoo-a-barangay-in-masbate-still-cries-for-clean-water-toilet/story/

https://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/nutrition-causal-analysis-municipalities-aroroy-cawayan-milagros-and-monreal-0

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1123983

https://blog.richardvanhooijdonk.com/en/technology-helps-countries-win-the-battle-against-hunger/

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On September 2, 2002, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared Masbate as the "Rodeo Capital of the Philippines."

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For more than two decades now, Masbate,  the Philippines' cattle capital, has showcased the way of life of  local cowboys and cowgirls through the rodeo event.

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The computed Age Dependency Ratios mean that among the population of Masbate, there are 74 youth dependents to every 100 of the working age population; there are 9 aged/senior citizens to every 100 of the working population; and overall, there are 83 dependents (young and old-age) to every 100 of the working population.

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About 91% of the population are members of the Catholic Church (Statistics by Diocese Hierarchy, 2014). Devotional practices such as the rosary, novenas to saints, and other religious manifestations as processions, the Misa de Gallo and Holy Week traditional activities are still very much part of the way of life of most parishioners. The Diocese of Masbate was created on March 23, 1968, separating it from the Diocese of Sorsogon. It comprises then, and now, the civil province of Masbate with its 121 islands including the two larger ones Burias and Ticao. It is now a suffrage of the Archdiocese of Caceres. Its titular patron is St. Anthony of Padua.

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AGRICULTURE
The economy of Masbate is predominantly agriculture. Recent statistics shows that agriculture and fishery sectors continued to be the primary sources of income and employment of the people. The agricultural land comprises 93% of the total land area of the province. Perennial trees and vines occupy 132,597 has. cultivated annual crops 53,191 has., irrigated rice 4,943 has. and pasture area 187,472 has. Among the agricultural crops, the coconut served as the primary source of livelihood and income of the people. Copra production is estimated to be 60,000 MT per year amounting to P540 M. The potential of the livestock production of the province lies in the cattle industry. Masbate has a vast tract of land ideal for livestock production. Latest survey shows that the province has a total cattle production of about 65,000 heads. Aside from crops and livestock, the fishery sector also provides a substantial contribution local economy. Average annual assorted fishery products is estimated to be 303,826.80 MT.

MINING, QUARRYING AND EXTRACTING
Masbate is considered as one of the richest mineral area in the country. Gold, copper, silver, iron, manganese, limestone and chromite deposits abound in most parts of the province. The largest mining establishments operating (would- be operating) are Base Metal, Inc. (Gold) in Aroroy and Ticao Island Cement Corporation in Monreal.

TRADE
Trading is the dominant economic activity in most part of the province. Copra, cattle, and aquamarine products are regularly shipped-out to Metro Manila, Cebu, Batangas, Lucena and neighboring islands. Selected commodities such as shrimps, prawns, mud crabs, scallops, and mollusks are exported abroad.

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Combining age groups together, those aged 14 and below, consisting of the young dependent population which include infants/babies, children and young adolescents/teenagers, make up an aggregate of 40.52% (361,620). Those aged 15 up to 64, roughly, the economically active population and actual or potential members of the work force, constitute a total of 54.65% (487,650). Finally, old dependent population consisting of the senior citizens, those aged 65 and over, total 4.83% (43,123) in all.

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The people of Masbate were formerly called "Visaya" but when the province was transferred to Bicol region during the regime of President Ferdinand Marcos, they were called "Bicolanos" or "Masbateños". Many of its people are immigrants from several provinces such as Romblon and Panay Island provinces. The people of Masbate are known as best in agriculture, history, politics and geography means.

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Its population as determined by the 2020 Census was 908,920. This represented 14.94% of the total population of the Bicol Region, 1.46% of the overall population of the Luzon island group, or 0.83% of the entire population of the Philippines. Based on these figures, the population density is computed at 220 inhabitants per square kilometer or 569 inhabitants per square mile.

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The Masbateño people refers to the people who lived in the Masbate province of the Philippines, which is part of the Bicol Region. They are part of the wider Visayan ethnolinguistic group, who constitute the largest Filipino ethnolinguistic group.

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During the pre-Spanish period, the province was part of the province of Sorsogon. The province was administrated by the Diocese of Sorsogon.

During the year 1917, Masbate became independent of its mother province, Sorsogon. Pio V. Corpuz became its first governor after the American times. The municipality of Pio V. Corpuz is named in his honor.

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Physically, Masbate lies exactly in the center of the Philippine archipelago north of the Visayas region. The main island looks like an arrowhead with its tip pointing north. Its southern portion encloses the Asid Gulf, while the Jintotolo Channel separates it from Panay Island. The Masbate Pass separates the two islands of Burias and Ticao from the main island of Masbate.

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Masbate is a province in the Philippines situated in the Bicol Region occupying the southeastern peninsula of Luzon. It has has a land area of 4,138.56 square kilometers or 1,597.91 square miles.

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