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Disasters and inequality could stop the Philippines hitting child mortality MDG target – Save the Children

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MANILA, Philippines – Today marks 500 days until the Millennium Development Goals reach their conclusion and the Philippines looks set to miss the target for reducing preventable child deaths.

The 2015 MDG 4 target for Philippines is 20 deaths per 1,000 live births. Whilst there has been some improvement from the 60 deaths per 1000 in 1990, there has been little progress in cutting down neonatal mortality (deaths in the first month of life), which makes up almost half of all under-5 deaths. Save the Children’s global study on newborn deaths. released earlier this year reveals that Philippines is one of the top 10 countries in the world with the greatest gap in equality for newborn deaths between poorest and wealthiest, and between rural and urban households. Babies born to the poorest and hardest to reach groups are most at risk of dying within few days after birth.

Extreme natural disasters are also likely to contribute to deaths among newborn babies due to collapse of health systems and unhygienic conditions in the aftermath of an emergency.

With 500 days left to meet the targets for UN MDG 4, Save the Children is urging the Philippine government to address inequality in newborn deaths and its underlying causes, particularly lack of skilled health personnel in the rural areas to provide quality health services and guide new mothers on breastfeeding. Studies have shown that early breastfeeding may reduce almost a quarter of newborn deaths, and may help cut down at least 75 per cent of deaths from diarrhea and pneumonia. The 2013 National Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) review indicates that out of the 1798 hospitals with maternity services, only 24% percent have been certified as complying with the Mother Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (MBFHI), a global effort launched to implement practices that protect, promote and support breastfeeding.
According to Dr. Amado Parawan, Health and Nutrition Advisor of Save the Children,

“Life is at its most fragile in the first few days after birth. Newborns require healthcare, and life-saving interventions before during and after emergencies.”
Dr. Parawan added, “It is not impossible to reach the MDG target on child deaths but the country needs to urgently invest in lifesaving neonatal interventions and prepare the health system to provide care during disasters.” Earlier this year Save the Children committed ?10m to mitigate newborn deaths in emergencies by providing clean birth kits in storm-proof boxes (the BEACON box) to be used to deliver babies in the case of an emergency.
Save the Children is calling on the government, civil society, local government units (LGUs) , funding agencies and the private sector to commit to the following to improve newborn and child survival:
* Fast-track the Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) guidelines and Policy on Integrated Management of Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) and Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), for both development and humanitarian settings.
* Increase LGU investments for health to trainings, improvement of health facilities and increase the number of health work frontliners and human resources directly involved in the implementation and monitoring of policies related to newborn and child survival.
* Include the coverage for premature births in the national health insurance program.
* Enforce the Mother and Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative (MBFHI) in all hospitals with maternity services. (PR)

Red Cross constructed over 300 houses for Yolanda survivors in Leyte

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TACLOBAN CITY- The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) has so far constructed more than 300 core shelters in various parts of Leyte, among the worst hit areas when supertyphoon Yolanda struck more than nine months ago.

Since the PRC started its core shelter projects in Leyte three months ago, 311 houses were completed in the towns of Tabon-Tabon, Barugo, Tolosa, Julita and Dulag, Clemente Japones, Jr., shelter officer of the PRC Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda Operation, said. In Tabon-Tabon, the pilot area of the core shelter project, out of the planned 774 units, 228 have been completed; 47 in Dulag; 26 in Tolosa and five each for Julita and Barugo.

The PRC is still finalizing targets for housing projects, which will run for three years, in the province since assessment is still ongoing, but official earlier reported that 40,000 homes will be built and 50,000 units will be repaired along Yolanda’s path. “There is no definite date of construction for other municipalities but the process is ongoing and we make sure that there’s strong coordination between local officials and PRC to address concerns”, Japones said. “Not all barangays in the province will be covered by our program. We just look for municipality that will be our target. It depends on the donor and the budget” he added.

The project is being funded through combined donations from other Red Cross societies such as American Red Cross, German Red Cross, Australian Red Cross, Japanese Red Cross, and Spanish Red Cross. The PRC official assured that the shelters provided which are good for 10 years are sustainable and can withstand from the storm.
“It has been scientifically tested in the past to ensure that it can withstand strong winds. We’re not the kind of organizations that is giving out something that is not sustainable,” Japones said. (ARCHIE FAYE V.BELCHES, LNU Intern)

Over 5,000 coconut farmers in EV benefit PCA seedling distribution

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GOVERNMENR CENTER, PALO, Leyte- The regional office of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) said that it has distributed more than 1.5 million coconut seedlings to over 5,000 farmers displaced during the onslaught of supertyphoon “Yolanda.” This was disclosed by Joel Pilapil, PCA regional director, who said that the coconut seedlings that their office distributed so far were part of their assistance to the farmers adversely affected by Yolanda.

“These replanting activities are being supported through the establishment of five nurseries containing 70,800 seed nuts,” Pilapil said. The PCA has reported that 33.90 million coconut trees in Eastern Visayas were affected by the storm last year. Of this number, 13.90 million were categorized as totally damaged; 9.04 million severely damaged; 5.69 million slightly damaged and 5.28 million moderately damaged. The regional loss to the industry was placed at P14.23 billion affecting more than 1.160 million coconut farmers.

Pilapil said that since they started their replanting activity, about 1.5 million seedlings were distributed so far benefitting 5,584 farmers. The replanting activity will run for five years aim to replace coconut trees that were either sheared or uprooted by last year’s super typhoon. New seedlings will replace 15.04 million trees totally damaged by the storm with a funding of P16 million.

“It will take one year for slightly and moderately damaged trees to regenerate. Severely damaged trees will not bear fruit for two to three years,” Pilapil said. Eastern Visayas is considered to be the country’s second top coconut producing region with 46.9 million bearing trees. About 72% were destroyed by the massive disaster that hit the region more than nine months ago. (SHERYMAE P. SESO, LNU Intern)

Mayor Aquino extends felicitations to new NwSSU president; assured his continued support to the university

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CALBAYOG CITY -Mayor Ronaldo P. Aquino was among the guests who expressed felicitations to Dr. Avelina Bergado in her investiture as the second president of the Northwest Samar State University (NwSSU), this city.

Along with University of the Eastern Philippines president Atty. Mar P. de Asis, acting regional director of the Commission on Higher Education Maura Consolacion Cristobal, Regional Director Imelda Laceras of the Department of Budget and Management and Samar Rep.Mel Senen Sarmiento(1st district), Mayor Aquino, in his greetings and message of congratulations, also wished Bergado all the success in her new position and expressed high hopes that she and the university will continue to be the city government’s partner in its effort to sustain economic gains and in achieving sustainable development. The city mayor also assured the newly-installed NwSSU president of his administration’s continuing support and cooperation to her and the university. The investiture ceremony was held last August 8 at the university’s RSU-Socio Cultural Center and graced Rep.Roman Romulo, chairperson of the committee on higher and technical educations of the House of Representatives.

Also in attendance during Dr. Bergado’s investiture were various universities and colleges presidents in the region; Samar Rep. Mel Senen Sarmiento; acting regional director of the Commission on Higher Education Maura Consolacion Cristobal and Regional Director Imelda Laceras of the Department of Budget and Management, among others.

Bergado is NwSSU’s second president after Republic Act No. 9719 was signed into law October 14, 2009, renaming the then Tiburcio Tancinco Memorial Institute of Science and Technology into Northwest Samar State University integrating therewith Samar State College of Agriculture and Forestry located in San Jorge, Samar.
Before becoming a university, NwSSU was once a vocational school, converted to Tiburcio Tancinco Memorial Institute of Science and Technology when Batas Pambansa 304 was passed into law November 14, 1982. (AIMEE CATALAN)

P38 million earmark for mangrove planting in Yolanda-hit areas in Eastern Visayas

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TACLOBAN CITY- The regional office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-8) has received P38 million from the national government for the massive replanting of mangrove trees damaged during the onslaught of supertyphoon Yolanda. The massive replanting of mangroves in areas hit by Yolanda in the region started last June and is to end on 2016 covering 30,000 hectares said Leonardo Sibbaluca, executive director of the DENR-8.

Since the replanting activity started, more than 700 hectares of mangroves have been planted and of this number, over 400 hectares were planted in Hernani up to Lawaan, Eastern Samar; 200 hectares in Marabut to Sta. Rita, Samar and more than 100 hectares were planted in San Juanico to Abuyog, Leyte. Sibbaluca also added on how the mangrove trees saved a number of people’s lives during the typhoon adding that these serves as natural barriers for storm surges. “That’s why we are eager to rehabilitate the mangroves that were destructed by the typhoon last year,” Sibbaluca stressed. (ELIZABETH G. HUGO, LNU Intern)

System to monitor malnutrition problem in areas hit by “Yolanda” now enforce by health authorities

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TACLOBAN CITY- The nutrition cluster of the Department of Health(DOH) here in the region has set up a new community-based tracking and monitoring system to check the implementation of infant and young child (IYFC), the most effective nutrition strategy to save children from malnutrition after a disaster.

The cluster, which is supported by DOH-attached agency National Nutrition Council and several non-government organizations, conducted follow-up visits to different provinces in the region to ensure that local health and nutrition workers and volunteers are provided with sufficient guidance and on- the- job inputs. The cluster, tasked to respond to the nutritional needs of Yolanda survivors, recently facilitated a discussion with more than 80 barangay nutrition scholars (BNS) and barangay health workers (BHWs) in selected towns. Community visits were also conducted where more than 10 mothers with children less than two years of age were interviewed and two group discussions to group of 8-10 mothers were conducted.

The IYCF covers a total of 27 municipalities in the region with 12 towns in Eastern Samar and 15 in Leyte province. In a recent IYCF survey, only 25 percent or 46,150 mothers and caregivers have been reached by counseling services of the 167,500 target. After the group discussions conducted, the nutrition cluster has initially found some major findings from monitoring visits. Among its finding was the absence of health system participation in the work of the barangay nutrition and health workers.
The team also found that the degree on the use of tools used varies according to areas and the inactive participation of midwives where observed. There is also an observed problem when it comes to information dissemination where there is a small coverage of the program. A child’s survival and lifelong development heavily depends on proper breastfeeding and supplemental feeding practices for the first 24 months of life. (JOLIEE MAE VERANA, LNU Intern)

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