(photo courtesy)
TACLOBAN CITY- The Manila Amity Lions Club together with Tacloban City Lions Club International District 301-B2 signed a memorandum of agreement last August 25 with the school administration of Sta. Elena Elementary School (SEES) with their Parents and Teacher Association for the Lions Club International Foundation (LCIF) of a feeding program for undernourished students of the said school in Barangay Sta. Elena, this city.
The LCIF Grant provided the P75,000 funding for this feeding program that will start this month and is to end by March of next year.
Based on the program, 26 students of the SEES, particularly from Kinder up to Grade 4 and identified among the severely malnourished children, are to be given nutritious meals consisting of hot chicken porridge with eggs.
Ruth Chua, past president of Manila Amity Lions Club, said that at the end of almost seven months program, these severely malnourished children will have an improved and better physical condition.
“We check the nutritional status of Sta. Elena Elementary School and we find out that there are 26 wasted and severely wasted students,” Chua said.
“After arranging the menu and cost of the program, I talked with the past president of Tacloban City Lions Club if the club is willing to work with me. And then I applied for a grant to Lions Club International telling them I want to help the 26 malnourished kids. Luckily, my request was approved,” Chua added.
After seven months, Chua said that they will check if there are weight gains among the kids; improve class performance and less absence in school because they are less sickly.
“That is a way to sell your program. You must have parameters to measure your success,” Chua said.
“I have a menu cycle and each meal must have a source of carbohydrates (rice or pasta/noodles), protein (fish/ chicken/ pork/ egg/ malunggay) and vitamins and minerals (vegetables/fruits), decent/ nutrition meals,” she added.
In connection to this, the Tacloban City Lions Club will conduct a visit twice a month during feeding session wherein a picture documentation of feedings will be submitted to Manila Amity Lions Club.
The LCIF empowers clubs to implement programs that address great needs of communities with the understanding that preparing the youth is preparing for the future. The LCIF supports services that help provide better health and better education for them.
On the other hand, the Manila Amity Lions Club together with Tacloban City Lions Club International District 301-B2 is very thankful for the grant given by LCIF for a joint feeding program that will benefit 26 students of SEES.
(RYAN GABRIEL LLOSA ARCENAS)
