Upang masulusyunan ang lumalalang malnutrisyon at gutom sa mga elementarya sa pampublikong eskwelahan sa Norzagaray, Bulacan at Echague,Isabela, ang Bayer Fund at ang Gawad Kalinga ay nagsanib-pwersa para sa pagpapatayo ng feeding kitchen sa nabanggit na lugar.
Ang central kitchens, tinatayang makakapag produce ng 3,000 vegetable-based meals araw araw na makakatulong sa lumamalang gutom at malnutrisyon sa mga estudyanteng umaabot sa 3,000 ang bilang.
“It is important that our school children are not hungry when they attend school so that they can concentrate better on their studies,” said Chat Garrido-Ocampo, Legacy Monsanto Corporate Affairs Head and acting focal person for Bayer Fund. “we expect that school attendance and performance will improve by doing this project and that’s how we can sustainably support public school children to fare better in life.
Ang feeding kitchens ay itatayo na malapit mismo sa eskwelahan na kung saan, makakapag provide ng at least 3,000 meals for 220 days. Ang nasabing kitchen ay gagamit din ng mga locally produced crops na kung saan, makakatulong sa ating mga magsasaka at mga maliliit na negosyante na may maliliit na negosyo.
‘We are very pleased to do another project with Gawad Kalinga which not only helps local farmers but would also involve school officials and parent volunteers who are encouraged to attend values formation and food education sessions. It is very inspiring that we are able to create shared value among the members of the community which ensures the project’s success and sustainability,’ ayon pa kay Ocampo.
Samantala, ayon naman kay Mark Lawrence Cruz, GK Project Head, noted that GK usually gets support for producing meals but not for expanding or building kitchens to produce these meals. “We are happy that we are able to get support from Bayer Fund to build central kitchen facilities so we can expand and improve our operations and reach out to more school children who will exponentially benefit from this project,” ayon kay Cruz.
Sinabi pa ni Cruz, na 5 beses magpapakain ang grupo sa loob ng isang lingo hangang sa matapos ang klase ng taon.
Ilulungsad ng Bayer Fund at ng Gawad Kalinga ang proyekto sa lalong madaling panahon bago pa man mag-umpisa ang klase ngayon buwan ng June.
