Members of the Olongapo City Medical Society, assisted by the SBMA Public Relations Department, teach proper nutrition to children at Iram Elementary School in Olongapo City. Photo by Malou Dungog
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – The Olongapo City Medical Society (OCMS), together with the Public Relations Department of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA-PRD, has conducted a feeding project recently for Ayta children in an upland community of Olongapo City.
The feeding project benefited Grade 1 students at the Iram Elementary School in Barangay New Cabalan.
Iram, a small community comprised mostly of indigenous Ayta families, is one of the adopted communities of SBMA under the agency’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) program.
The feeding project was part of the OCMS nutrition program, which began last July as part of the celebration of the Nutrition Month.
Members of the OCMS and SBMA team that visited Iram also conducted story-telling sessions with the pupils and taught them about proper waste segregation.
The group also donated trash bins to the school.
According to Dr. Evelyn Natividad, one of the members of OCMS who facilitated the feeding program, the project will continue until December to monitor the progress of the children’s weight gain.
Natividad also said that apart from the monthly feeding program, the OCMS will also conduct child advocacy programs such as values education and proper hygiene training.
They are also planning to conduct campaigns against drug abuse, smoking and alcohol use among high school students.
Natividad also said her group has distributed hygiene kits to the pupils after conducting hygiene training last month.
“Next month, we are planning to conduct livelihood training for the kids’ parents so that they can have other sources of income,” Natividad added.
