Bamboo Village Feeding Programme, Manila

Every day, 95 children in the Philippines die from malnutrition. Twenty-seven out of 1,000 Filipino children do not get past their fifth birthday. A third of Filipino children are stunted, or short for their age (source), a condition that will impact their mental and physical development for the rest of their lives.

The feeding programme was set up by the local church, who were moved by the poverty and malnutrition of the children living in the slum near the church building. They worked with the local community to identify twenty children who needed nutritional intervention due to their weight and height.

These children now come to the church six days a week for a nutritious meal of rice, meat, vegetables and fruit. The centre track their progress each month to review their weight gain and ensure that they are getting the help that they need to get better. The menu is developed by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute to ensure that it is balanced, and appropriate for the children.

Every Saturday other local children will join them for a children’s group where they will play, sing, read stories and do colouring.

This project will save lives, and ensure that these children are getting the nutrition they need in their vital early years, to ensure that they are able to develop, grow and thrive as children and adults.