As a result of the annual WIT Charity Auction held at its conference last October, 154 children have been enrolled in a six-month feeding programme by the NVC (Negrense Volunteers for Change) Foundation, titled Mingo Meals.
The meal programme was funded in part by the US$24,000 raised by WIT’s charity auction, individual donations and NVC products that were exhibited at the WIT 2017 Conference.
A child eating Mingo, a nutritional supplement provided by the NVC Foundation
The programme was officially launched on January 11 when an NVC officer transported the food supplement to a remote local community in Mount Kitanglad.
Those enrolled are aged between 6 months to 12 years old, and the programme will provide a daily food supplement consisting of rice, moringa and mung beans, in the form of a Mingo sachet that can be easily prepared by any parent.
Mingo is primarily used to help undernourished children in poor, rural communities, particularly infants and toddlers, who are most vulnerable to stunted intellectual growth resulting from malnutrition. The guiding principle is that providing adequate nutrition and educational support, can help children perform better in school, ultimately helping to break the cycle of poverty.
Over the course of the programme, recipients of the nutritional supplement will have their weight regularly monitored, to ensure that all members of the community are adequately nourished.
Mingo is locally produced in a facility licensed by the Food and Drug Administration and is also used as an emergency relief nutritional supplement. At present, well over 19,000 children are enrolled in the Mingo Meals feeding programme throughout the Philippines.
The money raised at WIT will also fund the construction of a daycare centre and the provision of Love Bags for School Kids – sturdy backpacks filled with one year’s worth of school supplies. These will all benefit the Tala-andig tribe of Bukidnon.
Louise Daley (AccorHotels) as auctioneer at WIT 2017
As the funds raised exceeded the original target amount by at least double, the NVC Foundation is currently working to find out how the remaining money can be used most effectively.
The Negrense Volunteers for Change (NVC) Foundation is a trusted NGO that fights hunger and poverty in the Philippines by providing proper nutrition and access to quality education for children of the poor, as well as sustainable livelihood opportunities for their parents. Learn more at www.nvcfoundation-ph.org.
