Development and Pre-Testing of the BNS Handbook on First 1000 Days

Development and Pre-Testing of the BNS Handbook on First 1000 Days

Project Director:  Melvin A. Jabar
Funding Agency:  National Nutrition Council

The Barangay Nutrition Scholar (BNS) Program is a human resource development strategy of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition, which involves capacity building, deployment and supervision of volunteer workers on nutrition or the BNS. In 2010, a five-day introductory course was developed for the BNS, while a handbook focusing on their role in the barangay nutrition program management followed in 2012. The National Nutrition Council (NCC), in partnership with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), developed a training regulation in 2021 on community nutrition services. With the passage of RA 11148 or the “Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act,” the training regulation gave a unique lens to the competencies needed by the BNSs to deliver services in the first 1000 days of life.

To complement this change, the NCC seeks to enhance the 2012 BNS handbook to serve as accompanying material during training and as reference material during the service period. This project thus involves the formation of a consultancy group to develop, package and pre-test the Barangay Nutrition Scholar’s handbook on the first 1000 days of life to increase the BNS’s knowledge and gain competencies in delivering services under the F1KD program.