The pandemic may have worsened stunting in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) where many children are already malnourished, according to the World Food Program (WFP) and World Bank (WB).
In a briefing on Monday, WFP Officer-in-Charge/Head of Program Giorgi Dolidze said back in 2018, around 40 percent of children under five years old were already stunted in BARMM.
Dolidze said this was based on the survey conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI). The data, he said, showed already high levels of food insecurity in the BARMM.
“In BARMM, 40 percent of children under 5 are stunted, hindering their ability to reach their full mental and physical potential. The Covid-19 pandemic has surely far aggravated the situation,” Dolidze said.
WB Operations Manager for the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Brunei Achim Fock agreed and said BARMM is not alone in its food and nutrition challenges.
Fock said hunger and food insecurity is especially common in areas of conflict. He added that the situation in these parts of the world have also been aggravated by the pandemic.
Currently, the WFP and WB are working with the BARMM to ensure food security in the region amid the pandemic. Through the help of WFP and WB, BARMM had already piloted food security programs in eight areas in the region.
These areas, Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority Director General Mohajirin T. Ali said, are located in Maguindanao and Lanao, provinces that have high potential for agriculture.
The WFP is working with the BARMM on projects related to food security and nutrition; disaster resilience; and agricultural development, among others.
The WB, Fock said, is also financing several projects in the pipeline on food, nutrition, and education.
WB pipeline
Based on WB data, there were 12 projects included in its pipeline in 2021. These projects amount to a total of $2.51 billion, composed mainly of loans and one grant.
The pipeline includes the food and nutrition project, the Philippines Multisectoral Nutrition Project, which will be financed through a $200-million loan.
Some education projects include the Strengthening Alternative Learning System for All which will be financed through a $100 million worth loan and the Teacher Effectiveness and Competencies Enhancement Project, which may be financed by a $110-million loan.
The largest loan worth $600 million is for the Philippines Promoting Competitiveness and Enhancing Resilience to Natural Disasters Sub-Program 3 followed by the $500-million loan for the Fourth Disaster Risk Management Development Policy Loan with a Catastrophe-Deferred Drawdown Option.
A loan of $100 million will each go to the Strengthening Alternative Learning System for All project; Agus-Pulangi Hydropower Complex Rehabilitation Series of Project 1; and Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development Project.
The project set to receive a $0.74 million worth grant is the Philippines Conflict Monitoring Project. It aims to provide useful, timely, and reliable conflict data and analysis, briefing key stakeholders to inform their programming and actions.