QR for Hunger: Nurturing and Saving Children from Hunger

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

Save the Children Philippines ambassadors Liza Soberano and Katarina Rodriguez lead the launch of QR for Hunger to engage people interactively in addressing rising hunger and malnutrition among children in the Philippines.

According to the World Bank, hunger in the Philippines rose sharply following the start of the pandemic. A survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed that in September 2020, 31% of Filipino families experienced hunger in the past 30 days and 9% were suffering from severe hunger – the highest levels recorded in more than 20 years.

In 2021 alone, 13.1% or 2.9 million children were estimated to be hungry.

“Hunger is exponentially depriving a generation of Filipino children of their rights and heavily impacts their growth and development in many ways. Thus, all actors, including governments, donors, and the general public, must collaborate to manage the risks of the hunger crisis and invest in anticipatory action to prevent rather than respond to crisis warnings,” said Save the Children Philippines CEO Atty. Albert Muyot.

 

QR for Hunger is an innovative digital movement of Save the Children Philippines that engages the public through a simple scan-to-donate feature using creative QR codes and gives people the chance to help “cure” hunger among children.

Funds raised through the QR for Hunger under the #SavetheChildrenfromHunger campaign will provide resources for health and nutrition interventions that will improve Save the Children Philippines’ sponsored communities’ access to food, and support parents and guardians in rehabilitating their malnourished children using diets based on local knowledge and resources.

“As a mother, I know how important it is to keep our children healthy – from exclusively breastfeeding my son Quino to preparing nutritious meals. But a lot of families in the country are unable to put food on the table as they are crippled by economic challenges from low wages, unemployment, and increasing prices of basic commodities,” said Rodriguez.

Dr. Amado Parawan, Health and Nutrition Advisor of Save the Children Philippines, said it is heartbreaking that the most stunted Filipino children are from farming and fishing communities. While they at forefront of producing our food, they remain to be one of the country’s poorest families.

1 in 3 children (30%) below five years old is stunted (low in height) for their age. This can be irreversible after two years, unless treated. When children are hungry, their academic performance also suffers.

SSS resumes updating of member’s contact information via My.SSS

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

The Social Security System (SSS) announced today that member may update their contact information online starting May 16, 2022 after the state-run pension fund resumed the said online updating of record on the My.SSS portal.

In a statement, SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Regino said members using their My.SSS account can update or change their contact details, such as telephone number, mobile number, mailing address, foreign address, and e-mail address, without visiting any SSS branch to file their member data change request.   Those with no existing contact information except their mobile number may also update their contact details. On the other hand, members without registered mobile numbers with SSS need to visit any branch office to submit their mobile number using the Member Data Change Request Form, and set a branch appointment through their My.SSS account or they can do walk-in transactions following the schedule based on the last digit of their SSS number.   “We exerted all our efforts to expedite the completion of all the necessary IT enhancements for the My.SSS and provide our members a more convenient way of updating their contact information at the comfort of their homes or offices, 24/7. Moreover, it has always been our goal to give a better service to our members and help them facilitate their SSS transactions,” Regino said.   The state-run pension fund has suspended the online updating of contact details on the My.SSS starting on August 3, 2021 to enhance the online portal and boost its security features to protect the confidential information of its members.   The online updating of members’ contact details has now been reverted to give its members a more convenient and safer way of updating their SSS records.   Members can update their contact information by logging in to their respective My.SSS account and access the “Update Contact Info” which they can find in the “Member Info” menu.  They can also update or change their contact numbers, e-mail addresses, and mailing addresses, except their home address, and submit them online.   SSS will send a notification message to their existing or new e-mail address and mobile number. They just need to confirm their request to update their contact details by clicking the link sent to them.   SSS members only have three days to confirm their request because the link will immediately expire after that period, and they will have to repeat the process once again. After confirming their request, the updated contact information will take effect after two days and SSS will notify them that their contact details have been updated. Regino urged all members to ensure that they provide their up-to-date contact information since communication about updates on their SSS transactions are based on these details.

Angono, Calbayog art schools beef up teaching, learning with more support from Rebisco

Wazzup Pilipinas?!

 

Students of music, visual arts, performing arts, literary arts and media arts in Angono, Rizal and Calbayog, Samar received precious gifts from Rebisco, this summer.

 

The snacks and biscuits company made good on its promise to support the two schools’ mission of raising the next generation of artists and performers by providing a variety of tools, equipment, instruments and hardware to the Regional Lead School for the Arts in Angono (RLSAA) and the Calbayog Arts and Design School of Eastern Visayas (CADSEV).

As pandemic restrictions eased, Rebisco wasted no time in turning over its donations in person so gifted students of the two primary art and design schools in the land can better pursue their dreams of excelling in their chosen art forms.

RLSAA teachers and students were ecstatic last March when Rebisco representatives delivered brand new violins, angklung ensemble instruments, keyboards, microphones, high-end professional cameras, sound systems, LED lights and a new round of oil paints and pastels, brushes, pencils and other art materials to the school.

In April, CADSEV school head Dr. Rinalyn Beso welcomed Rebisco representatives who handed over equipment and hardware for their performing arts studios, musical instruments and video equipment.

Both the RLSAA and CADSEV schools feted their benefactors with rousing musical performances, with RSLAA students playing the classics and Filipino tunes and CADSEV students presenting Rebisco with a painting and a tinapa (smoked fish) sculpture made out of recycled Rebisco packs as thank you gifts. Tinapa is said to be a celebrated food product and industry in Calbayog.

“Our art students will make good use of your gifts, especially now that we have returned to a face-to-face set-up. They will help to develop our young artists’ skills because they now have the means to practice and enrich their innate talents with the very best materials. Rest assured they will use them well and they will give back by being recognized, not just in Samar but in the whole country, and hopefully the world,” said Dr. Beso.

 

Leo Cabacungan, Rebisco Assistant Brand Manager, said Rebisco wants to enable more artistically-inclined students to excel in their chosen art forms. “As one of the favorite Filipino snacks that has been a part of Filipino culture for generations, Rebisco wants to give back by nurturing Filipino artists and celebrating the wealth of Filipino talent that make our culture so rich and expressive.”

 

Rebisco has been and continues to be a passionate champion of art education. It had previously provided the RLSAA with an on-site art gallery cum classroom right in the school premises plus a wide variety of art equipment that its students lacked. It featured the works of outstanding art talents in its Special Designer Cans and vowed to make continued contributions to inspire more students to express their artistic capabilities. More recently, it added CADSEV as a beneficiary school.

The upgraded materials and equipment for the art students will improve the quality of the face-to-face learning experience, said the leaders of both schools. The timing of the donations could not have come at a better time.