Malasakit has always been at the heart of Mega Global Corporation’s operations. In everything they do, they aim to bring positive change to the lives of Filipino families, especially in addressing the problem of malnutrition. This is the heart of the Mega Bigay Sustansya program, first launched in 2019.
With Mega Bigay Sustansya, through the Mega Tiu Lim Foundation (MTLF), Mega has helped nourish hundreds of less fortunate Filipino children, improving their health through well-balanced meals and better knowledge of basic nutrition despite the pandemic.
In its fourth year of transforming the lives of beneficiaries across the Philippines, Mega Bigay Sustansya has been substantially expanded, promising to bring positive change to even more people. Officially rolled out last Tuesday, June 28, at the Prime Hotel in Quezon City, Mega Bigay Sustansya Year 4 promises more sustainable feeding days, more coverage, more engagement, and more partners. The launch event was graced by representatives from partner agencies and organizations. Media people and mommy bloggers and influencers also joined the occasion.
To achieve its goal of program expansion, MTLF teamed up with the Department of Science and Technology, Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and Reach Out Feed Philippines (ROFP). Meals and recipes will be co-created and nutrition workshops for the parents will be developed with DOST-FNRI; DSWD will assist in gathering volunteers and identifying areas where help with malnutrition is most needed, and; ROFP will help with meal preparation and distribution, LGU coordination, and beneficiary assessment.
MTLF, along with these partner agencies and organizations, expressed their commitment to helping alleviate malnutrition among Filipino children. The number of feeding days, from 60, has been increased to 120, consisting of two meals a day for six days in a week, for a total of 160,800 meals. Moreover, the geographic coverage of the program has been expanded to cover seven locations, namely NCR and Regions 3, 4A, 4B, 6, 8, and 9. Beneficiaries will cover children aged four to 12 years old.
On top of this, nutrition and meal management training for the parents and guardians of the beneficiaries will be conducted by DOST-FNRI, with the objective of program sustainability: health improvement not just through balanced meals, but also through proper knowledge of nutrition.
For MTLF and Mega as a whole, addressing the malnutrition problem in the country can be done by providing high-quality, nutritious, value-for-money products—not only for beneficiaries but for customers as well.
“The pandemic and global economic challenges have made it difficult for families from impoverished communities to provide nutritious meals for their children. We hope that Mega Bigay Sustansya will be of substantial help to Filipino families and will keep children nourished so that they can attain good health which is so essential for their development,” said Marvin Tiu Lim, Mega’s Chief Growth and Development Officer.
“Mega Global’s relentless efforts to alleviate the malnutrition problem in the country will go a long way in building a generation of healthy Filipinos who can make a difference in their communities and the country,” said Dawn Marie Cabigon of ROFP.
DSWD’s Jason Quejada agrees. “Mega Bigay Sustansya Year 4 is a timely effort to help more families sustain proper nutrition for their children. We commend Mega Global’s efforts to address this important concern,” he said.
DOST-FNRI stressed the importance of spreading knowledge on nutrition. “Mega Bigay Sustansya provides us a good opportunity to engage families and teach them about the importance of feeding nutritious meals to their children,” said Dr. Imelda Angeles-Agdeppa, Director IV and Scientist IV.
