Non-government organizations (NGOs) World Vision and Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) have provided incentives to 505 village health and nutrition workers as part of their support to volunteers working on curbing maternal and child mortality.

In the past two weeks, these organizations distributed 10 kg. of rice and Christmas goodies to the barangay health workers (BHW) and barangay nutrition scholars (BNS) who underwent training from the towns of Silvino Lubos, Laoang, Palapag, and Pambujan tagged as priority areas of their project.

The provincial government thanked the NGOs for their support to community workers tasked to reach each household in the province.

“World Vision and KOICA work with the provincial government in improving the health and nutrition status of mothers and children through its maternal, newborn, and child health project. We are very grateful for their support to our primary health service providers,” the provincial government said in a statement Tuesday.

KOICA and World Vision aim to capacitate at least 2,000 community health and nutrition workers in the target areas in the provinces of Samar, Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, and Leyte.

Each BHW and BNS in the province receives PHP500 to PHP1,000 monthly compensation from their respective village and municipal governments. The provincial government provides an additional PHP500 to each volunteer worker.

The BHW serves as a community organizer, educator, and primary health care service provider.

The BNS is tasked to deliver nutrition and nutrition-related services to the villages by caring for the malnourished and the nutritionally vulnerable, mobilizing the community, and linkage building. (PNA)