The Local Government Unit of Opol received a total of 1.145 million project funds from the DOST-X Community Empowerment through Science and Technology (CEST) program as the agency’s support to provide science and technology intervention to the municipality.
Barangay Cauyonan is one of the geographically-isolated and disadvantaged areas within Opol City. Indigenous people living in the area have limited access to quality healthcare services. This limitation increased the risk of malnutrition and stunting growth among their children, pregnant women, and lactating mothers.
Similarly, their livelihood opportunities are also scarce. Poverty is highly prevalent since most residents rely on the marginal farming activity as their source of income.
To empower the marginalized community, DOST-Misamis Oriental and LGU-Opol partnered to introduce two projects that focus on the livelihood, health, and nutrition components of Barangay Cauyonan.
One of the projects is designated to assist the Cauyonan Farmers Association (CFA) entitled, “CEST Support for the Development of Moriculture and Sericulture Farms and Establishment of Banana Food Processing Facility in Brgy. Cauyonan, Opol, Misamis Oriental – D2”. It aims to provide economic and income-generating activities to the community and help eradicate hunger and poverty.
The second project entitled, “Nutr-I: S&T Intervention Through Nutribun, Iron-Fortified Rice and Iodized Salt for the Improvement of Health and Nutrition Status of the Cauyonan Community in Opol, Misamis Oriental – D2”, is an S&T intervention on health and nutrition. It aims to provide an immediate response to the health and nutrition needs of pregnant women, lactating mothers, and malnourished children between ages two (2) to 10 years old.
These CEST projects would serve as fuel for the Cauyonan community to unlock their developmental potentials. Through science, technology, innovation, and collaboration with the local government, empowerment and progress will always be at hand. (Karen Grace A. Lacerna, DOST-Misamis Oriental)
