Ateneo hosts National Zero Hunger Summit

Gawad Kalinga Ateneo, the Ateneo Center for Educational Development, and the Zero Hunger Alliance hosted the National Zero Hunger Summit at Leong Hall on Friday, 14 July 2023. This was the first National Zero Hunger Summit to be held after the pandemic. Two previous summits were also held at the Ateneo de Manila before the pandemic.

The Zero Hunger Alliance is the largest network of organizations that seek to alleviate involuntary hunger in the Philippines. It was founded in 2022 by the Century Pacific Group and Gawad Kalinga. Coming out of the pandemic, the National Zero Hunger Summit aims to re-activate the nationwide multistakeholder network of donors, implementers, volunteers, and researchers committed to achieving the sustainable development goal of achieving zero hunger in the Philippines.

More than 400 participants from all over the country attended the summit including participants from Basilan, North Cotabato, and Bohol. The participants included local government officials, community leaders, non-government organizations, youth groups, and selected beneficiaries. 

Presentations were made by various speakers on their initiatives to address hunger in the country. DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian presented the government’s Food Stamp Program which will be piloted in the coming months. He also discussed other programs of the DSWD during the open forum.

A session on Magpakain featured presentations by Dr Carmela C Oracion, Director of the Ateneo Center for Educational Development (ACED), Millie Kilayko, President of Negrense Volunteers for Change (NVC), and Arthur Winston Bitangcol, Director of Operations of Scholars for Sustenance.

A session on Magpakalusog, featuring the efforts to develop capabilities of families to enhance their nutrition and inculcate health habits, included presentations on NutriSarap para sa Malusog na Bukas by Bindoy Baltazar, Nutrition Philippines Lead of Unilever Philippines and on Green Agri for Every Juan: Food Security Program by Nora Mae C Gareza, LPT, Project Officer for the Center for Integrated STEM Education, Inc, University of the Philippines.

A session on Magtanim featured presentations by Nonong Velasco of the QC Task Force on Food Security and Ma Elena Primicias van Tooren, Managing Director of the East-West Seed Foundation.

The first two speakers of the Summit presented hunger situationers at the global and national level. Carleneth San Valentin, Nutrition Programme Policy Officer of the World Food Programme (WFP) presented the global and national hunger situationer and Assistant Secretary Azucena M. Dayanghirang, Executive Director of the National Nutrition Council (NNC) presented the national hunger situationer and the road map of the National Nutrition Council to address the problem of malnutrition.

Dr Leland Joseph Dela Cruz, Assistant Vice President for Social Development, Environment, and Community Engagement and Jose Luis Oquinena, Chairman of Gawad Kalinga Philippines welcomed the participants to the summit. Kamille Corpuz, Program Director of Century Tuna RSPo foundation and Fr Bienvenido Nebres, SJ, board member of Gawad Kalinga Philippines and former President of Ateneo de Manila University delivered the closing remarks.

The hosting of the Summit at Ateneo de Manila highlights the university’s commitment to feed the hungry, in line with SDG #2 on Zero Hunger and the second priority of the Renewed Philippine Jesuit Province Plan 2021-2024 to Feed the Hungry. The offices that hosted the Summit, the Ateneo Center for Educational Development and Gawad Kalinga Ateneo are at the forefront of the university’s initiatives through the ACED Food Packs Program, Kusina ng Kalinga, and GK’s 5M Approach to Zero Hunger. 

For more information, you may contact ACED at aced@ateneo.edu and GK at gka@ateneo.edu.

Photos courtesy of the Zero Hunger Alliance