kaban galing - front cover - galing pook

to: (a) promote a continuing process to further enrich and expand
programs, projects and activities that effectively protect and respond to
the rights of a child; (b) improve access to maternal and child health
care services; (c) provide alternatives that will allow 3-5 year old pupils
to pursue their education, meet their other developmental needs and
assert their rights and get to know their responsibilities; (d) provide
venues for children to come together and express their own ideas and
participate in socio-cultural and community development activities; (e)
ensure that cases of physical and sexual abuse are reported and violence
and child labor are prevented; and (f) see to it that families have access
to potable water, have sanitary toilets, use iodized salt, and older family
members share in child care and other domestic responsibilities.
In a span of only three years, the program produced some solid
achievements on behalf of the once neglected children. All barangays
now have schools. The number of day care centers increased from 27
in 2002 to 33 in 2004.
The other substantive changes achieved from 2002 to 2004 are: (a)
participation rate in elementary grades, 73.30% to 75.17%; (b) number
of 3-5 year olds attending early education programs, 29.99% to 33.15%;
(c) number of children below 17 years old who were registered at birth,
648 to 913; (d) prevalence of malnutrition, 19% to 17%; and (e) infant
mortality, 2.5/1000 to 1.4/1000.
Barangay Level Monitoring
The program consisted of four components. (a) a Municipal Development
Plan for Children; (b) an Annual Investment Plan for Children; (c) a Local
Code for Children; and (d) a Monitoring System for Children. The last
one entailed the establishment of a knowledge center, an annual State
of Children Report, a legislative tracking system, and updated childfriendly
indicators. Each barangay was provided a monitoring checklist
containing a total of 25 indicators for child-friendliness that are to be
updated and reported quarterly. More significantly, families in Maitum
now individually assess themselves using the checklist.
The second set of activities entailed the training of care givers and
service providers so that they could effectively and efficiently respond to
the needs and rights of every child. There were activities that aimed to
help the children hone their literary, musical and theatrical abilities,
develop their self-esteem and self-confidence. Other activities
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