UN, DSWD to provide rice for 106k displaced families in Mindanao

Some 106,000 families displaced by fighting in Mindanao will receive iron-fortified rice from the United Nations' World Food Programme (UN-WFP) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). DSWD Secretary Corazon Soliman said the DSWD, together with the UN-WFP, will provide some 18,800 tons of iron-fortified rice for distribution to 106,000 families from Maguindanao, North Cotabato, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, and Sultan Kudarat. A news release posted on the DSWD website said iron-fortified rice is made from a blend of polished rice grains and pre-mixed iron-fortified rice grains, which may have a slightly brown color. This kind of rice helps prevent Immune Deficiency Anemia (IDA), boosts production of healthy red blood cells, improves physical and mental performance, and enhances immunity against infection. The DSWD said the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) is the most IDA-affected region with a prevalence rate of 22.7 percent among children aged six months to five years and 47.3 percent among pregnant women.- VVP, GMA News