Philippines

HKI has been working in the Philippines since 1975 and has had a major presence since 1986. HKI-Philippines’ project implementation has resulted in a coherent, integrated program of technical assistance to the Government of the Philippines (GOP) and includes activities in:

• Vitamin A supplementation >> more
• Nutrition education >> more
• Child survival
• Primary eye care

As a respected partner of the GOP, HKI-Philippines has proactively created opportunities to translate important scientific findings about vitamin A, micronutrients, and primary eye care into relevant and appropriate national policies and programs tailored to local needs and resources. Of note was HKI-Philippines’s critical role in the implementation of the first national vitamin A capsule distribution campaign, which increased the coverage of vitamin A supplements among preschoolers to more than 90 percent nationally. Also of note was the establishment of the first integrated primary eye care and secondary eye care program by HKI-Philippines in Bicol, which has resulted in a model that has been replicated widely within the Philippines.

In addition to HKI-Philippines’s substantial impact on national policy and programs, HKI-Philippines responded to the devolution of health care in the Philippines by developing a model for strengthening the capacity of local government units to manage and implement effective nutrition-related activities.

HKI-Philippines has developed numerous innovative and user-friendly information, education, and training materials to support the implementation of pilot-tested strategies. Presently, the HKI-Philippines team continues to provide high quality technical assistance to the GOP, to local government units, and to various international and local nongovernmental organizations.

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Program Partners

• Government of the Philippines
• USAID
• Nutrition Center of the Philippines
• Christian Children’s Fund
• Pearl S. Buck Foundation
• World Vision
• KAIN group

Key Staff

• Ellen E. Villate - Country Director
• Dr. Edward Tandingan - Deputy Director/LEAD Project
• Eva Puertollano - Communications and Training Manager
• Emerita Barquilla - Nutrition Program Officer
• Ma. Fatima Dolly Reario - Monitoring and Evaluation Officer
• Susan Santos - Finance Officer
• Virnaliza Lumbao - Administrative Officer
• Arthur Baria - Program Manager/HFP project