People work to earn for a living, so they could enjoy a decent and comfortable life.
While this is true to most, Aurelia
Aguilar or Aling Aurelia as she is fondly called says working in her
community is not about salary but rather about her passion to serve.
Aling Aurelia, a 60-year old widow, is a
barangay nutrition scholar (BNS) of Barangay Oaqui, Luna, La Union. She
lives with her only son.
With her dedication to implement health
and nutrition programs in their locality, she was awarded recently as
the 2017 Region 1 BNS champion.
I have loved this job and I enjoy it so much helping the young children,” Aguilar shared in Ilocano.
Her work as a BNS started when she had
to quit her job as a factory worker in Makati after she and her husband
met an accident. The mishap left her unfit to work with her impaired
leg, thus decided to move back in their hometown.
She was initially offered a much better
pay by their barangay captain to become the barangay secretary, but she
declined and chose instead to give her services as a BNS.
As an active BNS, Aling Aurelia receives
a meager payment of P754 per month from the barangay, P300 from their
municipal government, and P1,000 from the provincial government.
As the regional winner of Ilocos Region,
her exceptional initiatives led her to becoming one of the five
finalists to the Search for Outstanding BNS at the national level.
Having served as a BNS for 13 years, she
initiated projects that include the construction of sanitary toilets
for four identified poorest families of their locality which contributed
to the barangay’s declaration of zero open defacation. These families,
she said, have preschoolers so, she did her best to make it possible
through solicitations.
Another humble project she did was
posting of nutrition-related information materials like the “Ten
Kumainments” and “Nutritional Guidelines for Filipinos” along the
barangay roads, which she said could create awareness about the
importance of healthy nutrition that can help improve their health
status.
Having just a measly nutrition fund in
their barangay, Aling Aurelia seeks for some other ways in coming up
with possible nutrition-related projects through the very supportive
barangay nutrition committee of Oaqui, chaired by their barangay
captain.
She added that being a BNS is “the fulfillment of my dreams as a nutritionist.”
“When we talk of nutrition, team work is
a very important factor. Every little thing that’s being done will have
good results,” she added.
Aling Aurelia received P10,000 and a
certificate for winning the 2017 Provincial Outstanding Barangay
Nutrition Scholar; P20,000 and a plaque of recognition as the regional
winner; and P15,000 and a plaque as one of the top five finalists in the
national search.
The Regional Nutrition Month Awarding
Ceremony was held on August 30, 2018 at the Vigan City Convention Center
in Ilocos Sur. ()
Source: Philippine News Agency.
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