The UPLB BIDANI, as the National Coordinator of the BIDANI Network Program of State Universities and Colleges, conducted a Training of Trainers for On-going Partner SUCs from 28 June to 2 July 2021 via zoom cloud meetings. This is part of the project titled Revitalization of BIDANI in On-going Partner SUCs.
The training was conducted online via a series of zoom meetings through synchronous remote learning system. Pre-recorded videos were provided as lecture materials and each training session was concluded by an open forum. Generally, the training aimed to train/retrain partner SUC BIDANI implementers to sustain and strengthen the operationalization of the program in becoming more responsive to the various disruptions including the COVID-19 pandemic among others. The specific objectives of the training were as follows:
- train the partner SUC on the BIDANI program and strategy;
- contextualize their roles and responsibilities as members of the SUC BIDANI Team;
- explain the link of good governance to health and nutrition improvement and community development; and
- enhance their knowledge and skills to effectively and efficiently implement nutrition-in-development action research programs in their university/college and partner city/municipality and barangay.
The opening ceremony was graced by the Dean of the College of Human Ecology Dr. Ricardo M. Sandalo and it was UPLB Chancellor Dr. Jose V. Camacho Jr. who delivered the keynote address.
The UPLB BIDANI Team used the revised Manual for the BIDANI Team of SUC which consisted of five modules. The activity was participated in by a total of 64 participants from SUCs implementing the BIDANI as an extension program of their university. These are Isabela State University in Echague, Isabela (5 participants), Central Luzon State University located at the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija (5 participants), Bicol University (10 participants), UP Visayas (4 participants), Visayas State University in Baybay, Leyte (9 participants), Central Mindanao University in Maramag, Bukidnon (10 participants), and Batangas State University (21 participants). Almost 32% of the participants hailed from Batangas State University as they clustered their 11 campuses into 4 and created a BIDANI Team for each cluster with the University Director for Extension Services as Program Leader.
Dr. Marites G. Yee, the Program Leader of UPLB BIDANI and the BIDANI Network Program stayed throughout the entire duration of the training. Her presence brought inspiration to all participants especially the program leaders of partner BIDANI SUCs who are new to the position. Dr. Yee took over the BIDANI leadership last May 21, 2021. She is the former Dean of the College of Human Ecology and currently a professor at the Institute of Human Nutrition and Food (IHNF) where UPLB BIDANI is lodged.
Dr. Yee shared her plans for the BIDANI. The first thing she considered was the sustainability of the program. For that vision, she wanted to make UPLB BIDANI a center. For the whole network, her plan is to source out funding, thus, encouraging everyone to come up with a proposal involving all the members of network SUCs. She also emphasized that as part of an academic community, the BIDANI Network should be able to contribute to the research agenda of each member university. All the program leaders of each BIDANI partner SUCs affirmed this remark. She then explained that a publication should come out either as a journal highlighting the different experiences, lessons learned, success stories, and everything about BIDANI, or a coffee table book that will showcase BIDANI’s decades of implementation all over the country. In her closing remark, Dr. Yee assured everybody of her full support.
Lastly, the Vice-Chancellor for Research and Extension Dr. Merdelyn C. Lit, and Institute of Human Nutrition and Food (IHNF) Director Dr. Aimee Sheree A. Barrion led the closing ceremony.
– Pamela A. Gonzales