Since 2023, the Phase II Aeta Family Care Center – Roots to Shoots (RTS) Program has addressed malnutrition, food insecurity, livelihood vulnerability, and limited access to clean water in Bamban, Tarlac and Mabalacat City, Pampanga.
Now in its second year, RTS continues to translate integrated support into measurable community outcomes.
As of 2025, the program has reached more than 2,000 individuals since inception. These include children, caregivers, farmers, and community leaders. Through a coordinated approach that combines nutrition rehabilitation, sustainable agriculture, enterprise development, and water access, RTS is strengthening both households and local systems.
Strengthening Child Nutrition in the First 1,000 Days
Recognizing that early childhood nutrition shapes lifelong health, RTS enrolled 135 underweight children in the Positive Deviance/Hearth rehabilitation program. To date, 59 children have been successfully rehabilitated from undernutrition, with continued growth monitoring in place for the rest.
To reinforce behavior change at home, 462 caregivers completed Go Baby Go parenting sessions focused on responsive feeding, hygiene, and maternal care. In parallel, 84 barangay health workers and volunteers were trained, strengthening community-based health systems that sustain progress beyond program cycles.
Nutrition recovery is no longer limited to short-term intervention. It is now supported by local capacity and community ownership.
Advancing Food Security and Livelihood Resilience
Sustainable nutrition depends on stable food supply and income security.
In 2025, RTS delivered the following:
• 433 farmers trained in Integrated Farming Bio-Systems and provided with farm inputs
• 401 caregivers trained in home gardening and equipped with garden tools
• Three community gardens established and sustained by residents
• 231 individuals upskilled in livelihood development
• Five community-based groups, composed of 224 members, supported in enterprise development
Families are now diversifying income streams through sari-sari stores, livestock raising, rice retailing, and other micro-enterprises. These initiatives strengthen household resilience, particularly amid rising commodity prices and economic uncertainty.
For Gina Sibal of Sitio Burog, livelihood support meant stability. With assistance to establish her sari-sari store, she transitioned from recurring debt to managing a sustainable small business that supports her children’s needs. Her experience reflects the broader program objective: reducing vulnerability by expanding opportunity.
Expanding Access to Clean Water
Infrastructure investment further reinforces health gains.
In Sitio Burog, a deep well water system with 25 distribution points has been constructed and is awaiting electrification, targeted for completion in the first quarter of 2026. Once operational, the system is expected to serve approximately 700 individuals across 123 Aeta households.
A community WASH group has been organized to manage and maintain the system, embedding accountability and sustainability at the local level.
Reliable water access strengthens nutrition outcomes, improves hygiene practices, and supports overall community well-being.
Powered by Partnership
Roots to Shoots operates through a consortium model that leverages sectoral expertise:
• World Vision Development Foundation leads the Mother and Child Care component
• Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc. leads Food Security and Livelihood
• Manila Water Foundation leads WASH interventions
Working alongside local government units, national agencies, academic institutions, and private sector partners, RTS ensures interventions are locally grounded and system-strengthening.
In 2025, RTS was recognized as the Most Outstanding CSR Project in Collaboration at the League of Corporate Foundations CSR Guild Awards, affirming the value of multi-sector partnership.
A new collaboration with Thaison Builders and Development, Inc. also launched RTS Light in Sacobia, expanding complementary support in adjacent communities.
Toward Sustainable Community Systems
