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nder its National Program for Community Empowerment (PNPM), Rural Independence Program (PMP) and Smart and Healthy Generation (GSC) program, during 2003-2010 the central government has succeeded in reducing the poverty rate and cases of malnutrition in North Lombok regency, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB).

“We are thankful for the PNPM, PMP and GSC programs, as well as to the Australian government for funding the programs, given their benefits, such as physical development in rural areas and community capacity building,” said North Lombok Regent Djohan Sjamsu on Tuesday as he greeted Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Greg Moriarty.

North Lombok became an autonomous regency after separating from parent regency West Lombok in 2008. It is inhabited by more than 250,000 people, five districts and 33 villages.

Based on data at the NTB Central Statistics Agency (BPS), compared to the other nine regencies and mayoralties in NTB, North Lombok is a regency with the highest poverty rate, at 43.14 percent. However, from a Human Index Development perspective, in terms of health, education and people’s spending power, it is the highest in NTB.

Djohan said the PNPM program in North Lombok had been able to curb poverty, malnutrition and the school dropout rate.

Moriarty and his entourage visited Gol hamlet, Medana village, Tanjung district, to directly observe the success of the programs achieved there.

“I’m very proud to be here to see how the community is able to benefit from the programs. This shows good cooperation between Australia and Indonesia,” he said.

Australia has assisted in improving Indonesia’s primary social protection program, namely PNPM, which is currently being carried out in a number of provinces, including NTB. PNPM works through grant assistance to the rural community and will later be used for infrastructure development, such as building roads, bridges, wells, public bathrooms and health care services, as well as for basic education.

North Lombok Community Empowerment Agency (BPM) head Heryanto told The Jakarta Post that the PNPM, PMP and GSC programs had set up dozens of elementary schools and hundreds of Integrated Health Posts (Posyandu).

When the PNPM and PMP programs were initiated in 2003, the total funds disbursed amounted to Rp 72.2 billion (US$8 million) as of 2012, while Rp 9 billion had been disbursed for the PNPM and GSC programs as of 2010.

“The funds were distributed to 33 villages in five districts in the regency. The assistance was of great benefit to help people’s access to education and community health, in which 358 Posyandu have been set up, from 365 hamlets,” said Heryanto.

PNPM and GSC facilitator in Tanjung district Raden Nyakradi said the program was able to curb the rate of malnutrition in the district, consisting of seven villages.

According to him, in 2010, 384 cases of malnourished infants and children below the age of five were recorded in Tanjung district. The number dropped to 187 cases in 2011, and to 64 cases as of today.

“The strategy is being diligent in examining the health of mothers and children at the Posyandu,” said Nyakradi