Nurhaedah, a resident of Bambu village in Mamuju regency, West Sulawesi, has given birth to three children
urhaedah, a resident of Bambu village in Mamuju regency, West Sulawesi, has given birth to three children. But it was not until having her third child that she learned about the importance of a child's early years.
'I have only just learned the right way to breastfeed and become aware of the types of foods that help children grow healthy,' said Nurhaedah recently.
Nurhaedah gained the knowledge at the Al-Ikhlas health service post (Posyandu) in Bambu village. The Posyandu carries out efforts to prevent stunting in Mamuju regency. Each month, Posyandu members provide services to pregnant housewives and children in the form of counseling, infant weight monitoring and provision of vitamins and food supplements to improve the quality of breast milk.
Al-Ikhlas Posyandu midwife Sri Ekawati said that ever since pregnant housewives and children began seeking out its services, the health of children had gradually improved and there were no more cases of stunting.
The number of children suffering from chronic malnutrition, or stunting, in Indonesia is quite high. Of the 25 million children below the age of 5, more than 37 percent of them, or as many as 8.9 million, suffer from stunted growth.
Chronic malnutrition, or stunting, is another form of growth failure. In West Sulawesi, 48 percent of children experience chronic malnutrition.
The number of chronically malnourished children in Mamuju regency makes up 33 percent of 3,000 toddlers, or around 1,000 people.
Mamuju regency has been picked as the location for a pilot project, funded the US government to promote nutritious food, nutrition procurement, counseling for mothers and children, as well as environmental hygiene, such as clean water procurement.
The project is being implemented in collaboration with the National Program on Community Empowerment (PNPM) and Family Welfare Movement (PKK) members in West Sulawesi.
The grant is distributed to 5,200 villages found in 64 regencies in 11 provinces in Indonesia.
The US government, through the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), is providing Indonesia assistance to curb the serious problem by providing a grant worth US$129.5 million. The funds are managed by Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) Indonesia for the implementation of community-based nutritional health program to curb cases of chronic malnutrition.
'We wish for children in Indonesia to be born and grown healthy and smart. We want them to go to school and lead a healthy lifestyle,' said MCC chief executive officer Dana J. Hyde, when she visited the Al-Ikhlas Posyandu earlier this
month.
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