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Vice President Ma’ruf and the scourge of stunted children
We do not deal with malnutrition in general education. We did not call on the entire nation to address this scourge together.
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House of Representative member Nurhayati Effendi (seventh from right) joins women activists during the launch of the Outreach Therapeutic Infant Food Agency (OTIFA) in the West Java town of Tasikmalaya on Aug. 21, 2018. Attending the launch were then-West Java deputy governor UU Ruzhanul Umum (in orange batik), Presidential Advisory Council member Suharso Monoarfa (light brown batik) and Tasikmalaya mayor Budi Budiman (green batik). (Courtesy of /Nurhayati Effendi)
D
ear Vice President Ma'ruf Amin, thank you for addressing Indonesia’s millions of stunted children in your speech on Dec. 14. Children are the heart of our nation. They are the future and must care for us when we grow old. So, they must survive in today’s demanding world.
However, if we do not feed them properly during their first 1,000 days on Earth, their key organs will not develop, particularly their brain, heart and lungs. High hopes go up in smoke.
One-third of our children are stunted. Their lifetime underperformance will cost 2-3 percent of Indonesia’s gross domestic product (GDP). That is Rp 388 trillion (US$27 billion) each year, according to the Tanoto Foundation.
You are right. It is time to act. And act effectively.
So, what is it that we have not done so far?
We do not deal with malnutrition in general education. We did not call on the entire nation to address this scourge together. We did not develop a systematic and inter-institutional approach to prevent and prepare for malnutrition.
We did not learn from UNICEF and the World Food Programme on what effectively and speedily repairs the health of an undernourished child.
