Day: June 20, 2022

Indonesia is striving to achieve a golden generation in 2045, or on the 100th anniversary of its independence, but faces the problem of stunting as a hurdle to be first overcome to achieve the goal.

Vice President Ma’ruf Amin, during a launch of the book, titled “Moving Forward: Local Initiatives in Reducing Stunting in Indonesia,” recently described a golden generation as a generation that is able to bring progress to Indonesia.

Stunting, which is characterized by growth failure in children under the age of two due to long periods of malnutrition, will create a demographic burden generation, as it has the potential to endanger the future of the nation, in terms of education, health, productivity, and the economy.

To ensure realizing the national goal of achieving a golden generation, the government, in 2018, had decided to accelerate the efforts to reduce the stunting rate, particularly among children under the age of five years.

To this end, the government has formulated the National Strategy for Accelerating Stunting Reduction (Stranas Stunting), which emphasizes the strengthening of investment in the first one thousand days of human life.

Amin, who has been tasked with leading the national stunting eradication efforts, claimed that the strategy has helped to reduce the stunting rate, from 30.8 percent in 2018 to 24.4 percent in 2021.

“This achievement is based on hard work, smart work, and collaborative work from all parties, both at the central and regional government levels,” he affirmed.

The government has allocated funds amounting to Rp5.6 trillion, or US$378.3 million, for accelerating the maternal mortality and stunting reduction program.

The government has set a target to reduce the prevalence of stunting rates to 14 percent by 2024. Hence, to achieve the target, the nation must be able to reduce the stunting rate by at least three percent annually.

Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy explained that based on data from the Indonesian Under-five Children Nutrition Status Survey (SSGBI) in 2021, the prevalence of stunting is currently still at 24.4 percent, or 5.33 million children under five.

The first one thousand days of life is a golden period, so the minister highlighted the need for strengthening the dissemination of information and education in families, especially teen girls, who would one day embrace motherhood.

Teen girls need to eat balanced nutritious foods to maintain a healthy body and avoid anemia. This is essential as a preventive effort to prevent their babies from being born stunted.

Effendy called to thoroughly handle child stunting, as Indonesia will enjoy a demographic dividend that must be utilized optimally.

In addition, educating future brides on several issues, such as reproductive health, family health, family life, and family economy, is crucial.

Hence, the stunting reduction efforts gained momentum when the country commemorated National Family Day (Harganas) this year.

The National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN), which is in the front guard in the fight to reduce stunting, explained that National Family Day 2022 provided a platform for consolidation and coordination of the Stunting Reduction Acceleration Team (TPPK) at the district/city and provincial levels.

BKKBN’s Deputy for Prosperous Families and Family Empowerment Nopian Andusti remarked that the national celebration of the 29th National Family Day, themed “Let’s Prevent Stunting So That Families Are Stunting Free,” will be organized in Medan, North Sumatra, on June 29, 2022.

Andusti noted that the event will feature several activities conducted by BKKBN, such as the Bapak Asuh Anak Stunting, a program that aims to involve fathers in taking care of stunted children; Sepekan Elsimil, Semarak Kampung KB (birth control in villages); and the Pelayanan KB Serentak Sejuta Akseptor (the Simultaneous Birth Control Service with Million Acceptors).

Regional heads, who excel in controlling stunting rates in their regions, will receive awards as a mark of appreciation by BKKBN for striving together to build quality families.

The agency had organized a Stunting Case Audit Coaching in last May in three provinces as part of the efforts to accelerate stunting reduction.

The coaching focused on efforts to prevent infants from being born stunted, starting from the audit of prospective brides, pregnant, or postpartum women and of children under two and those under five, who are at risk of stunting, Head of BKKBN Hasto Wardoyo explained.

In addition to supporting the selection of stunting cases, auditing stunting cases is expected to open opportunities for consultation and coordination among policymakers, program implementers, and experts regarding activities.

Professional organizations partaking in the audit of stunting cases included the Indonesian Pediatric Society (IDAI), Indonesian Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (POGI), Indonesian Nutrition Higher Education Association (AIPGI), and Indonesian Psychologists Association (Himpsi).

According to the 2021 family data collection (PK 21), the number of families at risk of stunting in Indonesia had reached 21.9 million.

To support the smooth running of audits, the agency has also formed special teams to accelerate stunting reduction, starting from the provincial to village levels.

The BKKBN has readied 600 thousand personnel in 200 thousand Family Assistance Teams to disseminate information and provide services to families in Indonesia to prevent child stunting.

Moreover, it has provided education on the dangers of stunting to adolescents in Indonesia through the Elsimil, or the Ready for Marriage and Pregnancy Electronic Application.

The app, which can be downloaded through Play Store, aims to help prospective grooms and brides as well as adolescents better understand the importance of stunting prevention.

Basically, all-out efforts are being made in the fight against stunting by involving various stakeholders, including relevant ministries, institutions, local governments, universities, and NGOs.

Given those serious efforts, Head of the Presidential Staff Office (KSP) Moeldoko was upbeat that Indonesia would be able to bring the childhood stunting prevalence rate to below 14 percent by 2024, in line with the improvement in handling efforts.

“Currently, 600 thousand personnel of the Nusantara Family Assistance (teams) are ready to carry out the strategy for stunting reduction. Thus, I am optimistic that President Jokowi’s (Joko Widodo’s) target of reducing stunting to below 14 percent by 2024 can be achieved,” he affirmed.

He noted that at least three main actors play an essential role in the handling of stunting: midwives, the Family Welfare Movement (PKK) cadres, and family planning (KB) cadres.

The KSP has been tasked with supervising and ensuring that national strategic programs can run well. Stunting is one of the issues that has become the main attention of the Jokowi-Amin administration.

Source: Antara News

Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Minister Teten Masduki has urged everyone to pursue the ministry’s six priority programs and formulate fresh ideas to enable finance and market accessibility for cooperatives and SMEs.

“We have to stop working just (for the sake of it). This mindset needs to be changed. Start to (adopt) the spirit to develop a people-oriented economy, which is the basis of our work,” he said at the opening of the 2022 Cooperatives, MSMEs, and Entrepreneurship Planning Technical Coordination Meeting in Bali on Monday.

In an official statement received here the same day, Masduki informed that he is collaborating with stakeholders on the priority programs to encourage national economic recovery.

Currently, 70 percent of the national economic recovery program is being coordinated by the Cooperatives and SMEs Ministry, thus collaboration between stakeholders is needed in order to realize the economic welfare of the people.

“Don’t just work (for) budget absorption. We have to change that into a full commitment to work,” the minister remarked.

The ministry is currently pursuing six priority programs, including complete data collection on cooperatives and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs); a major project for the integrated management of MSMEs; as well as the implementation of Presidential Decree No. 2 of 2022 regarding National Entrepreneurship Development.

The programs also include the redesigning of the Center for Integrated Cooperatives and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (PLUT); the establishment of the new PLUT as a center of excellence; the setting up of modern cooperatives through food corporatization; and extreme poverty eradication.

His administration is seeking to ensure that the six agendas can be pursued through collaboration between deputies and regional governments in order to boost productivity and the quality of MSME products, which, in turn, would help push the entrepreneurship goal.

“I want to say that the synergy (required in these) programs is very important. Integrating cooperatives and SMEs productivity and adding new entrepreneurs in order to (improve),” he said.

Source: Antara News

At least 150 communities across Indonesia have voiced their support for a proposal to hold National Kebaya Day as part of an effort to preserve the country’s traditional clothing.

Head of the National Kebaya Day Designation Proposal Team Lana T. Koentjoro informed here on Monday that on June 4, 2022, her team, along with Solo City Deputy Mayor Teguh Prakosa and community leaders, signed a document to show their support for the proposed day and took out a Kebaya parade.

“We also did a safari (tour) and activities to several cities in and outside Java to garner support,” Koentjoro said in a statement issued here on Monday.

After the Kebaya Nusantara Parade in Solo, Samarinda, East Kalimantan, also expressed its support for the proposal, she said.

According to her, at least 150 communities from Yogyakarta, Bali, Manado, and other regions are supporting the designation of National Kebaya Day.

The campaigns for holding National Kebaya Day have included a Car Free Day (CFD), with Kebaya lovers joining the activity in Jakarta on June 19, she said.

This is proof of Indonesians’ love for heritage clothing, Koentjoro, who is also the chairwoman of Advanced Indonesian Women (PIM), added. “I am proud and appreciate the Kebaya activities at CFD,” she remarked.

“This is also a form of support for the National Kebaya Day Designation Proposal Team and ‘Kebaya towards UNESCO,’ which is being prepared by us,” she said.

Talking about the proposal, she said an academic study by experts is awaited to set the commemoration date, which will then be proposed to the government, as the designation of the day will require a historical basis.

In Java, West Sumatra, Manado (North Sulawesi), and Maluku, women wear kebaya by adjusting it to local creativity, Koentjoro noted.

“That is why, us, which consist of hundreds of communities are moved to preserve kebaya and propose to the government to establish National Kebaya Day such as Batik (National Day),” she said.

Source: Antara News