The spirit of our nation should be built starting from the families
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian Vice President Ma'ruf Amin called on the National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN) to intensify the dissemination of information on the Population and Family Planning Development (Bangga Kencana) Program to remote areas.

“Nowadays, the role of the family, as the smallest unit in society, becomes more critical to ensure complete development of quality human resources," he remarked at the 2022 National Working Meeting for the Bangga Kencana Program on Tuesday.

Amin has assessed that the program can strengthen self-understanding in families on the importance of building the family’s resilience.

Children initially learn and practice various values from their families -- including religious principles, social norms, and nationalism -- which are crucial for the development of their intelligence, character, morals, beliefs, productivity, and health.

Hence, the family’s resilience is crucial for the development of quality Indonesian human resources.

“The spirit of our nation should be built starting from families. Hence, I expect that the implementation of the Bangga Kencana Program can reach members of the younger generations in remote areas," the vice president stated.

Furthermore, Amin called to seriously address the issue of stunting in children since it can hinder the children’s physical growth and prevent them from increasing their potential to achieve their dreams in future.

Thus, stunting can have a major impact on the development of the country's human capital as one of the important factors to advance the nation.

"If almost 30 percent of Indonesian children suffer from stunting, then we could likely lose 30 percent of Indonesia's future human capital,” Amin noted.

In addition, stunting can cause a three-percent gross domestic product (GDP) loss per year.

“Indonesia's GDP in 2020 was at at around Rp15,000 trillion. Thus, the GDP loss due to stunting can potentially reach Rp450 trillion per year," the vice president cautioned.

In addition to broadening the reach of the Bangga Kencana Program to remote areas, he also called on the BKKBN to optimize the agency’s existing resources.

Expediting the stunting reduction program must be conducted in accordance with the principles of accountability in managing the resources as well as maintaining the existing partnerships, he stated.

It is also important to ensure that the planning and running of BKKBN programs, activities, and budgets are well-coordinated, so the attempts can truly benefit all Indonesian families.

Related news: Contraceptive devices can be used immediately after childbirth: BKKBN
Related news: Planning pregnancies can help prevent childhood stunting: BKKBN
Related news: BKKBN-DKT targets contraceptive use in 70% of mothers post-labor

Translator: Hreeloita Shanti, Uyu Liman
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2022