After attending a working meeting on the acceleration of stunting reduction in 12 priority provinces led by Vice President Ma'ruf Amin at the Vice Presidential Palace, here, on Thursday, Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, Muhadjir Effendy, invited citizens to participate in the movement.
Active public participation would contribute significantly to efforts to accelerate stunting reduction, he said.
If five million people contribute to the movement, the stunting problem can be resolved, he added.
Related news: Adolescents have crucial role in reducing maternal deaths: BKKBN
A number of representatives from provinces outside Java region who attended the meeting asked the central government to encourage big companies operating in the regions to provide funds under their corporate social responsibility (CSR) program to help reduce stunting and poverty in the regions, he said.
The provinces that made the suggestion included Southeast Sulawesi, South Kalimantan, and West Sulawesi, he added.
The minister then asked company leaders in areas with a high prevalence of childhood stunting to support stunting mitigation efforts.
He said that the utilization and management of the special CSR fund would be coordinated with the local stunting task force.
Related news: BKKBN, stakeholders launch Family Planning 2030 program
The Health Ministry’s Indonesian Nutrition Status Survey (SSGI) pegged the prevalence of stunting in the country at 24.4 percent in 2021.
The government is targeting to reduce stunting prevalence to 14 percent by 2024.
According to the survey, there were seven provinces with a high prevalence of stunting, namely East Nusa Tenggara (37.8 percent), West Sulawesi (33.8 percent), Aceh (33.2 percent), West Nusa Tenggara (31.4 percent), Southeast Sulawesi (30.2 percent), South Kalimantan (30 percent), and West Kalimantan (29.8 percent).
Meanwhile, the provinces with the highest number of stunted children under the age of five years were West Java (971,792 children), Central Java (651,708), East Java (508,618), North Sumatra (347,437), and Banten (268,158).
Related news: Eliminating poverty can reduce likelihood of child marriage: BKKBN
Related news: Family Planning 2030 to strengthen existing programs: BKKBN
Translator: Desca Natalia, Uyu Liman
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2022
