Jakarta - Nutrition in toddlers remains a critical public health issue in Indonesia. Stunting is not only characterized by stunted growth but also has long-term consequences for quality of life.

BRI continues to play an active role in supporting government programs to prevent and reduce the prevalence of stunting, while contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. This commitment is realized through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program, BRI Peduli, which distributes a program titled "Preventing Stunting is Important" in various regions across Indonesia.

One way to achieve this is through the "Preventing Stunting is Important" program, which is being held in various regions across Indonesia, including the Cilincing Community Health Center in Cilincing Village, North Jakarta, and the Pangalengan Community Health Center in Pangalengan District, Bandung Regency, West Java. This activity also commemorates National Nutrition Day, which falls on January 25th.

BRI Corporate Secretary Dhanny revealed that the BRI Cares program "Preventing Stunting is Important" is a form of BRI's support for the government's program in preventing and reducing the prevalence of stunting, as well as supporting the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs ) Number 2 "Zero Hunger".

These activities include providing nutritious nutrition packages for stunted children, supplementary food packages for pregnant women and toddlers, and anthropometry kits to support accurate child growth and development measurements at integrated health posts (Posyandu) and community health centers (Puskesmas). Each anthropometry kit includes a digital scale, a baby scale, an infantometer, a stadiometer, and a digital sphygmomanometer.

The overall program is also reinforced with nutrition and parenting education for parents, pregnant women, and adolescent girls as an early prevention effort. This demonstrates the program's comprehensive approach, not only providing assistance but also strengthening the foundation for stunting prevention.

"Through this activity, stunting prevention is not only positioned as a health issue, but also as a shared responsibility in building a healthy and quality generation," said Dhanny.

Dhanny also emphasized that this effort is expected to strengthen community participation in supporting sustainable stunting reduction, while also contributing to improving the quality of life for children as a vital asset for future development.

Since its launch in 2022, the BRI Cares to Prevent Stunting Is Important program has reached 7,783 residents, including parents, toddlers, pregnant women, and adolescent girls. The program has also distributed 130 anthropometry kits at 49 integrated health posts (Posyandu) and community health centers (Puskesmas) across Jakarta, Padang, Yogyakarta, Denpasar, Malang, Makassar, Banjarmasin, and Manado.

At the Cilincing Community Health Center, for example, the Prevent Stunting Is Important program targets toddlers and pregnant women in the area. Cilincing is a Jakarta sub-district with a relatively high prevalence of stunting (medium category), with 55 children at risk of stunting in recovery and 150 children at risk undergoing counseling.

Through the Preventing Stunting Is Important program, BRI Cares carries out a number of activities such as stunting prevention outreach, providing Supplementary Food Packages (PMT), free health checks, and providing anthropometry kits.

On that occasion, Masliani Novaria, a Nutritionist at the Cilincing District Health Center, stated that the implementation of the Preventing Stunting Is Important program from BRI Peduli is a form of collaboration between various agencies and the community to support the acceleration of reducing stunting rates in the Cilincing District area.

"Thank you to BRI Peduli for supporting the Preventing Stunting Is Important program in the Cilincing District, with its various benefits. We hope that BRI can continue to support stunting prevention interventions in Indonesia, as stunting prevention cannot be promoted and implemented solely by the health sector. Its implementation also requires multi-stakeholder collaboration to accelerate stunting reduction," he said.