Nurturing Mothers’ Love: Global Child Nutrition Effort Comes to Indonesia

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When Nofi Trisna Atmasari, who is three months pregnant, heard from her bishop at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that its global child nutrition effort was coming to Indonesia, she knew she wanted to join this program that focuses on pregnant mothers and children aged five and under. On September 28, 2024, she made the three-hour journey by bus from Yogyakarta, where she lives, to the Church’s Surakarta Stake Center to join the first nutritional screenings held for the effort.

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She was not alone. Maria Endriani Wasitosari’s family boarded a minibus with their 10-month-old for a two-hour ride to the same stake center from Semarang. She had noticed that her daughter was “quite slim” and shorter than other children her age, causing her some worry and stress. But she would soon find support and solutions there.

Over two weekends in September and October, the highly anticipated child nutrition effort had its first intake of 90 children and four pregnant mothers in Jakarta, Surabaya, and Surakarta, Indonesia. The women and children's initiative is a worldwide effort led by the Relief Society, the Church’s women’s organization. It has been implemented in Africa, Central America and the Philippines. Indonesia is the first country in the Church’s Asia Area to launch the multifaceted program, which aims to empower member families to prevent and relieve child malnutrition.

Malnutrition can adversely affect children physically and mentally in the long run. It can lead to stunting, which results in children having a low height for their age. Stunting is a priority concern of the Indonesian government, with its National Strategy to Accelerate Stunting Prevention setting the goal of reducing stunting in young children to 14 percent of the population by 2024. For the initial intake, almost 70% of children screened by the Church were found to be at risk of malnutrition, or facing it moderately or severely.

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Elder Michael Teh from the Church’s Asia Area Presidency said, “Many children in the Asia Area are facing malnutrition, which can lead to lifelong damage, preventing them from reaching their full human potential. This problem also impacts many children in our Church, even within our own families."

Elder Teh continued, "As disciples of Christ, we strive to follow the Savior’s example by caring for the health and well-being of His children. The Asia Area is excited to embrace this important initiative, designed in partnership with local healthcare providers. We want to identify and improve children’s nutritional needs through Christlike ministering and local Church and community resources, starting in Indonesia.“

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A Series of Screenings

On September 27, 28, and October 5, 2024, in Surabaya, Surakarta, and Jakarta, respectively, families in each city were welcomed to the familiar doors of their nearest District or Stake Center after being notified of the initiative through local Church leaders. The children and pregnant mothers underwent a 30-minute nutritional screening by Church volunteers to identify if they were malnourished. The volunteers who had previously been trained came from their local congregations.

The families met with a health professional from the collaborating Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the largest Islamic organization in the world, who interpreted their screening results and recommended an individual plan according to the needs of each child or mother. They were also provided healthy snacks to take home to improve their children’s nutrition. After the screening, the families were connected with nutrition-related resources through their Church community.

Maria discovered at the screening that her child was indeed stunted. Still, she felt “more reassured and encouraged to stay positive and not worry” based on the advice from her participating NU doctor and the network of members waiting to support her.

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Member-focused, Human-centered

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In the Surabaya District, Ervina Prayitno’s family came to the screening with their two-year-old and seven-month-old sons to check whether their children’s “nutritional needs have been met”. They thought it was sufficient but were surprised upon consulting the doctor that there were some gaps. “We are incredibly grateful for the program, as it helps us as parents to understand our child’s needs,” she said.

Their local leader, Branch President Wido Setyono, recounted, “I often think about families like Sister Ervina’s, who need knowledge about nutrition so that their children can grow and develop better.”

Erika Stefani from the same District, who has a two-year-old son, said, “When I heard this program was coming to Indonesia, I felt very happy, proud, and grateful that the Church cares about children and all of us.” Although her son threw a little tantrum when being weighed, she felt the overall experience was “very fun and exciting” for both of them.

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Having the screenings located in their regular meetinghouse and by known faces from the Church comforted many participating children. “The children think this is just an ordinary Church activity,” said Aster Pasha, the Surakarta Stake Welfare and Self-Reliance Specialist who helped organize the Surakarta screenings. She was heartened by the many members who volunteered for the program.

The next day, plans were made to continue following up with families of children who did not attend the screening and to hold monthly nutritional screenings, creating a system that assessed the children’s ongoing needs. “I am grateful for the members who are eager to serve,” shared Joko Catur Jatmiko, Second Counselor in the Surakarta Stake Presidency. “This truly reflects the love of Christ within you.” 

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Mobilizing Modern Methods

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Technology has played a crucial role in coordinating efforts by using third-party application ShareMy.Health, which can be downloaded readily on mobile phones. Multiple stakeholders can successfully sync data to synchronize their interventions. It is a new approach to innovating and streamlining the fight against malnutrition in Indonesia. The effectiveness of using this technology will inform future decisions by the Church on implementation in Asia and beyond.

This approach empowers families to easily access and track their health journeys, see how their children measure against World Health Organization growth charts, and be more hands-on in carrying out intervention plans and actions.  Their local leaders can also access the screening data and organize ministering efforts to support the families' plans.

Bishop Rudi Banu Kuncoro, who leads the Jebres congregation in Surakarta, shared that he received the screening results in just one day and “had the opportunity to review the details” on the app. He said, “Through this, I can identify who has health issues, especially concerning stunting, so I can give them special attention.”

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Many Helping Hands

By following up with the families on their progress with improving nutrition, stakeholders strongly predicted greater success. The families could also count on steady community support through their Church ministering circle and be referred to appropriate resources from within and outside the Church.

Indonesia’s Area Seventy, Elder Juswan Tandiman, who visited the screenings, reflected, “This program can truly be a profound blessing for the next generation, guiding them towards a better future and life. Our hope is that everyone seeks out and invites others to access this program to bless their little children, including pregnant mothers who may need blessings from this effort.”

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Nofi said the program would benefit her unborn child and many others. “I feel the Church has an extraordinary program that supports us not only spiritually but also physically, preparing us to raise a better generation,” she said.

After the screenings, two stake nutritional devotionals were held virtually on September 29 for Surabaya and Surakarta and October 6, 2024, for Jakarta. The devotionals served as online gatherings to encourage members to learn about child nutrition and the role of the Church community in supporting family nutrition plans. This was key information as the Church community is the main source of volunteers trained alongside Church staff to conduct the screenings and run the effort.

A participating doctor from NU in Surakarta, Dr. Tri Wigati, said, “The family’s role is significant here, and I commend the Church members for their participation, as the assistance offered through membership will be greatly beneficial in the future.”

More Efforts to Come

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Following the successful launch of the effort in Indonesia, Church staff will return to the respective cities again to monitor the progress, record the initiative's successes, and explore outreach to other regions. The Church has already received NU’s encouragement to expand the program in Indonesia. Introducing the women and children's initiative to other parts of the Asia Area is also under consideration. 

Dr. Yosi Eka Putri from the NU Executive Board was responsible for coordinating NU’s resources for the collaboration. She commented, “This collaboration is very beneficial because stunting is a national and significant problem in Indonesia. Working together allows us to prevent social tension between religious communities by creating activities that have a positive impact on society...I hope this collaboration will continue in the future and have a comprehensive impact on Indonesia.”

For the present, Surakarta Stake Primary President Ratmini, who oversees all children aged 12 and under in the area, expressed feeling touched seeing the children facing mild to severe malnutrition receiving attention from the Church and being cared for. “I want this program to continue…It is worth the sacrifice for the sake of our children’s future,” she said.

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In a personal appeal, she concluded, “For those members and families who could not join yesterday, whether as volunteers or participants, I truly ask—and even urge—you to get involved. This program will be tremendously beneficial for your children, your family, and their future.”

More information on the women and children's initiative and nutritional resources are available in English and Indonesian on the Church’s child nutrition website.