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Tanoto Foundation BRANDVOICE| Paid Program Nov 9, 2022,09:00am EST
- Effective collaboration between national, sub-national and community stakeholders required to support Indonesian Government’s stunting targets
- Anti-stunting efforts by Tanoto Foundation backed up by recent call to action at Philanthropy Asia Summit
Stunting has been a major problem in Indonesia and in other developing countries, with significant impact on the development of children and on society as a whole. The effects of stunting include diminished mental ability and learning capacity, poor school performance, and increased risk of nutrition-related chronic diseases such as diabetes.
In Indonesia, the national Nutrition Status Survey (SSGI) in 2021 showed that the overall stunting rate had dropped from 30.8% in 2018 to 24.4% in 2021 among the country’s 23 million children aged under five. But this still means that more than 5 million children in Indonesia today will have their futures imperilled by stunting, which is primarily caused by poor nutrition and sanitation.
Last July, President Joko Widodo declared that the government was committed to lowering the prevalence of stunting to 14% over the next two years.
Multi-Stakeholder Convergence
While stunting can be prevented, it is a complex issue requiring multidisciplinary solutions and collaboration between different groups of stakeholders. Tanoto Foundation uses a multipronged approach by working with government institutions, development organizations, academic institutions and NGOs to support change and empowerment among those most affected by stunting.
The Foundation has been partnering with Indonesia’s National Population and Family Planning Board (BKKBN) to identify families who are at risk and to offer these families access to the Foundation’s parenting and early learning centers (Rumah Anak SIGAP) and their services. Earlier this year, President Widodo appointed BKKBN to serve as the bridge between the 22 ministries and government agencies involved in the national stunting reduction efforts, with an aim to fast-track the implementation of government programs on the ground.
At a sub-national level, in recent years the Foundation has selected specific provinces and districts for more comprehensive intervention programs because of the pivotal role that provincial governments play in allocating and approving budgets for health and nutrition initiatives.
The main program interventions at provincial level focus on behavioral change and the importance of the role of caregivers. The target beneficiaries are adolescents, young couples, families with pregnant and breastfeeding women, and families with children under five. A key target is families with pregnant women and children under the age of two (the ‘first 1,000 days of life’ families).
One notable recent intervention was the Foundation’s cooperation with UNICEF in 2021 to develop stunting prevention campaigns in six provinces. The campaign provided information on stunting prevention to mothers and caregivers of young children through selected mass media, social media and digital platforms. This program was designed to increase adoption of the six best practices among pregnant and lactating women, mothers, and caregivers of children under five.
The Foundation has also collaborated with UNICEF to adopt two population-based development measurements for children aged 0-3 (CREDI) and children aged 2-5 (ECDI) for use in Indonesia. The ECDI has now been adopted by Indonesia’s National Statistics Bureau (BPS) as part of the annual national socio-economic survey.
Building Early Childhood Parenting Skills
Another main focus area for Tanoto Foundation in Indonesia is on building early childhood parenting skills. This is addressed through the provision of early childhood development services. One essential channel for the delivery of these services is the Rumah Anak SIGAP centers.
These centers offer four services: learning for parents, children playing together, one-to-one consultations, and home visits. So far, the Foundation has established 23 centers in four provinces, with another four to be completed by the end of 2022.
Building on these outreach programs for parents, the Foundation has leveraged existing infrastructure and developed training modules and systems to equip 600,000 family support team members (TPK) and 39,000 social workers from the Pendamping Sosial PKH conditional cash transfer program with the skills to address stunting in their programs.
Capacity-building efforts also focus on support for public sector bodies. Working with the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Foundation has helped to train more than 22,000 social workers who are assisting poor families. It has also seconded a senior specialist to the Ministry of Social Affairs to develop stunting prevention modules for social workers to assist poor families through the Program Keluarga Harapan conditional-cash transfer initiative.
Mobilizing Support across Asia
The experience built up by Tanoto Foundation over the years has shown that health and nutritional interventions alone are not enough. At national and sub-national levels, more can be done to strengthen policies, programs and services to combat stunting.
This experience was also the basis for the Foundation’s call to action at the recent Philanthropy Asia Summit in Singapore, where it highlighted the potential to replicate its SIGAP program in other countries. In turn, this may help catalyze efforts to address stunting on a wider level throughout the wider Asian region.
As well as the call to action at the Summit, the Foundation announced its participation in the new Philanthropy Asia Alliance, which will see it committing US$25 million to a range of social causes across the region. Other members of the alliance include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Li Ka Shing Foundation.
Ultimately, successfully addressing stunting in Indonesia is a long-term challenge that will require ongoing collaboration between stakeholders, as well as continued support and investment across a range of areas. This means that philanthropic organizations such as Tanoto Foundation, non-profits, corporates, social activists and government officials will have to work hand-in-hand to create an enabling environment for children to thrive in.Tanoto Foundation
Tanoto Foundation harnesses the transformative strength of education to realize people’s full potential and to improve lives. Tanoto Foundation was built upon the belief of our founders, Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto, that every human being deserves the opportunity to fulfil his or her full potential.
By 2030 we will:
• Contribute to the reduction of the stunting rate in Indonesia to below 20%
• Help Indonesia become one of the five most improved countries in the OECD (PISA) ranking system
• Catalyse preventive and integrative medical research efforts into Asian prevalent diseases to extend the average health span of Asians
• Support the development of a community of leaders who are making a positive impact on society Read Less