Gunungkidul — Efforts to prevent stunting require collaboration and a comprehensive approach, ranging from ensuring adequate nutrition, health education, behavioral change, and capacity building for community health workers, to support for a healthy environment and sanitation. This is the foundation for Cita Sehat’s partnership with Herbalife Indonesia in launching the Stunting Prevention & Sanitation Initiative at the Sendowo Kidul Posyandu in Kedungkeris Village, Nglipar Subdistrict, Gunungkidul Regency, on Monday (7/9).
Under the slogan “Working Together to Prevent Stunting and Optimize Sanitation for a Healthy and Smart Generation,” this program is designed as a community-based health initiative involving various stakeholders, ranging from local governments and health workers to community health volunteers and the local community.
Collaboration to Build a Healthier Generation
The program launch was attended by the Director of Herbalife Indonesia, the Director of Public Affairs at Herbalife Indonesia, the Director of Cita Sehat, a representative from the Yogyakarta Special Region Provincial Health Office, the Head of the Public Health Division at the Gunungkidul Regency Health Office, local government representatives, the Head of the Kedungkeris Village, representatives from the police, representatives from the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), and the PLKB Coordinator for Nglipar Subdistrict.
The presence of these various parties is an important part of the spirit of collaboration to ensure that health programs can run in an integrated manner and provide tangible benefits to the community.
In his remarks, Herbalife Indonesia Director Oktrianto Wahyu Jatmiko stated that Herbalife Indonesia is a global health and wellness company committed to helping people lead healthier lives through proper nutrition, a healthy and active lifestyle, and health education.
“We are honored to partner with Cita Sehat in launching a community-based stunting prevention and sanitation program in Kedungkeris Village. This three-year program is part of our commitment to supporting the government’s efforts to reduce stunting and foster a #HealthierIndonesia generation,” he said.
He added that preventing stunting requires a comprehensive approach. It involves not only nutrition but also education, behavioral changes toward a healthy lifestyle, capacity building for health workers, and access to a better environment and sanitation.
Stunting Prevention Starts in the Community
This program positions the community as a key component in efforts to prevent stunting. Health education, capacity building for community health workers, family support, meeting nutritional needs, and promoting clean and healthy living practices are all part of the interventions to be implemented.
This approach aligns with the need for stunting prevention that focuses not only on the child’s condition but also on factors that influence growth and development—from the preconception period through pregnancy and into the child’s growth period.
Through collaboration with various stakeholders, the program is expected to strengthen the community’s capacity to identify risk factors for stunting while adopting healthy lifestyle behaviors on a sustainable basis.
Support for sanitation is also a key component of the program. A healthy environment and access to adequate sanitation are essential factors in creating conditions that support family health and child growth and development.
The Sendowo Kidul Posyandu Becomes a Multifunctional Health Center
The commitment to preventing stunting is also demonstrated through the strengthening of community-level facilities.
The Head of Kedungkeris Village, Rusdi Martono, S.Pd., expressed his appreciation for the support from various parties, particularly Herbalife Indonesia, which has initiated the construction of a posyandu building in Kedungkeris.
According to him, the building not only serves as a symbol of support for health programs but also provides additional facilities that can strengthen community activities.
Today, the facility is not only used as a posyandu but also serves as a multipurpose space for the community. Activities held there include weighing toddlers, adolescents, and the elderly, as well as serving as a coordination space for community health workers, cooking classes, youth groups, farmers’ groups, and the community in Sendowo Kidul.
“This building is not only symbolic, but also provides additional facilities and resources to foster our enthusiasm and efforts in preventing stunting in our neighborhood,” he said.
The multifunctional use of these facilities is expected to expand the role of community health centers as venues for education, coordination, and the promotion of various activities that support residents’ health.
A Series of Health Interventions Throughout the Program
As the implementing partner, Cita Sehat Director Ali Mujianto, S.I.P., M.M., stated that Cita Sehat appreciates the trust placed in it by Herbalife Indonesia to carry out a health-focused CSR program that has a direct impact on the community.
In carrying out the program, Cita Sehat will organize a number of activities designed to strengthen the promotive and preventive aspects of public health. Over the next four months, this series of activities will include the “Gebyar Senam Sehat” Healthy Active Lifestyle (HAL) Campaign, a Healthy Active Lifestyle (HAL) Campaign, Training on 25 Basic Competencies for Health Cadres, Family Planning Cadre Training, supplementation for pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and expectant mothers, Peer Assistants for pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers, exercise classes for pregnant women, as well as the PMT Cooking Workshop and the “Isi Piringku” (Fill My Plate) program.
This series of activities is expected to enhance the community’s knowledge, skills, and capacity to maintain family health, while also strengthening the role of community health workers as health advocates in their neighborhoods.
Hopes for a Sustainable Program
Support for the program also came from the Gunungkidul Regency Health Office. On that occasion, they expressed the hope that the program would continue and contribute to reducing stunting rates as one of the indicators of public health.
“We hope this program will continue. We hope stunting rates will decrease, as that is one of the health indicators. We hope there will be plans to expand to a wider area, not just Kedungkeris,” said a representative from the Gunungkidul Regency Health Office.
This hope underscores the importance of sustaining health interventions so that the program’s impact does not end with the launch event, but can continue to be felt and developed at the community level.
For Cita Sehat, the sustainability of health programs requires consistent partnerships among institutions, the government, the private sector, health workers, community health volunteers, and the community.
From Kedungkeris for a Healthier Indonesia
Through this program, Cita Sehat and Herbalife Indonesia are working to strengthen the public health ecosystem by combining education, capacity building, nutritional interventions, physical activity, and improvements in sanitation and a healthy environment.
This collaboration is also part of Cita Sehat’s commitment to continuously forge strategic partnerships with various stakeholders, both local and international. This initiative aims to provide inclusive, high-quality, and sustainable access to health services and education starting at the grassroots level.
Preventing stunting is not just about ensuring that children receive adequate nutrition. More than that, it requires families with health knowledge, a supportive environment, healthy lifestyles, competent community health workers, and access to adequate health facilities and services.
At the Sendowo Kidul Posyandu in Kedungkeris Village, collaboration among various stakeholders is expected to serve as a concrete step toward building a healthier and more resilient community.
Together, let’s prevent stunting, improve sanitation, and create an environment that supports children’s growth and development, leading to a healthier and smarter generation of Indonesians.
