Around 30 million children under five are stunted with the highest prevalence in Christian majority East Nusa Tenggara province
Archbishop Petrus Turang of Kupang during Easter Mass at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Kupang, the provincial capital of East Nusa Tenggara, in Indonesia on April 9. (Photo supplied)
An archbishop in a Christian-majority province with the highest stunting rate in Indonesia has called on Catholics to help reduce its prevalence in the spirit of Easter.
"The role of all of us in overcoming stunted growth is also a real step towards realizing ecological justice in our lives," said Archbishop Petrus Turang of Kupang during Easter Mass at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Kupang, the provincial capital of East Nusa Tenggara on April 9.
Stunting, or low height for age among children, is an indicator of poor nutrition and repeated illnesses such as diarrhea and intestinal worms, in addition to a mother’s own poor health and nutrition that affects the offspring.
The archbishop said it was time for Catholics to "take concrete steps" to tackle the issue which continues to be a serious problem in the province.
He called on the faithful to help needy families provide proper nutritional intake for their children in a spirit of solidarity, as well as supporting government efforts on the ground.
The archbishop emphasized that Easter is a moment to remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and his resurrection, which "should be an impetus for Catholics to increase their role in public life."
"We all have a responsibility to help build and care for an environment that enables human survival," he said.
The Christian-majority province of East Nusa Tenggara has the worst prevalence of child stunting in Indonesia.
Based on the findings of the latest Nutrition Status Survey by the Ministry of Health released in February, 21.6 percent or around 30 million children under five across the country are stunted.
In East Nusa Tenggara province, where more than 80 percent of the people are Christians, the prevalence is 35.3 percent, the highest among all 34 provinces.
The province with a population of five million people also has 89,410 families who fall into the extremely poor category and are spread across five districts out of its 22 districts. One of the worst affected areas is in East Manggarai Regency, where 92 percent of the population is Catholic.
George Hadjoh, the acting mayor of Kupang, said that his party was grateful for the church's attention to the problem of stunting as they really hoped for collaborations to fight it.
"The government cannot work alone. The government needs the church, and all the stakeholders to step up," he told UCA News.
Meanwhile, Governor Viktor Bungtilu Laiskodat said he was looking for collaboration with churches as “parish priests, for example, understand better the condition of their people.”
The Indonesian government is looking to reduce stunting by 14 percent next year with a slew of measures including regular health checks for prospective brides and pregnant women, weighing and measuring the height of toddlers, besides making available clean water and health facilities.
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