Communion of Churches in Indonesia plans to provide couples with premarital preparation courses to tackle the problem
According to the National Population and Family Planning Board, 6.1 million of the 23 million under-five children in Indonesia suffer from stunting. (Photo: lifeflip.org)
The Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI) has called on Protestants to help reduce child stunting in a country where the prevalence rate remains high despite a slight decrease.
PGI spokesman Reverend Jeirry Sumampow said in a statement issued on April 8, a day after World Health Day, that the annual celebration reminded all member denominations of their religious services such as “healing” and of their support for people’s welfare.
“One issue related to health and the quality of life which has brought the international community is the high prevalence of child stunting. Our beloved country, Indonesia, is facing a similar issue,” he said.
Child stunting is the impaired growth and development that children experience from poor nutrition, repeated infection and inadequate psychosocial stimulation.
Sumampow cited the 2021 data from the Health Ministry’s Indonesian Nutritional Status Monitoring Survey revealing that the child stunting rate decreased from 27.7 percent in 2019 to 24.4 percent in 2021.
According to the National Population and Family Planning Board (BKKBN), 6.1 million of the 23 million under-five children in Indonesia suffer from stunting.
“However, there are still member denominations which merely focus on spirituality and do not yet provide couples with adequate knowledge about how to prevent child stunting”
“Despite the slight decrease, the child stunting prevalence remains high compared to the World Health Organisation standard, which is up to 20 percent. Even some Asian countries have a smaller prevalence of child stunting, such as Singapore (4 percent), Thailand (16 percent) and Malaysia (17 percent),” Sumampow said.
“Therefore, we call on all member denominations to work together with the government and related parties to help prevent and reduce the child stunting rate. One concrete action we can take is to provide couples with premarital preparation courses at least three months prior to their marriage.”
Sumampow also urged the government to hold massive and concrete campaigns with the involvement of all social elements to reduce the prevalence of child stunting across the country, including remote areas.
Speaking to UCA News, Reverend Jimmy Sormin, executive secretary of the PGI’s Witness and Integrity of Creation Desk, said premarital preparation courses were started by all 95 member denominations of the PGI some years ago.
“However, there are still member denominations which merely focus on spirituality and do not yet provide couples with adequate knowledge about how to prevent child stunting,” he said.
In addition, he said, the PGI in cooperation with the ministry produced a guidebook on child stunting prevention for couples in 2019 and held a health program for girls in 2021.
“In the application, priests serve as companions. They must check with couples whether they have downloaded the application and answered all questions”
This year the PGI will release a new book containing information about health issues, among others.
“Building the welfare of families must be holistic. It is not merely about their spirituality but also their health condition,” Sormin said.
Earlier, several dioceses, including the Diocese of Weetebula in East Nusa Tenggara province and the Diocese of Palangkaraya in Central Kalimantan province, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on child stunting prevention with the BKKBN.
Both Redemptorist Bishop Edmund Woga of Weetebula and Holy Family Bishop Aloysius Maryadi Sutrisnaatmaka of Palangkaraya could not be reached for comment.
During the signing of the MoU in February, however, Bishop Sutrisnaatmaka said the Catholic Church has provided couples with premarital preparation courses, and the child stunting prevention application called Elsimil, which was launched by the BKKBN, would never be an issue for priests.
Elsimil contains questions about health which must be answered by couples at least three months prior to their marriage.
“In the application, priests serve as companions. They must check with couples whether they have downloaded the application and answered all questions,” Bishop Sutrisnaatmaka said, as quoted by rri.co.id.
Help us keep UCA News independent
The Church in Asia needs objective and independent journalism to speak the truth about the Church and the state.
With a network of professionally qualified journalists and editors across Asia, UCA News is just about meeting that need. But professionalism does not come cheap. We depend on you, our readers, to help maintain our independence and seek that truth.
A small donation of US$2 a month would make a big difference in our quest to achieve our goal.
Share your comments
SPECIAL EBOOKS
