Preventing Stunting in Karangpawitan, KKNT Innovation IPB University Students Apply a Family-Based Approach
Stunting or the condition of growth failure in children due to chronic malnutrition is still a big challenge in Indonesia, including in Karangpawitan Village, West Karawang District, Karawang Regency, West Java.
To overcome this problem, IPB University’s Innovation Real-Thematic Work Lecture (KKNT) students launched a number of programs that focus on family empowerment education. The programs are Family Action to Prevent Stunting (Aksi Kamest) and Eco-Enzyme and Yard (Eco-Peka) in stunting prevention at the Integrated Nutrition Post ‘Graha Puspita’.
One of the KKNT Innovation IPB University students, Dhia Adibah Senjaya, explained that in the Kamest Action program, education is focused on parents whose children are included in the stunting locus. Parents receive counseling on stunting prevention materials and cooking demonstrations for supplementary feeding (PMT) with a mackerel team rice menu.
In addition, Eco-Peka activities are carried out by conducting socialization on the utilization of the yard and providing tomato and eggplant seeds. This is to fulfill family nutrition and education on the utilization of household waste with a demonstration of making ecoenzyme organic fertilizer.
“This activity is the team’s effort to increase public awareness regarding the fulfillment of nutrition, especially for children’s growth and development through the resources that families have,” continued Dhia.
Dhia added that the two programs that have been implemented will be followed by monitoring and evaluation so that the development of children’s nutritional quality and the growth of the distributed plants can be observed by monitoring every week until the KKNT Innovation period ends.
This activity is in collaboration with the Karawang Regency Health Center and was attended by the village, health center, and cadres.
As for the program evaluation activities at the end of July, the Secretary of the Village Chief, H Ade Gunawan expressed a positive response to the presence of KKNT Innovation IPB University students who participated in helping to prevent stunting in Karangpawitan Village.
“The presence of students is certainly very helpful in preventing stunting and is a breath of fresh air for the community because of new material and program sustainability through monitoring and evaluation,” he said.
This evaluation activity was also attended by the field supervisor, Dr Yulina Eva Riany, who was accompanied by the socialization of the importance of parenting and the first 1,000 days of life (HPK) in families, especially those indicated stunting.
“Hopefully, the various activities of IPB University students held at Graha Puspita Nutrition Post can have a sustainable impact and a real contribution to the community in reducing the level of stunting in Karangpawitan Village in the long term,” explained Dhia. (*/Rz) (IAAS/NYS).
