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The Savior’s relief in Indonesia: Child nutrition effort strives to improve health and well-being

‘As disciples of Christ, we strive to follow the Savior’s example by caring for the health and well-being of His children,’ Elder Teh says

In efforts to expand The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ global initiative to improve maternal and child health worldwide, the highly anticipated and warmly received child nutrition effort saw its first intake of 90 children and four pregnant mothers recently in Jakarta, Surabaya, and Surakarta, Indonesia.

The worldwide effort, led by the Relief Society, seeks to improve access to nutrition, immunizations and maternal and newborn care around the world. Having previously been implemented in Africa, Central America and the Philippines, it has now reached Indonesia. It is the first country in the Church’s Asia Area to launch the initiative, which aims to empower member families to prevent and relieve child malnutrition.

In the long term, malnutrition can have negative impacts on children’s physical and mental development. One significant effect is stunting, which causes children to have a shorter height than average for their age.

This issue is a top priority for the Indonesian government, which aims to decrease the stunting rate among young children to 14% by 2024 through its National Strategy to Accelerate Stunting Prevention. In a preliminary assessment conducted by the Church, nearly 70% of the children screened were identified as either at risk of malnutrition or suffering from it to a moderate or severe degree.

The Church’s recent efforts in Indonesia were reported on the Asia Area’s Newsroom site, which included a YouTube video titled “Nurturing Mothers’ Love: Global Child Nutrition Effort Comes to Indonesia.”

Elder Michael John U. Teh, a General Authority Seventy and second counselor in the Asia Area presidency said, “Many children in the Asia Area are facing malnutrition, which can lead to lifelong damage, preventing them from reaching their full human potential. This problem also impacts many children in our Church, even within our own families.”

He added: “As disciples of Christ, we strive to follow the Savior’s example by caring for the health and well-being of His children. The Asia Area is excited to embrace this important initiative, designed in partnership with local healthcare providers. We want to identify and improve children’s nutritional needs through Christlike ministering and local Church and community resources, starting in Indonesia.”

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A community of support

Maria Wasitosari receives reassuring counsel and advice from the participating doctor from NU after results show her daughter was stunted at the first child nutrition screenings in the Asia Area on Sept. 28, 2024, at the Surakarta Indonesia Stake Center in Surakarta, Indonesia. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

When Nofi Trisna Atmasari, then at the time three months into her pregnancy, learned from her bishop that a worldwide child nutrition initiative was being introduced in Indonesia, she immediately wanted to participate; as the program focuses particularly on pregnant women and children under the age of five.

On Sept. 28, she embarked on a three-hour bus trip from her home in Yogyakarta to the Church’s Surakarta Indonesia Stake Center to attend the inaugural nutritional screenings of the initiative.

Others joined Atmasari, finding themselves in similar situations. Maria Endriani Wasitosari and her family traveled from Semarang to the same stake center, taking a two-hour ride in a minibus with their 10-month-old. Concerned that her daughter was “quite slim” and shorter than her peers, Wasitosari was feeling anxious and worried. However, she soon discovered support and solutions at the meetinghouse.

Church volunteers and participating NU health professionals wave after a debriefing session between stakeholders on Sept. 28, 2024, at the Surakarta Indonesia Stake Center in Surakarta, Indonesia, after the child nutrition screening. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

On the successive weekends in late September and early October in Surabaya, Surakarta, and Jakarta, previously trained volunteers welcomed children and pregnant mothers into a local district or stake center to undergo a 30-minute nutritional screening by Church volunteers to identify if they were malnourished.

The families met with a health professional from the collaborating Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the largest Islamic organization in the world, who then interpreted their screening results and recommended an individual plan according to the needs of each child or the mother. After being provided healthy snacks to take home to improve their children’s nutrition, the families were connected with nutrition-related resources through their Church community.

After her child’s screening, Wasitosari was informed that her child was indeed stunted. Still, she said she felt “more reassured and encouraged to stay positive and not worry” based on the advice from her participating NU doctor and the network of members waiting to support her.

Reflecting the love of Christ and the Savior’s relief

Ervina Prayitno’s family attended the first child nutrition screenings in the Asia Area on Sept. 27, 2024, at the Surabaya Indonesia District Center in Surabaya, Indonesia. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Ervina Prayiitno and her family came to the Surabaya Indonesia District screening with their 2-year-old and 7-month-old sons to check whether their children’s “nutritional needs have been met”. After their experience, Ervina shared how they “are incredibly grateful for the program, as it helps us as parents to understand our child’s needs.”

Erika Stefani, who is from the same district and has a 2-year-old son, said, “When I heard this program was coming to Indonesia, I felt very happy, proud, and grateful that the Church cares about children and all of us.” Although her son threw a little tantrum when being weighed, she said she felt the overall experience was “very fun and exciting” for both of them.

The Church chartered buses to help member families attend from two to three hours' ride outside the city at the first child nutrition screenings in the Asia Area on Sept. 28, 2024, at the Surakarta Indonesia Stake Center in Surakarta, Indonesia. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Having the screenings in a familiar location, with known faces comforted the children. “The children think this is just an ordinary Church activity,” said Aster Pasha, the Surakarta stake welfare and self-reliance specialist who helped organize the Surakarta screenings.

The following day, arrangements were made to continue reaching out to families of children who missed the screening and to conduct monthly nutritional screenings, establishing a system to monitor the children’s continuous needs. “I am grateful for the members who are eager to serve,” expressed Joko Catur Jatmiko, second counselor in the Surakarta stake presidency. “This truly reflects the love of Christ within you.”

Technologies’ fight against malnutrition

Registration page for the ShareMy.Health application being used to record and share information during the first child nutrition screenings in the Asia Area on Sept. 28, 2024, in Surakarta, Indonesia. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Technology has been pivotal in coordinating efforts through the use of the third-party application ShareMy.Health, which is easily downloadable on mobile devices. This allows multiple stakeholders to effectively synchronize data and align their interventions, serving as a novel method aimed at innovating and refining efforts to combat malnutrition in Indonesia.

The success of this technological approach will guide future decisions by the Church regarding implementation in Asia and potentially elsewhere. This approach helps families easily track their health, see how their children’s growth compares to World Health Organization standards and take an active role in carrying out intervention plans. Local leaders can also view the data to help organize support for the families’ plans.

Bishop Rudi Banu Kuncoro, of the Jebres Ward in the Surakarta stake, said he received the screening results in just one day and “had the opportunity to review the details” on the app. “Through this,” he added, “I can identify who has health issues, especially concerning stunting, so I can give them special attention.”

Raising a better generation

Elder Juswan Tandiman, an Area Seventy in Indonesia, expresses appreciation for the Church members and volunteers who were involved in the first child nutrition screenings while at the Surakarta Indonesia Stake Center screening on Sept. 28, 2024, in Surakarta, Indonesia. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Elder Juswan Tandiman, an Area Seventy in Indonesia who visited the screenings, said: “This program can truly be a profound blessing for the next generation, guiding them towards a better future and life. Our hope is that everyone seeks out and invites others to access this program to bless their little children, including pregnant mothers who may need blessings from this effort.”

By monitoring the families’ progress in enhancing nutrition, stakeholders confidently anticipated increased success. The families could rely on consistent community support from their Church ministering circle and be directed to relevant resources both within and beyond the Church.

Nofi Trisna Atmasari shared how much the program would help benefit her unborn child as well as others “I feel the Church has an extraordinary program that supports us not only spiritually but also physically, preparing us to raise a better generation,” she said.

A participating doctor from NU in Surakarta, Dr. Tri Wigati, said, “The family’s role is significant here, and I commend the Church members for their participation, as the assistance offered through membership will be greatly beneficial in the future.”

‘Worth the sacrifice’

Dr. Yosi Eka Putri, coordinating representative from the NU Executive Board for the collaboration with the Church, flew from Jakarta to Sukarta to observe the first child nutrition screenings at the Surakarta Indonesia Stake Center on Sept. 28, 2024, in Surakarta, Indonesia. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Dr. Yosi Eka Putri, a member of the NU Executive Board that was responsible for coordinating NU’s resources for the collaboration, said, “This collaboration is very beneficial because stunting is a national and significant problem in Indonesia. Working together allows us to prevent social tension between religious communities by creating activities that have a positive impact on society. ... I hope this collaboration will continue in the future and have a comprehensive impact on Indonesia.”

For the present, Surakarta Stake Primary President Ratmini, who oversees all children aged 12 and under in the area, felt touched seeing the children facing mild to severe malnutrition receiving attention from the Church and being cared for. “I want this program to continue…It is worth the sacrifice for the sake of our children’s future.”

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Families participate in the first child nutrition screenings on Sept. 28, 2024, at the Surakarta Indonesia Stake Center in Surakarta, Indonesia. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Mothers register their children for the first child nutrition screenings in the Asia Area on Sept. 27, 2024, at the Surabaya Indonesia District Center in Surabaya, Indonesia. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
A Church volunteer sanitizes weighing equipment after each individual screening at the first child nutrition screenings in the Asia Area on Sept. 28, 2024, at the Surakarta Indonesia Stake Center in Surakarta, Indonesia. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
A mother distracts her baby with an arm measuring tool while waiting for screening results during the first child nutrition screenings in the Asia Area on Sept. 27, 2024, at the Surabaya Indonesia District Center in Surabaya, Indonesia. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Children attending the screenings saw a health professional from Nahdlatul Ulama, which collaborated with the Church for the program, at the first child nutrition screenings in the Asia Area on Sept. 28, 2024, at the Surakarta Indonesia Stake Center in Surakarta, Indonesia. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
A volunteer hands nutrition supplies to a family who joined the first child nutrition screenings in the Asia Area on Sept. 28, 2024, at the Surakarta Indonesia Stake Center in Surakarta, Indonesia. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Families participate in the first child nutrition screenings at the Surabaya Indonesia District Center on Sept. 27, 2024, in Surabaya, Indonesia. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
A Church volunteer helps a mother entertain her baby during a nutritional consultation at the first child nutrition screenings in the Asia Area on Sept. 28, 2024, at the Surakarta Indonesia Stake Center in Surakarta, Indonesia. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Pregnant Church member Nofi Trisna Atmasari registers herself for the first child nutrition screenings in the Asia Area on Sept. 28, 2024, at the Surakarta Indonesia Stake Center in Surakarta, Indonesia. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Bishop Rudi Banu Kuncoro from the Jebres congregation shares feedback at a Stake council meeting held on Sept. 29, 2024, at the Surakarta Indonesia Stake Center in Surakarta, Indonesia, after the previous day’s child nutrition screenings. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Dr. Tri Wigati who was a participating doctor shares her feedback at a debriefing session between stakeholders held on Sept. 28, 2024, at the Surakarta Indonesia Stake Center in Surakarta, Indonesia after the child nutrition screenings. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Surakarta Stake Primary President Ratmini listens closely during a family’s nutritional consultation while volunteering for the first child nutrition screenings in Indonesia at the Surakarta Indonesia Stake Center on Sept 28, 2024. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Families participate in the first child nutrition screenings on Sept. 28, 2024, at the Surakarta Indonesia Stake Center in Surakarta, Indonesia. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Nofi Trisna Atmasari smiles as she recounts her experience at the first child nutrition screenings in the Asia Area on Sept. 28, 2024, at the Surakarta Indonesia Stake Center in Surakarta, Indonesia. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Children attending the screenings went through various volunteer-manned stations to get measured at the first child nutrition screenings in the Asia Area on Sept. 28, 2024, at the Surakarta Indonesia Stake Center in Surakarta, Indonesia. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Children attending the screenings went through various volunteer-manned stations to get measured at the first child nutrition screenings in the Asia Area on Sept. 28, 2024, at the Surakarta Indonesia Stake Center in Surakarta, Indonesia. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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