More Than Two Thousand Toddlers in Semarang Suffer from Stunting, Phapros Builds Posyandu Cadre Capacity.

Semarang, February 17th, 2020 - PT Phapros, Tbk, a subsidiary of PT Kimia Farma (Persero) Tbk, held a capacity building training for Posyandu cadres through its CSR program. The event took place at the Phapros factory in Simongan area, Semarang, Central Java, and was attended by dozens of cadres from all Posyandu located in the Bongsari Village, West Semarang, Central Java.

Phapros President Director, Barokah Sri Utami, said that they regularly hold capacity building training for Posyandu cadres, considering that Posyandu is one of the frontline troops in reducing the number of children with short stature due to acute malnutrition or commonly known as stunting.

"We know that the stunting rate in Indonesia is still quite high. In Semarang itself, according to data from the Semarang City Health Office in 2018, the prevalence of stunted toddlers in Semarang was 2.73% or 2,708 children," said the woman who is familiarly called Emmy.

Emmy added that even though the number is smaller than the prevalence of stunted toddlers in Central Java, which is 34%, this condition must still be a shared concern. "Therefore, we always empower Posyandu cadres who have a crucial role in improving children's nutrition to prevent stunting," she added.

Some of the training materials held in collaboration with Ngemplak Health Center, Simongan, Semarang, include the revitalization of Posyandu by increasing the strata of Posyandu located in Bongsari Village, West Semarang, making healthy snacks to meet the nutritional needs of toddlers, and parental care for children to support the Semarang City Government's program to make Semarang a Child-Friendly City (KLA).

Heroe Soekendar, the West Semarang Sub-district Head who attended the event, said that he appreciated the steps taken by Phapros to support the government's program. "There are many factors that cause stunting, but with competent Posyandu cadres monitoring children's development, it is expected to reduce the stunting rate," he said.

He added that Semarang is currently being pushed to become a Child-Friendly City (KLA) by the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection. By mid-2019, Semarang had fulfilled 50% of the total 24 KLA requirements from the central government. "The training on good parenting given to Posyandu cadres today is also expected to help the Semarang City Government realize the KLA program, so that it can catch up with other cities such as Denpasar, Solo, Makassar, and Surabaya, which have already been awarded the KLA category," explained Heru.

Since 2013, Phapros has been fostering one of the Posyandu in Bongsari Village called Pelita Sehat. The pilot project, which has successfully reached the independent stratum, the highest stratum of Posyandu, then expanded in 2019, where Phapros added another fostered Posyandu still located in Bongsari Village, called Posyandu Mekarsari. In supporting activities in its fostered Posyandu to reduce the stunting rate, Phapros has provided various facilities and training to complete facilities and pre-facilities such as environmentally friendly children's eating utensils.