The National Nutrition Day on Wednesday, February 28, 2017, becomes an important moment for all Indonesian people, especially parents, considering that undernutrition in children is still a fundamental issue in Indonesia. The data released by UNICEF in 2017 showed that 37% of Indonesian children under five years of age are suffering from stunted growth. Stunted children have low height-for-age due to malnutrition. Stunting can have a long-term impact on health. In 15 provinces in Indonesia, the average number of stunting cases has raised to more than 40%.
One way to break the chains of malnutrition is by aggressively campaigning for balanced nutrition in the community. Having the concern for such issue, KITA Bercerita takes part in campaigning for the importance of closely observing the nutrient intake in children at an early age. The message was delivered in a fun way, which is through stories, told to the children at PAUD Sanggar Fortune 2, Ragunan, South Jakarta. The stories were told by employees of Rajawali Group and a volunteer named Susi Nurohmi, S.Gz, a graduate student of Community Nutrition Science of Bogor Agricultural University.
“The storytelling appeared to be interesting this time since we integrate it with health values, especially food nutrition for children so that parents are increasingly aware and concerned about the food they consume. We also encouraged the kids not to buy snacks from unhealthy street vendors,” said Gita Galantari, the initiator of KITA Bercerita. “Directing children who are already used to buying snacks from street vendors is not easy. By telling stories we hope to get this message across to the children, as well as the parents,” she said again. In addition to telling stories, Susi also gave tips to parents to sort and serve nutritious meals for the family at home. “It doesn’t have to be expensive, but the intake should be complete and suitable for the needs,” she concluded.
In this event, KITA Bercerita also inaugurated PAUD Sanggar Fortune 2 as Rumah Cerita. Rumah Cerita is a place with lots of books, storytelling aids, and administrators who are committed to spending 10 minutes to tell stories to children on daily basis. Previously, KITA Bercerita has also inaugurated PAUD Master Depok and Elsafan Foundation for the Blind as Rumah Cerita.
The inauguration of Rumah Cerita is part of the roadshow to Negeri Cerita (Land of Stories) to be held in July 2017. KITA Bercerita will make Negeri Cerita as the heaven of stories for Indonesian children.