By Yusli Harini, Health Team Leader
April 29th is National Posyandu Day in Indonesia, celebrating the vital role of Posyandu (monthly mother-infant health posts) in providing essential health services to communities, particularly in rural areas, with a major focus on supporting mothers from pregnancy through to their child’s 5th birthday. One of the most pressing issues addressed is stunting, which remains a significant challenge in Ban village’s 19 unique hamlets. Posyandu plays a crucial role in combating stunting by providing nutritional education, monitoring growth, and ensuring access to nutritious food and clean water.
Since 1998, EBPP has been dedicated to improving healthcare access in Ban Village when only the four of the 19 hamlets had access to a Posyandu as there was no road access to the others, scattered high up the steep Mount Agung and Abang slopes in this 7,200-hectare village. However, through support from UNICEF and collaboration with community leaders, the village government, and local health centre, EBPP successfully increased the number of Posyandu to 27, ensuring more comprehensive health coverage for all the communities.
EBPP's support for Posyandu in Ban Village has been multifaceted, including posyandu cadre training in measuring children's growth and nutritional status, collaborated with healthcare professionals for health services, partnered with the Coca Cola Company to provide bottled drinking water, and supplied cooking facilities for preparing nutritious food like mung bean porridge.
The success of Posyandu in Ban Village is attributed to the support and collaboration of various stakeholders. EBPP expresses gratitude for this collaboration and hopes that Posyandu will continue to provide optimal health services to the community, particularly in combating stunting and improving the overall health and well-being of children in Ban village.
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