The Indonesian government continues its efforts to combat stunting. According to data from the National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN), as of January 2025, the stunting prevalence rate remains at 21.5 percent. BKKBN is targeting a reduction in stunting prevalence to 18 percent by 2025.

In line with this goal, efforts to reduce stunting prevalence in West Sumbawa Regency (KSB) are showing promising progress. As reported by Antaranews.com, the KSB Health Office stated that the stunting rate in KSB in 2024 stood at 7.37 percent, a decrease from 10.3 percent in 2023. Still from Antaranews.com, Acting Regent of West Sumbawa Julmansyah noted that women played a significant role in lowering stunting rates in the region. He emphasized that the DASHAT (Healthy Kitchen to Overcome Stunting) program—led by resilient women and integrated with economic empowerment, food security, and women’s entrepreneurship—was one of the key efforts in protecting women and children.

Julmansyah’s statement reflects the components of a program run by the CARE Peduli Foundation (YCP) to accelerate stunting reduction in KSB. Muhammad Ikraman, Project Manager of YCP in KSB, explained that their stunting intervention program is holistic. “This program doesn’t only focus on nutrition, but also addresses behavior change, parental education, and local food security. In general, all parents of children receiving interventions participate in parenting classes so they can assess their child’s growth and development. We also provide education to adolescents about the risks of early marriage,” said Ikraman.

Ikraman added that provision additional nutritious meal (PMT) for recovery is a main component of the stunting response. From 2023 to 2024, a total of 372 children with stunting, 47 children with wasting, and 17 children with underweight conditions received recovery PMT for 90 consecutive days per period—from December 2023 to March 2024, and again from June to September 2024. The intervention also targeted 85 pregnant women with chronic energy deficiency (CED), who received PMT for 30 days over two periods. “The results are quite significant. About 30% of the children who received recovery PMT are no longer stunted, and 87% experienced weight gain of more than 200 grams per month. Among pregnant women with CED, 70% recovered from the condition and gave birth to babies with normal birth weights,” Ikraman explained.

Interestingly, the PMT meals provided were neither instant nor expensive. On the contrary, they followed Ministry of Health guidelines and used local ingredients, making the meals easy for families to replicate at home. “The involvement of DASHAT volunteers is vital. They don’t just prepare the recovery PMT meals but also deliver them and monitor the meals consumed by the children. When delivering the food, they also educate parents on how to prepare balanced, nutritious meals using local ingredients. This local menu approach is YCP’s educational method to demonstrate that healthy food is affordable and easy to make at home,” added Ikraman.

Parental Attitude Shifts and the Role of DASHAT Volunteers

The children’s significant health improvements have had a positive psychological impact on their parents. As their awareness of nutrition and parenting grows, so does their enthusiasm. Initially, some parents were hesitant to accept the recovery PMT, believing they could provide adequate food themselves. However, through educational outreach and parenting classes, they came to understand the importance of balanced nutrition. “All parents whose children received interventions joined parenting classes. They learned about child growth and development, parenting styles, and nutritious meal planning. The learning was participatory and based on real-life cases they had experienced,” said Ikraman.

Hayatun, the mother of four-year-old Anugrah Wilka from Bukit Damai Village—who received recovery PMT—said she struggled to feed her child who has Down syndrome. “With the PMT program, it’s been much easier to feed my son. I’m really grateful. He used to have a very poor appetite, but now he always asks to eat. He couldn’t sit or stand properly before and was lethargic. Now he’s more active and can sit upright,” she said.

The 44-year-old mother also shared that she enjoys learning with the DASHAT volunteers who live nearby to make balanced meals. “Now I can make the same food provided by DASHAT. My child’s weight and height are now in line with kids his age,” she added.

Nutrition Gardens: A Community-Based Stunting Solution

To ensure the sustainability of the recovery PMT, YCP developed community-run nutrition gardens managed by Women Farmers Groups (KWT), as an innovative step in reducing stunting prevalence. These gardens were established in all YCP-assisted villages in the Sekongkang sub-district, with the garden in Talonang Baru Village standing out as a prime example.

“The nutrition garden in Talonang Baru now meets the vegetable needs for the PMT meals prepared by the local DASHAT group. Having the garden really supports PMT production because they can source fresh vegetables at lower costs. Since the village is quite remote and isolated, vegetables had to be brought in from Lunyuk Subdistrict in Sumbawa Regency, which made them expensive,” he explained.

Thanks to strong collaboration between the nutrition garden and the DASHAT group, Talonang Baru has seen a significant decrease in stunting. “According to data from the Community-Based Nutrition Recording and Reporting System (EPPBGM) managed by the West Sumbawa Health Office, stunting in Talonang Baru dropped from 15.38% in February 2023 to 6.29% in February 2025,” Ikraman said.

Active Role of Village Governments: From Budgets to Regulation

Ikraman noted that all village governments involved in the program strongly support the stunting reduction efforts. This is evidenced by the increased budget allocations for basic health services in their Village Budgets (APBDES). “In 2024, 16 villages increased their health budgets by a total of 34 percent to approximately IDR 5.5 billion, compared to 2023. Specifically for recovery PMT, the budget increased from IDR 520 million to IDR 775 million,” Ikraman explained.

Moreover, village governments also support the program through regulation, not just budgeting. One such policy is the establishment of Child- and Girl-Friendly Villages (DRPPA) through village regulations (perdes). “The goal of DRPPA is to ensure children’s care rights are fulfilled in accordance with child protection laws, so their developmental needs are met,” he added.

The collaborative efforts in West Sumbawa demonstrate that addressing stunting requires a holistic approach: from nutritional support and education to community participation and regulatory backing. “The support and joint effort of the community, village and regional governments, and YCP’s partner AMMAN Mineral have enabled the stunting reduction program in KSB to reach a wide range of participants and generate significant results and improvements,” Ikraman concluded.

Writer: Kukuh A. Tohari

Editor: Swiny Adestika