Cilincing children face malnutrition<\/p>\n
Zakki Hakim, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Meet Yulianto. The two-year-old boy just lost his older brother,
\nRifki, about 10 months ago. At that time, Rifki was three but he
\nonly weighed eight kilograms.<\/p>\n
Their mother, Dewi, was suffering from chronic tuberculosis,
\nbut despite her illness she insisted on breast-feeding her
\nchildren as she could not afford to buy milk.<\/p>\n
One day, Dewi was almost too weak to move and did not have any
\nfood. She crawled to the house of her neighbor, who was also the
\ncoordinator of the neighborhood family welfare movement, to get
\nfood.<\/p>\n
The neighbor gave them something to eat and decided to take
\nthe family to the hospital the next morning as it was close to
\nmidnight.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, it was too late. Rifki had died from
\nmalnutrition and probable respiratory complications.<\/p>\n
That very day, Dewi asked the neighbors to do something for
\nher family, assist her in getting help with her tuberculosis and
\nprevent the same thing from happening to Yulianto as had happened
\nto Rifki.<\/p>\n
Now Dewi is 34 but she only weighs 39 kilograms. Still too
\nlight, but at least she can move freely, and most importantly,
\nher tuberculosis disappeared after six months of treatment, she
\ntold The Jakarta Post on Sunday.<\/p>\n
\"Yulianto is now two and weights eight kilograms. He is quite
\nhealthy, and improving all the time,\" she said happily.<\/p>\n
Rifki's distressing story is only one of about 60 others
\ninvolving under-fives who live in neighborhood unit VII in
\nKalibaru, Cilincing, North Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The children were the focus of a three-day free health service
\nprogram run by the Ministry of National Education's Directorate
\nof Children's Early Education to commemorate National Children's
\nDay, which will fall on July 23. The ministry is jointly holding
\nthe event with the Indonesian Child Welfare Foundation (YKAI).
\nThe YKAI started the program in the area in 1999 .<\/p>\n
Gutama, head of the directorate, told the Post that the event
\nwould open state officials eyes to the reality of children's
\nlives in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"There is no point in providing education while the children
\nare dying from malnutrition,\" he said and promised that he would
\ncoordinate with officials from other relevant ministries to take
\naction in the area.<\/p>\n
The neighborhood chief, Sulthon Wahyudi, told the Post that
\npeople in Cilincing were so poor that sometimes they could not
\neven buy food.<\/p>\n
\"People sometimes overlook poverty in Jakarta and give aid to
\npoor people in other provinces far away from here. It would be
\nbetter if they gave help here,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The directorate will also hold a similar event in the Gagak
\nRawa Complex in Kalideres, West Jakarta, on Monday, and in
\nneighborhood unit III in Kwitang, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/cilincing-children-face-malnutrition-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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