Accelerating Disaster Victim Recovery: Standardised Public Kitchens a Priority

The critical post-disaster period does not end once emergency tents are erected and logistics are fulfilled. A long-term challenge often overlooked is the threat of malnutrition among toddlers due to limited access to healthy food and the risk of incorrect nutritional intake. In emergency situations, education directly targeting grassroots communities has proven to be the most effective public health intervention. This movement serves as the first line of defence to prevent a spike in stunting rates and a decline in the nutritional status of children in disaster-affected areas. Addressing this challenge, the Abhipraya Insan Cendekia Indonesia Foundation (YAICI) alongside partners has responded to the post-disaster situation in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra, through the distribution of aid and community education. From January to May 2026, the organisation reached 375 families in three affected regions, including Batang Ara Village, Pematang Durian, and Serba Village, locations that are isolated and rarely reached by logistical aid. In a public report on the implementation of activities at the three disaster sites on Tuesday, 9 June 2026, YAICI Secretary-General Satria Yudistria outlined several alarming findings on the ground that underscore the importance of this intervention. ‘The reality on the ground, particularly in Batang Ara Village (Aceh Tamiang), is that limited access has forced children under three years old to consume rice water as a substitute for milk. Furthermore, children suffer from invisible psychological trauma; they are terrified when they see rain or water, which ultimately disrupts their eating patterns. Children are the most vulnerable group, not only when a disaster strikes, but especially during the recovery period when aid begins to dwindle,’ he stated on Tuesday. Through this programme, the foundation and its partners implemented a comprehensive recovery approach, ranging from trauma healing and the distribution of children’s toys for psychosocial recovery, to focus group discussions with mothers and family nutritional literacy education. This humanitarian movement was strengthened by the massive role of the PP Aisyiyah Health Council through the deployment of local cadres who serve as the spearhead on the ground. PP Aisyiyah Health Council Deputy Chairwoman Dra. Chairunnisa, M.Kes., revealed that the cadres conducted door-to-door target tracking, combing through evacuation posts to cramped temporary shelters measuring 4 by 6 metres to record data on pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and affected toddlers to ensure nutritional interventions were correctly targeted. Given that evacuees are accustomed to consuming instant food and sweetened condensed milk, which is often mistaken for growing-up milk, Aisyiyah cadres stepped in to conduct direct intervention. ‘We gathered mothers in prayer rooms, schools, and even in oil palm plantation areas due to the lack of facilities. There, we educated them on the concept of Balanced Nutrition or ’Isi Piringku’, distributed nutritious local foods such as boiled eggs and mung bean porridge, and taught children how to make and drink proper growing-up milk together. This is important to divert children’s consumption away from high-sugar intake,’ Chairunnisa explained.