Aisyiyah Proposes Updating Disaster Emergency Guidelines to Optimise Child Nutrition

The Environment and Disaster Management Institute (LLHPB) of the Aisyiyah Central Board has proposed updating disaster emergency handling guidelines to optimise the fulfilment of nutrition for mothers and children. LLHPB PP Aisyiyah Chair Rahmawati Husein stated that ensuring the needs of toddlers during emergencies and recovery is crucial, noting that the emergency transition phase in Tamiang is still ongoing after six months. Rahmawati, who is also a member of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Advisory Board, explained that children’s nutritional status during recovery is heavily influenced by the handling carried out from the emergency phase. Therefore, meeting nutritional needs must not only be discussed after the disaster subsides, but must be a concern from the start of the humanitarian response. According to her, the Ministry of Health, through its Crisis Centre, already has an Operational Guide for Feeding Infants and Children in Emergency Situations compiled in 2014 and 2019. However, based on various field experiences, the guide is considered to need refinement to better address the challenges of post-disaster community recovery. She cited that in the field, food aid in the form of instant food and products that do not support children’s long-term nutritional needs, such as instant noodles, biscuits, and sweetened condensed milk, is still frequently found. Building awareness of nutritional content is important, she said, so that emergency response activities do not only involve distributing inappropriate food. Beyond the food aspect, she emphasised the importance of involving women and local communities in the recovery process because local residents better understand the local food sources available in their area. Meanwhile, Muhammadiyah Disaster Management Centre (MDMC) Chair Budi Setiawan assessed that the nutritional aspect for vulnerable groups needs to be integrated into the management of public kitchens from the emergency period through to recovery. He stated that during the recovery period, instant food needs to be discontinued, and every public kitchen should have clear guidelines regarding the nutritional needs of vulnerable groups, especially children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers.