Aussie dairy firm helps nutrition drive
JAKARTA (JP): The Australian Dairy Corporation (ADC), a Victoria-based marketing authority, in cooperation with the city administration will launch a good nutrition campaign for primary school children in Jakarta.
The campaign, scheduled to start next month, is aimed at bolstering awareness on nutritious eating for children aged between six and 12.
"Through this campaign, I hope we will be able to reduce the number of children who suffer from malnutrition," Soenarjudardji, an assistant to the city's welfare affairs secretary, said yesterday.
The good nutrition program will be conducted in 1,500 primary schools in Jakarta, including private, public and Islamic schools.
"We will distribute 1,500 explanatory books about nutrition to sports teachers, exercise kits for students and 5,000 posters to each primary school in the city," Nick Watson, an ADC representatives, said.
"Under the six-week campaign, the children are expected to experience an interactive learning process about nutrition, where they can learn while they play simulation games and do little exercises."
The campaign is designed to be as simple as possible so children can understand.
"After we complete the six-week lessons, we will evaluate the program and consolidate all suggestions," Watson said.
The good nutrition campaign is a pilot project aimed at heightening students' awareness about eating nutritious food.
"If the campaign works, we will start in other parts of Indonesia," he said.
City Councilor Nitra Arsyad of Commission E for welfare affairs told The Jakarta Post that the campaign is part of the municipality's program to increase the consumption of healthy food among children and their parents.
"There are 11 poor subdistrict areas in Jakarta that have routinely received the municipality's support to increase the quality of children's food.
"Galur subdistrict in Central Jakarta, for example, received Rp 87 million (US$32,830) from this year' city budget, while eight poor subdistricts in North Jakarta got about Rp 533.41 million and two other poor subdistricts in West Jakarta received Rp 375 million," Nitra said.
"With the current monetary crisis, it's nice to get help from a neighboring country, such as Australia, to reduce malnutrition in the city," he said. "I wish the ADC and the municipality's campaign success."
Why is the campaign aimed at children aged between six and 12?
"Because it is the common age for primary students here," Chadd McLisky, a representative of Indo Pacific, a consultant for ADC in Indonesia, said.
The six-year-olds are beginning a new life of learning and starting to take on all the world has to offer, while 12-year- olds are coming to the end of the first stage of their education, he said.
But pretty soon they will be "new kids" again when they are exposed to very different challenges at secondary school, he said.
"The quantity of food required is relative to their respective sizes and activity," Watson said. "So it is important for children to have a balanced nutritious diet." (07)