Aussie dairy firm helps nutrition drive

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)