Free Nutritious Meals Programme Reaches Schools and Toddlers on Indonesia-Malaysia Border

The Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme in Sebatik Tengah District, North Kalimantan, has commenced operations, delivering meals to schools and toddlers at integrated health posts (posyandu) located along the Indonesia-Malaysia border. Partiwi Hariati, Head of the Sebatik Tengah Nutrition Fulfilment Service Unit (SPPG), stated that the unit has been operating since early this year and currently covers 13 schools and 10 posyandu, serving approximately 1,700 beneficiaries. She noted that meal distribution is carried out at schools situated along the border line, while meals for toddlers are distributed through nearby posyandu. According to reports from parents, the programme has provided significant benefits to the community, particularly for families who mostly work as labourers on oil palm plantations. The community profile in Central Sebatik falls into deciles 1 to 4, indicating very poor and vulnerable poor categories, a situation distinct from that of East Sebatik. Beyond meeting the nutritional needs of schoolchildren and toddlers, the programme aims to boost the local economy by encouraging the use of local food ingredients. Pratiwi added that residents are being encouraged to farm and raise broiler and layer chickens to improve their economic standing. The benefits of the programme have been felt at Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Darul Furqan, known as the Border Line School. The school’s headmaster, Adnan Lolo, expressed gratitude that the MBG programme has reached his school, which is located within an oil palm plantation forest, is difficult for four-wheeled vehicles to access, and sits just a few hundred metres from the Indonesia-Malaysia border. The government is focusing on improving the management of the MBG programme in underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost (3T) regions, including refining the distribution mechanism and targeting of beneficiaries. Standardisation efforts are also underway across all SPPG units to ensure compliance with established standards, from equipment completeness to health and operational safety. Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar emphasised that MBG beneficiaries must be accurately targeted and that the programme should have a tangible impact on grassroots economic empowerment, especially in 3T areas. He stressed that the programme’s management must refer to Presidential Instruction No. 4 of 2025 on the National Single Socio-Economic Data (DTSEN), which prioritises underdeveloped regions, extreme poverty, and poverty.