Not food aid swindle
I urge all those who read the misleading article NGO blows whistle on food aid swindle in The Jakarta Post of May 31, 1999 edition to consider the following facts.
A recent study conducted by Helen Keller International with funding from Unicef found that, in poor slum areas of Semarang, Surabaya, Ujungpandang and Jakarta, between 19 percent and 29 percent of children less than two years of age were severely underweight. Prior to the crisis, the average prevalence of severe malnutrition in Indonesian children under five years of age was 4.2 percent, ranging from 1.7 percent in Yogyakarta and Bali, to 15.4 percent in Aceh (SUSENAS, 1998). These credible data show that the prevalence of severe malnutrition in poor urban slum areas of major cities is appallingly high and calls for immediate measures to protect these children's futures. Crisis or no crisis, children have a right to good nutrition.
In the short term, food aid is the most appropriate and effective intervention to prevent severe malnutrition and should be provided with urgency, especially in poor urban areas which are among the "hardest hit" because of the crisis. The decision of the government of Indonesia to expand coverage of food aid programs to include the urban poor is a sound decision.
The extent to which the crisis has worsened malnutrition in Indonesia has not been exaggerated. The seriousness of the nutrition crisis has been under-recognized and not enough has been done to protect innocent children.
Unicef urges the global community to recapitalize the human potential of Indonesia, not just the banks. Top priority should be given to provision of food fortified with vitamins and minerals for pregnant women and children under two years of age. Failure to do so will deprive children of basic human rights and will cripple children's ability to live healthy lives, to get the most out of the learning opportunities of school, and to contribute maximally to society later in life.
STEPHEN J. WOODHOUSE
Representative
Unicef Indonesia & Malaysia
Jakarta