Innovation

PT Sasa Inti has taken a novel and structured approach to create an end-to-end solution for preventing stunting in children. All aspects from building understanding to changing mindsets to hearing concerns are carried out and carefully monitored through partnerships with credible institutions: Rotary District 3410, Frontiers for Health, and the National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN). This program provides demonstrations and documentation that are easy for mothers to understand. The additional education of coordinated extension workers further supports the program's success. Through these extension workers, competent experts contribute to the industry and community health, thereby helping the community and society to achieve a better quality of life. Furthermore, the inclusiveness of this program is impressive. It includes small and medium entrepreneurs to provide cheap food ingredients to meet the nutritional needs of children to prevent stunting. The innovations in this program are its systematic and inclusive partnerships paired with the latest methods of providing materials and monitoring tools. All this makes the program more understandable and comprehensible to the mothers who are the target of this program.

Let's Prevent Stunting

Inspiration

Stunting is a condition characterized by impaired growth and development in children, typically resulting from poor nutrition, repeated infections, and inadequate psychosocial stimulation. It is defined as a child whose height-for-age is more than two standard deviations below the World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards media. Some of the consequences of stunting include disturbing Physical Development, Cognitive and Educational Performance, and Economic Impact for the population. Approximately 22% of children in 2022 under five years old globally are stunted, with the highest prevalence in South Asia. Stunting can cost countries between 2 and 10 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) annually due to reduced productivity and increased health costs. In Indonesia, the stunting rate reached 26.92% from all the Balita (children under 5 years old) population. The government is targeting this number to be 24% in 2024. 

PT Sasa Inti wants to be involved in solving the problem. Mrs. Rida, the Program Director, said, “The sustainability of a nation is determined by the health of its successors, starting with children. If children do not grow healthily, a nation will have difficulty finding quality resources, which can threaten the survival of a nation." PT Sasa Inti found that the root cause to be a lack of awareness from the parents in the community. Parents who have a low level of education may have a flawed mindset in caring for and raising children, especially providing proper nutrition for children. As a mother said during the interview process, "The important thing is for me to give enough rice. The important thing is for the child to be full. If there is enough rice with vegetable sauce, that's enough." Some parents do not understand the importance of nutrition and only aim to fill the child's stomach. 

Stunting can be prevented by the first 1,000 days of life if the following conditions are achieved:

• Ensuring proper nutrition and health for mothers before and during pregnancy
• Providing children with a sufficient and nutritious diet
• Clean water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities to prevent infections
• A multisectoral response to create improvements in food and nutrition security, education, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH)

All these focus areas relate to the aims of the program: to provide education about what stunting is, its causes, and how to prevent it to as many people as possible. Many community members have a key role in preventing stunting: Pregnant Women, Posyandu (Integrated Service Post; It is a community-based health center that provides a range of services, including family planning, mother and child health, nutrition, immunization, and disease control.), Community Health Workers known as Cadres in Indonesa, Young Women, Teachers, and Prospective Young Couples. 

Zero stunting is expected in the village of Gending Probolinggo and the villages of Radey, Tawaang, Molinow, and Teep in South Minahasa. This stunting program presents an award from the local city government for the improvement in the decline in stunting rates that occurred. A journal was also created by academics related to the results of this program, where measurements of the level of understanding of the community and experts through statistical tests have concluded that there has been significant improvement. This proven achievement also inspires other companies that direct contribution to the community through collaboration and cooperation is very possible. 

Overall impact

This program resulted in a stunting ranking improvement for an area. Probolinggo Regency moved from 38th to 22nd (Information was obtained from the results of the Bapeda meeting in 2022). The program also contributes tools for Let's Prevent Stunting Education in the form of a Nutrition Calendar and Height Ruler (Collaboration with the Rotary Club and the Cakrawala Indonesia Foundation/Frontier for Health). A consultant from Pasir Buncir village (Mrs. Lina) also won the best cadre at the national level.

The program has trained many individuals to continually expand its impact. This program started with 9 consultants. 1 consultant trains 30 trainers. Out of a total of 270 trainers, 20 percent become consultants. 1 Posyandu handles approximately 30-50 children. The program has handled approximately 1,000 Posyandus and has served 6,104 families during its implementation.

Business benefit

The use of Sasa products in the required food ingredients and the availability of long-term labor will have a strategic and beneficial impact on the company. Introducing affordable Sasa products to mothers and leveraging new knowledge on stunting prevention will create new lifestyles and mindsets where Sasa products become part of the new pattern. Through this program, PT Sasa Inti also implements and expands its Eco-Branding strategy.

By creating an emotional consumption experience, PT Sasa Inti has been able to build a business chain based on loyal customers who can provide strategic advantages over possible business competition. With the business chain formed, it is also possible to reduce the promotional costs needed to increase sales.

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Social and environmental benefit

This program has a significant impact on the community by increasing cadre knowledge about stunting and the importance of nutrition during pregnancy. 1000 HPK (1000 hari pertama kehidupan translating to First 1,000 Days) requires sufficient counselors trained to prevent stunting and to effectively increase participants' understanding of stunting, counseling, nutrition, and development of 1000 HPK. Critical to the first 1,000 days is ensuring proper nutrition and health for mothers before and during pregnancy, and providing children with a sufficient and nutritious diet, clean water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities to prevent infections. This is based on the Journal of Community Service Creativity (Marissa Cithra Sulastra, P-ISSN, Vol. 5, No. 4, April 2022) regarding counselor training Let's Prevent Stunting in South Minahasa.

With the knowledge gained, extension workers can become consultants, receiving compensation from related agencies, which helps improve their standard of living. Additionally, entrepreneurs who provide special food ingredients to prevent stunting play an inclusive role in supporting this goal. The availability of fertilizers produced as by-products of the manufacturing process at low prices, along with the extension of support to existing sugarcane farmers, also contributes to economic growth and enhances the standard of living in the community.

Interview

Rida Damayanti, Head of Stakeholder Relations