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Activities in IndonesiaIndonesia: A Holistic Approach The causes of malnutrition / undernutrition are complex. While poverty
does play a major role, it is not merely a lack of food that plagues these
families. A multifaceted problem Undernutrition occurs when not enough food is eaten and the child is repeatedly ill from infectious diseases. Children who are undernourished have lowered resistance to infection and are more likely to die from common childhood diseases such as diarrhoeal diseases and respiratory infections (UNICEF 2007). The ones who survive are likely to be caught up in a spiral of recurring sickness and slowed growth, often with irreversible damage to their mental and social development. Undernutrition includes being too short for ones age (stunted growth), being underweight for ones age, being very thin (wasted), and being deficient in vitamins and minerals (micronutrient deficiency). Well nourished women face fewer risks during pregnancy and childbirth and their children have a better start in life. Well nourished children perform better at school, grow into healthier adults and are able to give their own children a better start in life. Children attending FMCH programmes in Jakarta are undernourished and come from impoverished families. Often their parents are unemployed or, if lucky enough to be employed, find work selling food on the streets of Jakarta or driving vans in their villages (kampungs). Most children attending FMCH live in very basic conditions with their family, often living in a one roomed house divided into two rooms by a curtain. Families share washing and bathroom facilities with several other families in their village. Water is pumped by hand or winched up by bucket from wells in the ground: again several families sharing one pump. Water has to be boiled before being used for cooking or drinking. If the well water becomes contaminated through flooding, as happens frequently during the rainy season, families have to buy their water from local vendors. An additional expense for already stretched family resources. With these many problems facing families and their children, a multi faceted programme has been developed to try and alleviate the causes of undernutrition and poverty. First, to address the most immediate nutritional needs, underweight children are given well-balanced meals three times each week. When severely undernourished children are brought to the Foundation an intensive daily feeding programme is set up to address their needs and occasionally hospitalization is immediately necessary. But there are also longer-term efforts directed at eradicating the root causes of undernutrition/malnutrition. The awareness of mothers is so important that FMCH has developed a comprehensive, self-sustaining programme to train health workers in the community at large. These key community resources will learn how to identify malnutrition in children that come to see them, and how to work effectively with mothers to combat it. Illnesses, such as diarrhea and TB, can prevent perfectly nutritious diets from being of any benefit to a child. So doctors are available for consultation, free of charge, twice a week at FMCH premises. They also give the children monthly check-ups to monitor progress. While poverty is not the only cause of malnutrition, it is a significant contributing factor. Thus FMCH runs skill-building activities for mothers that teach them income generating skills. One morning a week, FMCH is open to English speaking mothers (Indonesian and expatriate) and their babies, who gather informally to talk to volunteer health professionals on topics such as breastfeeding, weaning and sleep problems New Mother Support Group.
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demands a comprehensive solution, and the Foundation for Mother and Child
Health in Indonesia (FMCH) is attacking undernutrition from its many different
angles.
Parents
have often had limited education: many of them only having had schooling
up to the ages of 12 years old. Recent statistics show that even though
nearly 93% of children enrol in primary school education (7-12 yrs of
age) only 82% of those who start in Grade 1 reach Grade 5 (Susenas 2003)
and net enrolment ratio in junior high school (13-15 yrs of age) falls
to just 58% (MoNE).
Often
mothers of underweight children simply do not know what to feed their
children. Thus FMCH works with these mothers, 
Finally,
addressing their psychological and social development, children from poor
families can also participate in an 