The Japanese government and UNICEF Indonesia have partnered to support the improvement of nutrition and education for children in Papua. Support is provided through the Free Nutritious Meal program in Biak.
This program aims to provide access to education, nutrition, and development for children in early childhood education and elementary schools. Quoting from the official UNICEF website, Tuesday (25/2), the goal is to ensure that children in Papua receive the best services from an early age.
The Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia, Masaki Yasushi, stated that Japan wants to share its experience in the school meal program. The same program has been running in Japan for 100 years.
Japan has also developed a fishing port in Biak to increase the supply of locally caught protein-rich fish. This school meal program will utilize fish caught in Biak to provide nutritious food for students.
The Japanese government allocated USD 3.4 million (IDR 55.3 billion) over two years to support this program. UNICEF will assist the local government of Papua in providing school meals based on cost-effective, locally sourced, and highly nutritious food.
This program will also train teachers to improve the quality of education, especially in literacy, numeracy, and nutritional awareness. Parents will also be provided with counselling on child-rearing and nutrition.
Local governments will receive training in planning and budgeting for school meal programs to ensure their sustainability. UNICEF emphasized that every child has the right to quality social services, including a healthy learning environment and nutritious food.
This program will reach 2,500 early childhood education and elementary school children in Papua. As many as 150 teachers and school principals will also be trained in pedagogy (the science of teaching) and nutrition assessment.
As many as 2,500 parents will also be educated about child-rearing and nutrition. As many as 270 government officials and school kitchen staff will receive training in school food management.
There are 50 policymakers who will receive training in planning and budgeting to support sustainable nutritious eating policies. This partnership is built on the success of previous cooperation between Japan and UNICEF in Indonesia.
The hope is that the integration of education and nutrition can provide long-term positive impacts for children in Papua. This program also aims to help them reach their full potential, improve their well-being, and secure a bright future.
https://rri.co.id/internasional/1347633/jepang-dan-unicef-bermitra-sokong-gizi-anak-papua
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