Eradicating Infant Malnutrition in East Bali

Our five-year malnutrition study confirmed the success of the family model intervention. In partnership with Udayana University research team, we are now preparing to expand the implementation of this family model across all Ban Village. To ensure effectiveness, we will collaborate with community leaders, health officers, the regional health department and all other stakeholders.

A key aspect of this effort is training all Posyandu cadres in Ban Village, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to replicate the family model intervention in their communities. By empowering these cadres, we aim to sustain long-term efforts to combat malnutrition.

Empowering Posyandu Cadres for Family-Based Nutrition Education

Continuing our partnership with the 1000 Days Fund, we held our second training on 8 January 2025, focusing on accurately measuring children's length and interpreting results to identify stunting. Cadres practiced measurement techniques, WHO growth chart plotting, and data interpretation. An interactive quiz session was held to reinforce learning and encourage engagement.

The third training on 3 February 2025 covered exclusive breastfeeding and complementary feeding. Using the emo demo method (interactive Emotional Demonstration games) and small group discussion, cadres learned the key principles such as timing, texture, frequency, portion size, and feeding methods.

Following the training, we conducted monitoring and technical assistance visits at 4 Posyandu sites to assess the implementation of newly acquired skills. We were pleased to find that cadres successfully plotted child’s length on the WHO growth chart and interpreted the result. Home visits were conducted to evaluate families' understanding of stunting and observe how cadres communicated key messages. Encouragingly, we found cadres more confident in educating families about stunting—an improvement from before the training when many lacked the knowledge and confidence to do so.

Anaemia Prevention Initiative

Recognising the importance of adolescent nutrition to prevent malnutrition in future generation, we distributed 640 iron supplements to 64 female students at EBPP Schools in February 2025. Each student received 10 supplements for 10 weeks, accompanied by educational sessions on balanced nutrition. These sessions aimed to increase awareness about the importance of iron intake and proper nutrition, equipping students with knowledge to apply in their daily lives and share with their families.