Village Fund to Encounter Malnutrition
The case of malnutrition in Asmat Regency, Papua is not new. Wahana Visi Indonesia (WVI) was even present in Asmat after the outbreak of measles and malnutrition in 2018. To encounter this issue, WVI did various ways. One of them is by educating residents regarding clean and healthy lifestyles and advocating for village governments in service areas.
WVI invites the village government to jointly carry out various activities that involve residents. Some of the things that have been done are building rainwater reservoirs, creating nutrition gardens with the community, and teaching them about the importance of proper nutrition for children.
This activity was confirmed by Evaldus, one of the village leaders in Asmat. Evaldus also claimed to support every activity carried out by WVI.
“I support the activities carried out by WVI. In the past, there were bound to be sick children every day, but in recent years it is rare for children to get sick. Parents are also diligent in bringing their children to the posyandu, then almost all houses have also been built with water tanks with assistance from WVI,” he explained.
The support given by Evaldus was not just words. This time in a meeting with WVI, Evaldus is willing to support community change through several mutual agreements.
One of them is that the village government is committed to allocating village funds for health programs and entrusting these funds to the WVI Asmat Area Program to manage it in PMBA (Infant and Young Child Feeding) activities and assisting pregnant women in the village led by Evaldus.
Benni, Head of General Affairs of the village also said that the actions taken by the village government are expected to be an example for other villages in Asmat. That way, more people can live healthier lives.
"We hope that other villages will also cooperate well with WVI," concluded Benni.
Written by: Maksimus Asrul, Field Facilitator of the Asmat Area Program & Putri Barus Communications Officer, Wahana Visi Indonesi
