A team of lecturers from Universitas Gadjah Mada, in collaboration with the Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani Yogyakarta (Unjaya) team, is conducting prevention and handling activities for stunting cases in Sumberwungu Village, Gunungkidul.
Empowering the community in stunting management is achieved by applying appropriate technology to support food and health resilience programs.
This service activity is carried out for four months with two target partners: the Sumberwungu Livestock Households Group and the Family Welfare Empowerment Group.
Professor Pudji Astuti, one of the team members from the UGM Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, explained that the service activities involve empowering livestock groups through poultry farming using Gamallus Forte chicken feed resulting from UGM’s patented research.
Furthermore, the Sumberwungu Family Welfare Empowerment Group is encouraged to process functional foods from chicken eating the Gamallus Forte.
“The aim is that these two target groups can support efforts to prevent stunting in Sumberwungu Village,” said Professor Astuti on Wednesday (November 8) at the UGM campus.
The activities started on October 27 and will continue for the next four months.
Professor Astuti explained that the UGM and Unjaya teams also provide regular training on child feeding, anthropometric examination of stunted toddlers, parenting education for the nutritional upbringing of stunted mothers and cadres, and providing the results of chicken farming to stunted toddlers.
Dr. Tri Sunarsih, a team member from the Research and Community Service Institute of Unjaya, stated that counseling to the Sumberwungu Family Welfare Empowerment Group is expected to provide new insights into the importance of their role in shaping a healthy parenting pattern.
Generally, toddlers experiencing stunting require complete nutritional intake, as the government recommends, including plant and animal protein and other necessary nutrients for optimal growth.
“In this counseling, participants are taught how to ensure that children get enough nutrition, as well as parenting patterns that support optimal physical and mental development,” Dr. Sunarsih explained.
However, she emphasized that proper parenting by parents is equally important by providing special attention to meeting nutritional needs and stimuli for a child’s development.
“The presence of parents as leaders in creating a healthy eating pattern and supporting a child’s growth is crucial. This way, we can help stunted children thrive and reach their full potential,” she added.
Sumberwungu Village Head Ismoyo appreciates the service activities centered in his village, as they can reduce the stunting rate in the town. According to him, these activities strongly support the health and welfare development program for the residents of Sumberwungu.
“This activity supports the village program by providing the results of chicken farming to stunted toddlers and counseling cadres to improve the welfare of children in the village,” he said.
This community service is packaged through the Social Collaboration to Build Communities (Kosabangsa) program, composed of a team from UGM and Unjaya.
The lecturers from Universitas Gadjah Mada, led by Professor Pudji Astuti, include Professor Sarmin, Dr. Andriyani Astuti, and Dr. Claude Mona Airin.
Meanwhile, the Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani Yogyakarta (Unjaya) team, led by Endah Puji Astuti, consists of Krisna Mutiara Wati, Muhammad Erwan Syah, and Dr. Bd. Tri Sunarsih.
Author: Gusti Grehenson