Schoolchildren in Indonesia face stunted growth and development, says UN food agency

Conditions in Indonesia’s disaster-ravaged regions of Aceh and Nias are so dire that large numbers of primary school children are suffering from stunted physical growth and retarded intellectual development, according to a new study financed by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).

The agency has been operating relief and recovery programmes for victims of the December 2004 tsunami in Aceh and the March 2005 earthquake in Nias.

“The picture is quite concerning,” said Charlie Higgins, WFP Area Coordinator. “Health and nutrition-related morbidity – the incidence of disease – is high.”

Researchers surveyed 1,440 primary school children in 60 schools in Aceh and another 480 children in 20 schools on the island of Nias in March and April of this year.

They found that 27 per cent of students in Aceh and 36 per cent in Nias suffered from stunted growth while one child in five was significantly underweight.

Some 40 per cent of the children in Nias demonstrated low cognitive performance, and 28 per cent of the island’s children were malnourished and 33 per cent micronutrient-deficient.

Parasitic infections were widespread in both areas, with 53 per cent of Aceh’s children and 75 per cent of those in Nias afflicted by worm infestations.

“The statistics confirm the need for de-worming all primary schoolchildren,” said Higgins, noting that WFP would soon join forces with local health authorities, UNICEF and the Indonesian Red Cross to launch a new anti-worm campaign in the schools.

The study also found that poor personal hygiene was a major concern, as was the lack of adequate sanitation facilities, especially in Nias, where two-thirds of the schools surveyed had no latrines. Additionally, none of Nias’ schools had functioning health units, while only one third of the schools in Aceh were so equipped.

WFP says the survey will provide the necessary baseline data to maximize the benefits of its school feeding programme, which provides some 300,000 schoolchildren with a mid-morning snack of biscuits fortified with nine essential vitamins and five key minerals.