Health Cadres As Frontline In The Fight Against Stunting

Since October 2019, the Mother & Child Health project in Cipanas has been working with the 1000 Days Fund to help assist 6 Posyandus (health posts) in the village of Cibadak. This village has the highest stunting rate in the district of Cianjur, West Java. For this reason, various steps have been and are being taken to reduce the stunting rate of children, especially those aged 0-2 years where health interventions are still very possible.

One of these interventions is regular monthly training of the 30 volunteer health cadres involved in the 6 Posyandus. These women are the front line in our fight against stunting. In order for them to have the necessary knowledge to speak to community members, trainings in the following subjects have been conducted:

1. Understanding stunting: the causes and consequences for children's development.

2. The importance of breastfeeding and massaging the breasts by direct demonstration.

3. The Importance of taking Iron tablets for pregnant women to prevent bleeding during childbirth and its relationship with stunting.

After attending these various trainings, the cadres became more confident in providing information to their community, especially to mothers. Together with 1000 Days Fund, we recognise the crucial importance of training and empowering these health volunteers if we are to win the war against stunting in the area.