Nutrition for the Poor

KOMPAS/DWI BAYU RADIUS

Idho Meilano

Idho Meilano Kurniawan Putra, 27, distributes assistance to malnourished children. He formed a community and sought sponsors to provide supplements and milk. Companies and individuals have donated to help thousands of malnourished children.

Idho walked down a narrow alley on Tuesday (14/8/2018) in Samangraya subdistrict, Citangkil district, Cilegon, Banten. Around 50 meters down, he knocked the door of a house and its owner, Siti Sanawiyah, 33, welcomed him happily.

“How’re you, ma’am? Are you well?” Idho asked Siti, who was with her daughter, Yusrina Ainiah Putri, 3. Yusrina appeared sprightly and not a bit tired. In January, Yusrina couldn’t walk, and could barely stand.

“Yusrina’s knees were too weak to support her body because of malnutrition. Normally, a toddler is able to walk by the age of 10 months to a year,” said Idho. The founder and chairman of the Indonesia Food Bank (IFB) learned about Yusrina from a staffer at the Puskesmas Citangkil (community health center).

The IFB collects information on malnourished children. Along with his young colleagues, Idho looks for donors to provide supplementary foods and milk to malnourished children of poor families.

They record the children’s weight, height and arms to monitor physical growth. Yusrina, for example, received a regular supply of fortified biscuits and milk. The child gradually recovered and by April, she was able to stand.

“Now, Yusrina likes running, and sometimes she falls. She also likes jumping,” her mother said. Yusrina’s weight increased to 11 kilograms from only 7 kilograms previously.

Yusrina’s parents are not wealthy. Siti’s husband sells mobile phone credit, SIM cards and accessories. Siti does not know how much he makes. “It varies,” said Siti, who lives with her in-laws in a house with paint that is fading.

Idho, who works as a financial planner at a Cilegon steel factory, makes the time to visit Yusrina and monitor her growth. “It is also to maintain good relations,” he said.

The IFB’s members visit the malnourished children they help on Sundays. Idho established the IFB on Feb. 21, 2016, and motivated youths to care for malnourished children. The community now has around 500 members.

“There are around 250 IFB members in Banten, in Cilegon, Serang, Pandeglang, Tangerang and Lebak,” said Idho. The IFB was also active in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, in Bandung and Bogor, West Java, and in Banyumas, Central Java.

Most of the IFB’s members are university students, while others are private employees, businesspeople, civil servants, teachers and high school students. More than 5,000 malnourished children have received IFB assistance. “I cannot provide the exact number of donors. There are about a hundred. About 20 companies are also donors,” he said.

Corporate donors include a steel company, a mineral water producer and a few financial institutions. “Thank God, every proposal the IFB has submitted has been approved. In future, we want to obtain sponsorship from infant food, milk and biscuit producers,” said Idho.

Several regional administrations have also offered support for IFB.

Witness to poverty

Idho’s became concerned started when he saw poor people, mostly children, who were malnourished. “If the children have insufficient nutrition, of course they will develop malnutrition. Their health and mental abilities will decline,” he said. Starvation threatened the quality of future human resources. Idho wanted to help, but he was still at university.

“I needed money to help others, when I still needed money myself. How could I help?” he said. Fortunately, he had the opportunity to visit Colchester in Canada in 2012 on a six-month student exchange program. His experience volunteering at the Colchester Food Bank inspired him to apply a similar model to Indonesia.

“In Canada, I saw people helping each other. I used the knowledge I gained in Canada and apply it here through the IFB,” he said. His closest friends their fully supported his efforts to help the poor.

They looked for sponsors and worked to maintain their trust to make sure the donation keeps flowing. An opportunity to expand the network came in 2016, when Idho met volunteers from several different organizations in Cirebon, West Java.

He explained about the IFB and other volunteers became interested in establishing a similar movement in other provinces. “Initially, the IFB volunteers provided nutritious foods and milk. Then, I thought it had to do more,” he said.

Idho did not want the IFB volunteers to just distribute the assistance and then leave. The effort to help eradicate child malnutrition should be visible. “In 2017, the IFB started mentoring. The children were given the nutritious foods and then monitored to make sure they grew,” he said.

In addition, Idho and his colleagues also distributed food aid to the poor, such as cooking oil, sugar and tea. “The biggest event we had was the one in Tangerang in 2016, where about 500 people showed up. We also collaborated with an orphanage,” he said.

The resident of Kotabumi subdistrict in Purwakarta district, Cilegon, has not stopped helping others since the IFB he co-founded became a success. He is now developing Cilegon Juara, a forum he set up in April 2018, to motivate youths to reach their dreams.

So far, around 10 communities have joined Cilegon Juara, such as photography, roller skating, jogging, information technology and skateboard clubs. “Each community has around 50 people. They often hang out together. It is a positive [environment],” he said, smiling.

Idho Meilano Kurniawan Putra

Born: Cirebon, West Java, May 10, 1991

Education: Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa University (Untirta), majoring management economy (2009-2014); SMA Cahaya Madani Banten Boarding School (2006-2009); SMPN 2 Cilegon junior high school (2003-2006); SD Yayasan Pendidikan Warga Krakatau Steel elementary school (1997-2003)

Awards: First prize, Best Student, Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa University (Untirta), 2012