UNISA Bandung Presents OMEGA Innovation to Prevent Stunting with Local Food

Lecturers at Universitas ‘Aisyiyah (UNISA) Bandung have introduced an innovative program, OMEGA (Olahan Menu Gizi Anak), designed to combat stunting by leveraging local food resources. The initiative focuses on empowering community health cadres (kader Posyandu) with the skills to transform everyday local ingredients into nutritious meals for children.

The program, supported by the Indonesian Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, is a community partnership project. It involves a comprehensive approach, including needs analysis, nutrition seminars, and practical cooking classes. The goal is to equip cadres not only with knowledge but also with the hands-on ability to prepare and explain these healthy meals to families.

Mulyanti, the lead of the OMEGA project, emphasized the importance of a local food-based approach, making nutrition education more applicable to daily life. She stated that cadres need practical skills to process and present menus effectively. The OMEGA package is designed to be a reusable resource for Posyandu activities, providing standardized menus, recipes, and educational materials.

This initiative targets 10 Posyandu cadres in the Cibangkong sub-district of Bandung. By focusing on readily available local ingredients, the program aims to provide a sustainable and practical solution for stunting prevention, ensuring that families can easily implement healthy eating practices.

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OMEGA places local food not just as a food ingredient, but also as a learning medium so that cadres and families are able to choose, process, serve, and explain children's menus practically.