The number of the ‘near poor’ in Indonesia (those that will become poor if a single month’s income is lost) is estimated to be 115 million.
Since 2002-2003, Indonesia has continued to experience a steady decline in the nutritional status of children under five. Twenty-eight percent of these children are underweight, more than 44 percent are stunted and a high prevalence of anaemia remains among children and women.
The recent hike in food and fuel prices is hitting vulnerable. However, the Government of Indonesia has launched a number of initiatives – including cash transfers and expanded the subsidized rice programme - to assist the most vulnerable. Despite steady progress being made on the UN Millennium Development Goals, the country is still designated as a low-income food-deficit country.
Indonesia remains geographically vulnerable: the country lies on volcanic fault lines and faces a range of natural hazards; including flooding, tsunami, earthquake, and drought as well as localised conflict.
WFP Activities
The Indonesian government has embraced ambitious targets for reducing the rates of malnutrition and maternal and child mortality by 2010 in line with the UN’s Millenium Development Goals.WFP’s Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation (PRRO) helps to achieve these goals – by providing nutritional assistance to vulnerable children and pregnant women. However, aid activities also provide recovery rations to the most vulnerable tsunami survivors, boost primary school attendance, encourage TB patients to finish their treatment, help people improve their livelihoods and assist communities to develop.
About 845,000 beneficiaries are targeted. Specific activities include:
- Nutritional Rehabilitation aid via local health centres. Pregnant women and nursing mothers receive fortified noodles; children receive either fortified biscuits or fortified blended food (Greater Jakarta, East Java, NTT, NTB, south Sulawesi and Aceh & Nias);
- School Meals– about 320,000 primary school students receive fortified biscuits in class every day to increase attendance and performance (Greater Jakarta, East Java, NTT, NTB and Aceh & Nias);
- TB assistance – rice and fortified noodles to 105,000 TB patients and their families to encourage patients to finish their treatment regime and provide extra nutrition to help them fight the disease (Greater Jakarta, East Java, NTB, NTT and south Sulawesi).
