Paternity Class, Stunting, and Ancestral Calling

Yunus Liu is his full name. The man who had been a village head for two periods (1998-2006), made the decision to become a village head again. In 2022, he was elected after a general election in his village, Tesiayofanu, Kie District, South Central Timor Regency (TTS), East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Province. Yunus returned not without reason, it’s because he has a strong desire to build his village from underdevelopment in various issues, one of which is fighting stunting through paternity class.

“I am the tribal chief here, the Liu tribe. I believe that my ancestors still give me the mandate to lead this village, so my parents and traditional leaders are looking for me to lead here again,” said Yunus.

Based on the results of the Indonesian nutritional status study (SSGI) in 2021, the prevalence of stunting in TTS Regency is the highest nationally, reaching 48.3 percent. TTS is the highest out of 246 districts/cities in 12 provinces prioritized for handling stunting. (source: CNN Indonesia).

Yayasan Plan International Indonesia (Plan Indonesia) is one of the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that supports the government in efforts to prevent and reduce stunting, through stunting prevention programs. Plan Indonesia in NTT conducts programs in several districts, namely TTS, Lembata, Nagekeo, Manggarai, Belu, Malaka, Kupang and Kupang City.

Village Decree to hold Odd-Even Paternity Class

It all started when the village head, Yunus Liu, attended Plan Indonesia’s fatherhood class training in Soe. He was representing Tesiayofanu Village, which is one of the villages assisted by Plan Indonesia.

In addition to the Village Head, other participants in the training were village health workers (TKD), Head of Health Center, Head of Community Welfare Affairs, Human Development Cadres and the wives of Village Heads.

Through the training, participants received various materials in six sessions. Starting from the application of eight family functions during the first 1000 days of life (HPK), physical and mental health of mothers and children during the 1000 HPK period, to the habituation of clean and healthy living behavior (PHBS) for pregnant women and babies aged 2 years. There is also stimulation of child development during the 1000 HPK period, increasing the role of fathers and other family members, and parenting that is responsive (consistent and appropriate) to children’s needs.

He absorbed all the material from the training so well that the village head was quick to follow up.

“I went home and started thinking about how all the fathers in the village could play a role and understand child development,” Yunus Liu said firmly.

In order for the fathers in the village to know about child development, we had to bring them to the posyandu. He started by holding a meeting inviting all villagers to run an even-odd program, where every father with a toddler had to share the role with the mother when bringing the child to the Posyandu.

So, he decided that every odd month, it would be the fathers who would bring their children to the Posyandu and every even month it would be the mothers. he put this decision in the Village Head Decree, explained Yunus Liu.

Become a Role Model to Prevent Stunting

During the implementation of the child posyandu, in the last odd month, Yunus also had the opportunity to take his grandson for examination, weighing and others at the posyandu.

“I also took my grandson to the posyandu because when the posyandu was scheduled, his father was working outside the village,” said Yunus.

This is a form of commitment from the village head in terms of parenting. He is well aware of the importance of father’s involvement in childcare. Thus, this role is not the responsibility of the mother alone but is the joint responsibility of both parents.

Focusing on Children and Pregnant Women’s Health

Yunus is also very concerned about the health of children and pregnant women in his village. He believes that a child’s health should start in the mother’s womb.

Whenever there is a feast in the village, the pregnant women and children come first. Then if the normal dinner time is 20.00 WITA or even later, then at 18.00 WITA all pregnant women and children who attend the party must have eaten and not wait until late at night. This has been the custom in the village since Yunus Liu started leading until now.

Not only that, his concern for children is proven through budgeting village funds for the prevention and handling of stunting in his village. In 2022, he budgeted Rp99,774,410 for village funds and increased it in 2023 to Rp192,502,700. This budgeting is for the honorarium of village health workers, posyandu cadres, human development cadres, and the provision of additional food for stunted children.

In addition, the village head is well aware that Plan Indonesia’s presence in his village has a very important role.

“Our village funds are limited, so it is difficult for us to conduct trainings for cadres, village officials, and village health workers. Plan Indonesia really helped us through the trainings we received. Other assistance includes clean water facilities, agricultural tools for youth farmer groups, games for children, and others. On behalf of the people of Tesiayofanu Village, I thank Plan Indonesia, both in the Timor area, Kupang to Jakarta and also the sponsors who have helped us,” Yunus concluded.

Written by: Agus Haru | Editor: Moudy Alfiana | Photo: Plan Indonesia/Agus Haru