Quality Child Growth and Development in Villages Supported by the first 1,000 days Parenting Advocacy Module

The First Thousand Days of Life (the first 1,000 days) is a golden period of physical growth, and also an important foundation for children’s cognitive, emotional, and social development in the future. Proper nutrition and parenting are the main keys to optimal child growth and development because malnutrition and incorrect parenting can increase the risk of child growth and development problems or stunting which can hinder children’s physical and brain development. Therefore, comprehensive support for pregnant women and children under two years of age needs to be a priority. Access to quality health services, education on nutrition and parenting, and social and economic support are the best investments that can be made.

Yayasan Plan International Indonesia (Plan Indonesia) through the Family Planning Cadre Capacity Building Program for Stunting Prevention (PARENTS project) together with the Ministry of Population and Family Development (Kemendukbangga) and the Demi Kita Foundation has prepared the first 1,000 days Parenting Advocacy Module, to improve the capabilities of Family Planning Extension Workers/Family Planning Field Officers (PKB/PLKB), and KB Cadres at the village level. The first 1,000 days Parenting Advocacy Module consists of 5 materials, namely: Profile of Assisted Homes and Families; Designing Creative and Effective Learning Sessions; Advocacy for the First 1,000 Days Parenting Program; Development of an Integrated the First 1,000 Days Program Design in the Village; Communication Techniques in Advocacy. There are many problems faced by PKB/PLKB and KB Cadres, therefore, this module is expected to improve the analysis of the needs of target families for the stunting program, compile the first 1,000 days intervention program that supports child growth and development, and advocate for the the first 1,000 days program to be included in village planning documents with a budget sourced from village funds or other parties.

Through the first 1,000 days of care advocacy activities, it is hoped that there will be an increase in the commitment of the village government or other related parties, as well as multi-party collaboration in supporting the first 1,000 days of program intervention so that it is right on target and has a significant impact on reducing the prevalence of stunting.

Implementation of the Module at the District Level

After going through the trial and finalization stages, the first 1,000 days Care Advocacy Module is ready to be implemented more widely. The dissemination stage of the module material begins with the Training of Trainers (ToT) activity at the end of 2024. This ToT activity was held in 5 provinces that were the targets of the PARENTS project, namely in North Sumatra (Padang Lawas Regency), Banten (Pandeglang Regency), West Java (Sumedang Regency), West Nusa Tenggara (All regencies and cities on Lombok Island), and East Nusa Tenggara (Kupang Regency and South Central Timor).

This training was facilitated by Widyaiswara from the Kemendukbangga Center, and the participants were given certificates as facilitators by the Kemendukbangga Education and Training Center. The expected competency of participants after the training is the ability to become facilitators of the first 1,000 days of Parenting Advocacy Module training for PKB/PLKB colleagues at the district level and KB cadres at the village level.

Starting in 2025, the facilitators of the first 1,000 days Parenting Advocacy Module at the district level immediately stepped on the gas to socialize the module to all PKB/PLKB in their work areas. Of the 10 districts/cities that were the focus, two of them chose face-to-face (offline) meetings for this activity, namely Padang Lawas Regency (North Sumatra) and Mataram City (NTB). This offline implementation was held thanks to the contribution of the KB OPD in each location for participant consumption and accommodation.

In Padang Lawas Regency, enthusiasm was visible when the module socialization was held on February 5, 2025. A total of 406 participants, dominated by women (378 women and 28 men), attended this event. The Head of the Population Control, Family Planning, Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Service (DP2KBP3A) Padang Lawas, Markiah Hasibuan, SE., expressed her appreciation to Plan Indonesia.

“PKB and PLKB are the spearheads in providing education to the community. With this training, they will be better prepared to provide accurate information about the importance of the first 1,000 days, how to support pregnant women, babies, and toddlers in meeting nutritional needs, and reducing the risk of stunting in Padang Lawas Regency,” said Markiah.

The facilitator team of the first 1,000 days Parenting Advocacy Module in Padang Lawas successfully delivered materials and shared examples of good practices that they had carried out so that the prevalence of stunting in Padang Lawas in 2023 dropped from 35.8% to 17.7%. This success was supported by several programs such as Infant and Child Feeding (PMBA), Healthy Kitchen to Overcome Stunting (Dashat), family planning assistance from pregnancy, and childbirth to two-year-old babies, and the involvement of nutritious food programs involving the business world through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds.

Wafiq Azizah, one of the participants in the activity said, “I am happy to have the opportunity to learn and share experiences about the importance of the first 1,000 days of advocacy. This knowledge will help me in advocating for stunting prevention programs in the village.”

In Mataram City, the module socialization was carried out on February 24, 2025. All 31 PKB/PLKB (13 men and 18 women) participated in this activity until the end. The Head of the NTB Province Ministry of Education and Culture Representative Office, Dr Drs. Lalu Makripuddin, M.Sc., said that the advocacy skills of the PKB and PLKB would greatly assist in achieving the target of the 5 leading programs of the Central Ministry of Education and Culture. He also highlighted the importance of collaboration in the GENTING program (Foster Parents Movement to Prevent Stunting). “This advocacy ability is a major asset for the success of the GENTING program which requires cooperation with many parties. We are very grateful to Plan Indonesia for this useful training,” said Makripuddin.

The Head of the Mataram City Women’s Empowerment, Child Protection, Population Control and Family Planning Service (DP2KB), H.M. Carnoto, SKM., MM, gave directions for the facilitators to deliver the material in simple language. This is important because, after this socialization, the facilitators will train the cadres at the sub-district level.

Meanwhile, in 8 other districts, the socialization activities were carried out online via Zoom meetings. Participants took part in this activity individually or in groups at the UPT office in their respective sub-districts. The total number of socialization participants from 10 districts reached more than 1,300 PKB/PLKB.

The next important step after this socialization is the delivery of module materials to village cadres and assistance in advocacy practices to the village government and related institutions. The success of this effort will be reflected in the increase in programs and budget allocations that support child growth and development from the womb to the age of 24 months. Indicators can be in the form of increasing BKB services, providing nutrition for children indicated as stunting, nutrition education and care, and other initiatives.