Care beyond the classroom: early childhood development teachers in Papua nurture students' nutrition
Teachers learn knowledge and skills for early detection and referral of child wasting
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Orpa Korwa, 33, a native of Nandali village in Sentani, Papua, who has served as a Sunday class teacher at a local church for 18 years, believes deeply in dedicating herself to the welfare of children in her community.
She envisions children thriving, their nutritional needs met by the bounties of the land and water in Nandali, nestled beside the picturesque Sentani Lake. But Orpa notices an unsettling irony in this village blessed with abundant natural resources – some students appear thinner than their healthy peers, which is a sign of child wasting.
"Witnessing students of the same age with noticeable differences in growth, and at times lagging behind their younger peers, is a common sight I see every year," Orpa shares.
In Indonesia, one in 12 children under five suffers from wasting – they are too thin for their height or length. One of the deadliest forms of undernutrition among children under five, wasting poses a significant threat to their survival, growth, and development.
In 2023, Orpa set out on a new path to help children when she became a teacher at the Elim Early Childhood Development (ECD) Center. Soon after, the center secured a spot among 100 ECD Centers in Papua to participate in an ECD-led child wasting screening programme.
The programme equips ECD teachers like Orpa with knowledge and skills to detect child wasting and to refer at-risk children to health facilities for further examination and treatment if necessary. One of the vital detection tools teachers learn how to use is the color-coded mid-upper-arm-circumference (MUAC) tape.
If a child's MUAC result is yellow or red, and/or there is swelling on both feet, this could be a sign a child may be at risk of wasting and should be referred to a primary healthcare center for further checks by health workers. If the result is green, the child is considered healthy.
The training at the ECD Centers in Papua is part of the Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (IMAM), an evidence-based programme to prevent severe child wasting through early detection and treatment. UNICEF has supported a nationwide expansion of the IMAM programme, including in various Papua provinces since 2021 where it is integrated into the existing health and nutrition system.
Orpa recognizes the significant advantages of using the MUAC tape to help identify the nutritional well-being of the children under her care. She is also empowering the parents of the 40 children enrolled at the Elim ECD by sharing the new knowledge and skills she has gained.
Reni Uropka, 22, a mother of two, who participated in a training session conducted by Orpa, found the information valuable in addressing concerns that had lingered in her mind for the past year. Her eldest child, Clarita Samay, age three, had similar weight and height measurements as her younger sister, Lidia Samay, despite a 1.5-year age gap.
"I first learned about wasting at the ECD Center. The telltale sign is when a child is visibly thin or swollen on both feet, it could be a symptom of wasting," Reni says.
When Reni discovered that the colour of Clarita’s MUAC tape was yellow, she took her daughter to the primary healthcare center. The result confirmed that Clarita suffered from moderate wasting. The health worker counselled Reni to provide better nutrition and care, monitor her daughter’s nutrition status at home using MUAC tape, and take her daughter for monthly growth monitoring.
Clarita also received local supplementary food. Now, Reni is more attentive and resolute in ensuring nutritious food for her. "I used to give her whatever she wanted though, now I have started providing what she truly needed."
UNICEF Indonesia is grateful for the support received from the Government of Japan.
