New healthy eating adventures for Aprilia

For 16-year-old Aprilia Kleopatra Yambeabdi, who was raised on the outskirts of Abepura city in the Papua province by a single mother, the idea of having a healthy breakfast used to feel like a distant possibility. The “My Plate” menu – recommendations for a healthy balanced diet that Aprilia saw at the local public health center and on TV ads – was a luxury beyond her family's means. 

“The menu was either too pricey or simply unavailable in this town,” says the native Papuan. “Until tenth grade, for breakfast, I grabbed whatever fried food was available at our school canteen during breaks.” 

Aprilia knew that this affected her well-being and concentration during class activities, but she had no other options. Then the Diaspora Christian High School, where she studies, joined the Aksi Bergizi pilot programme by UNICEF – a comprehensive initiative to address adolescent nutrition. 

The programme provides Aprilia and her fellow schoolmates with a daily nutritious breakfast and Weekly Iron-Folic Acid Supplement (WIFS), and educates them about the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. Aprilia was introduced to a “My Plate” campaign that is tailored to her home province, which is focused on the importance of eating a balanced diet with ingredients that are easy to acquire, affordable and rich in nutrition.

“Now I realize a healthy breakfast doesn’t have to mirror what I used to see on TV. Plenty of nutritious local ingredients are right in our backyard or at local markets,” says Aprilia, the youngest of three siblings. With her new eating habits, Aprilia has become more enthusiastic about studying, more attentive in class and more engaged in various activities at her school and the church.

In 2022, four ministries – the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Religious Affairs, and Ministry of Home Affairs– created a joint ministerial decree to address undernutrition, overnutrition and micronutrition deficiencies, known as the ‘triple burden of malnutrition’, among adolescents. This mandated all secondary schools nationwide to implement the Aksi Bergizi programme.  

All participating schools underwent training to provide healthy breakfasts and to incorporate nutrition education and activities to raise awareness and influence behaviours. The schools also organize a weekly breakfast involving the local community, providing meals that follow the “My Plate” recommendations and use locally available nutritious ingredients.  

In the Papua province, the healthy breakfast initiative through the Aksi Bergizi programme is part of an emergency response to address food insecurity challenges that worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to the success of the programme, the Papua province and Jayapura city governments have committed to sustaining the programme in food-insecure regions. 

Aprilia and her mother now enjoy a daily adventure for their breakfast, together striving for a perfect balance of local, nutritious ingredients they can afford.  

UNICEF Indonesia is grateful for the support received from key partners, including the Government of Japan.