One morning in Merauke, the aroma of freshly cooked fish and sweet potatoes drifts across the dusty courtyard of Elementary School (Sekolah Dasar or SD) Inpres Gudang Arang. Dozens of children, their laughter cutting through the warm air, gather around long wooden tables. In front of each, a colorful plate—consist of rice, leafy greens, a boiled egg, and papaya slices. This is not just another school lunch. For many of these children, especially those from the Indigenous People of Papua (Orang Asli Papua or OAP) community, it is the most nutritious meal they will eat today.
It is part of Free Nutritious Lunch (Makan Siang Bergizi or MBG)—around breaking initiative designed to curb stunting and malnutrition in Papua Selatan. Behind the simple act of serving meals lies a complex and urgent mission: to tackle one of the region’s most entrenched public health challenges.
The Silent Emergency in Papua
Stunting—condition where children’s growth is permanently impaired due to chronic malnutrition—has haunted Papua. While Indonesia has made strides in lowering national stunting rates, Papua remains an outlier. In many rural and indigenous communities, the rates are alarmingly high.
From January to July 2025, the Kelapa Lima Community Health Center (Puskesmas) recorded 33 stunting cases in Merauke—down from 59 cases during the same period in 2024 (Papua Selatan Pos). But hidden in this progress is a stark reality: 99% of these cases are OAP children.
“In remote kampungs, many families still rely on sago and salted fish as their daily staples,” explained Nurfadillah, a Puskesmas nutritionist. “They fill the stomach but don’t meet the protein and micronutrient needs for growing children.”
A New Approach: Meals as Medicine
The MBG program, launched on August 4, 2025, by SPPG Putri Papua Selatan, takes a direct and tangible approach—feeding children where they are most reachable: in schools.
Eight schools in Merauke now participate, including SD Negeri 1 & 2, SD Biankuk, SD Yapis 1 & 2, SMP Gudang Arang, and SMA Negeri 2 (Suara Dewata). In total, 3,963 beneficiaries—from elementary students to pregnant women and toddlers—receive daily nutritious meals.
Each plate is carefully planned: a mix of local ingredients such as cassava leaves, grilled fish from nearby fishermen, and bananas from local farmers. “We want our children to grow up strong with food they know and love,” said Maria Doloros Liu, chairwoman of the foundation.
Not Just a Feeding Program—A Community Movement
From the outside, MBG might seem like a charity initiative. But its design is strategic. The program taps into local food supply chains, purchasing directly from smallholder farmers and market traders. This not only ensures freshness but also injects cash into the local economy.
Lieutenant Colonel Johny Nofriady of Kodim 1707 Merauke sees MBG as a dual investment—in health and stability. “When children are healthy and in school, it reduces long-term social tensions,” he said. The military has even pledged to help set up mini SPPG kitchens in remote districts, ensuring no village is left behind.
Stories from the Lunch Table
In the corner of the schoolyard, Lidia, a nine-year-old with bright eyes and braided hair, sits next to her younger cousin. She admits she used to skip school often. “Sometimes I was too tired or hungry,” she said softly. Now, she rarely misses a day.
Her teacher, Natalia, has seen a transformation in attendance and focus. “Before MBG, many students would doze off in class by late morning,” she explained. “Now, they stay alert. Their handwriting has improved, and their confidence too.”
Beyond the Plate: Health Education and Monitoring
MBG doesn’t stop at serving meals. Puskesmas staff regularly visit schools to conduct weight and height checks, monitor growth progress, and educate children about hygiene and healthy eating habits. Parents are also invited to workshops on how to prepare balanced meals with locally available foods.
According to Ignasius Babaga, head of the Papua Selatan Education Office, this integrated approach is essential. “We are feeding the body, but also feeding the mind with knowledge,” he said. “It is about breaking the cycle of malnutrition, one generation at a time.”
Why This Matters for OAP
The link between stunting and educational outcomes is well documented. Stunted children are more likely to struggle academically, earn less as adults, and face higher health risks later in life. For OAP communities, where access to healthcare, quality education, and economic opportunities are already limited, stunting compounds inequality.
MBG is not just about food—it is about closing the developmental gap between indigenous and non-indigenous children in Papua.
Challenges and the Road Ahead
Despite early successes, challenges remain. Funding sustainability is a concern, especially if the program is to be expanded to isolated highland districts where malnutrition rates are even higher. Logistical hurdles—from rough terrain to seasonal flooding—complicate food delivery.
Yet, local leaders remain optimistic. The drop in stunting cases this year is a sign that the strategy works. The next step, they say, is scaling the program to cover all districts in Papua Selatan and eventually across Tanah Papua.
A Model for Indonesia’s Stunting Eradication Goal
Indonesia aims to reduce stunting rates to 14% by 2024 nationally, but in places like Papua, the path is steeper. Programs like MBG show that localized, culturally sensitive approaches can yield results where generic interventions fall short.
Public health experts suggest integrating MBG into the national school feeding scheme, ensuring consistent funding and oversight while preserving local flexibility.
A Brighter Future, One Lunch at a Time
As the lunch bell rings, the children of SD Inpres Gudang Arang gather their empty plates, chattering about the upcoming football match. It’s an ordinary scene—yet extraordinary in its implications.
For each of these children, the daily MBG meal is a step toward a healthier, more hopeful future. It is a quiet but powerful act of resistance against a problem that has plagued Papua for generations.
“Healthy children mean a healthy Papua,” Maria Doloros Liu reflected. “We are not just serving food—we are serving opportunity.”
Conclusion
The MBG program in Papua Selatan demonstrates that tackling stunting and malnutrition among Orang Asli Papua (OAP) children requires more than medical advice—it needs a holistic, community-driven approach. By combining free nutritious meals in schools, local food sourcing, health education, and multi-sector collaboration between government, the military, educators, and healthcare workers, MBG has already helped reduce stunting cases in Merauke.
The program is more than a feeding scheme; it is a pathway to educational improvement, economic empowerment, and social equality. It bridges the gap between health and learning, ensuring that Indigenous children not only survive but thrive.
While logistical and funding challenges remain, MBG’s early success offers a replicable model for other high-stunting regions in Indonesia. Each plate served is not just food—it’s an investment in the future, a quiet revolution against generations of health inequality, and a promise that Papua’s children can grow strong, educated, and full of potential.
