In the coastal city of Jayapura, mornings have begun to look a little different. As the sun rises over Sentani Lake and the sound of waves from the Pacific laps the shoreline, children in bright uniforms make their way to school. But before lessons begin, something important happens: the arrival of food trucks carrying freshly cooked meals. In classrooms and courtyards, 33,000 children are now eating balanced, nourishing meals each school day—thanks to Indonesia’s ambitious Makan Bergizi Gratis (MBG), or Free Nutritious Meals, program.
What may look like a simple school meal distribution is, in fact, part of a nationwide push to address one of Indonesia’s most pressing health challenges: stunting. In Jayapura, the program has quickly become more than just about feeding children. It has turned into a symbol of community solidarity, a catalyst for economic empowerment, and a long-term investment in Papua’s human capital.
A City Embracing the Program
The program in Jayapura officially began rolling out in early September 2025. According to the Badan Gizi Nasional (BGN)—the National Nutrition Agency—12 out of 22 planned community kitchens are already operational, preparing and delivering meals to schools and health centers. The scale is impressive: 161 schools and 7 posyandu (integrated health centers) are currently receiving meals.
At a recent coordination meeting, Mayor Abisai Rollo reaffirmed his city’s commitment to MBG. “Jayapura will give full support to this program,” he said, highlighting how essential nutrition is to the city’s development agenda. His call was not only about government responsibility but also about community ownership. The mayor stressed that Orang Asli Papua—indigenous Papuans—should be directly involved as volunteers, cooks, and distribution staff.
That approach has worked. Today, 47 local volunteers, many of them mothers and youth, are employed in preparing and delivering meals. This involvement ensures the benefits extend beyond health: families are gaining income, skills, and dignity from being part of the effort.
Beyond Hunger: Confronting the Stunting Crisis
Stunting is a quiet crisis in Indonesia. It refers to impaired growth and development in children caused by chronic malnutrition, repeated infections, and inadequate psychosocial stimulation. The effects are long-lasting: children who are stunted face reduced cognitive ability, higher susceptibility to illness, and limited productivity in adulthood.
In Papua, the challenge has been particularly acute. For years, limited access to nutritious food, geographic isolation, and socio-economic disparities have contributed to higher-than-average stunting rates. MBG directly targets this issue by making sure that every child—regardless of family income or location—receives at least one nutritious meal daily.
The meals are designed with local nutritional needs in mind. A typical package includes rice or sago, protein such as fish, chicken, or eggs, and vegetables grown by nearby farmers. For many children, this may be the most balanced meal they receive all day. And it is not just school children who benefit. 479 pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, infants, and toddlers are also included, receiving meals at health posts. By supporting maternal and early childhood nutrition, the program creates a foundation for healthier generations.
A Human Capital Investment
Education and nutrition are inseparable. Teachers in Jayapura have already begun noticing changes. Students arrive in class more alert, less restless, and more engaged. For some children, the guarantee of a meal is also an incentive to attend school regularly, reducing absenteeism.
Health workers echo these observations. By ensuring mothers and toddlers receive nutritious food, MBG prevents underweight births and supports the crucial “first 1,000 days of life”—a period critical for physical and brain development. This means fewer children at risk of stunting and more children capable of reaching their full potential.
In a broader sense, MBG is a human capital investment. Indonesia’s long-term economic competitiveness depends on having a healthy, educated workforce. By addressing nutrition now, Jayapura is preparing its next generation not just to survive, but to thrive.
Boosting the Local Economy
One of the most distinctive aspects of the MBG program in Jayapura is how it integrates with the local economy. Instead of relying on imported goods, kitchens source ingredients from local farmers, fishermen, and small-scale vendors. This creates steady demand for fresh produce and protein, helping stabilize prices and providing livelihoods to local families.
In villages outside the city, cassava growers and vegetable farmers now have new buyers for their harvests. Fishermen from nearby coastal areas deliver their catch directly to kitchens. Women’s cooperatives supply eggs, tofu, and traditional greens. What began as a health policy is turning into an economic multiplier.
Mayor Rollo emphasized that strengthening these food supply chains will be key for sustainability. By linking MBG with agricultural programs, the city ensures that nutritious meals are not only available today but also for decades to come.
Daily Rhythm of a Kitchen
To understand the program’s impact, it helps to step inside one of Jayapura’s community kitchens. At dawn, the kitchen is alive with activity. Volunteers, dressed in aprons and headscarves, chop vegetables, stir steaming pots of soup, and portion rice into biodegradable containers. Ingredients—bananas from a local farm, fish from the morning market, and leafy greens from a nearby hillside—are spread across wooden tables.
By 8:00 a.m., meals are packed and loaded into vans. Volunteers climb aboard, heading to schools where students are already waiting. By 9:00, the children are eating, laughter filling the classrooms as food brings both joy and nutrition. At the same time, health workers at posyandu distribute meals to young mothers and toddlers, often adding short counseling sessions on breastfeeding and healthy diets.
The process is orderly, efficient, and infused with pride. For many volunteers, the kitchen is more than a workplace—it is a community hub where friendships are built and dignity restored.
Challenges and Opportunities Ahead
Despite its successes, the program faces hurdles. With only 12 of 22 kitchens operational, there is a race to expand capacity. Logistics remain challenging in Papua, where terrain is rugged and transportation can be unpredictable. Ensuring timely delivery to remote schools requires coordination across agencies and communities.
Funding is another consideration. While the central government has pledged strong support, long-term sustainability will depend on efficient budgeting and continued local involvement. Officials are already discussing how to integrate MBG with other initiatives, such as food security programs, agricultural subsidies, and rural development schemes.
Yet optimism runs high. The partnership between national agencies, local government, schools, and communities has shown that when resources are aligned, progress is swift.
Why Jayapura’s Model Matters
The story unfolding in Jayapura is more than just a local initiative—it is a model with lessons that resonate far beyond Papua. At first glance, the MBG program may appear to be a straightforward feeding scheme, but in reality, it represents a comprehensive approach to development that integrates health, education, community empowerment, and economic growth.
A holistic impact on society is perhaps the program’s most immediate strength. By providing nutritious meals, Jayapura is not only addressing stunting but also laying the foundation for better educational outcomes. Teachers already report that students are more focused and energized, able to follow lessons with greater concentration. At the same time, the inclusion of pregnant women and toddlers ensures that maternal and child health receives equal attention. This dual focus—nurturing young learners while also supporting the earliest stages of life—creates a cycle of well-being that strengthens the entire community.
Equally important is the sense of community ownership the program fosters. Involving indigenous Papuans directly in the kitchens and delivery networks is more than a logistical decision; it is a recognition of their central role in building and sustaining the program’s success. Volunteers speak with pride about preparing meals for their neighbors’ children, while parents see the program as something created with them, not simply imposed on them. This grassroots involvement builds trust, strengthens social cohesion, and empowers individuals who may have once felt sidelined from the city’s development agenda.
The economic benefits of the program cannot be overlooked. By sourcing ingredients from local farmers, fishermen, and small vendors, the MBG program creates economic integration that strengthens entire supply chains. A fisherman’s morning catch becomes part of a child’s breakfast; a farmer’s harvest finds its way into community kitchens; a mother running a small vegetable stall gains steady customers. In this way, the program multiplies its impact, ensuring that the money spent on nutrition cycles back into the local economy. It is not just about feeding children but about feeding livelihoods.
Finally, the Jayapura experience demonstrates the scalability of such an initiative. The program has already shown how careful coordination between national agencies, local government, schools, and communities can overcome logistical challenges. The model—balanced meals prepared in centralized kitchens, distributed by local volunteers, and integrated with existing health and education services—offers a blueprint that other cities and provinces can adopt. If it can succeed in the geographically diverse and logistically challenging terrain of Papua, it can succeed elsewhere in Indonesia.
Taken together, these elements explain why Jayapura’s MBG program is more than just a success story—it is a potential roadmap for a healthier, more equitable, and more prosperous Indonesia.
Conclusion
In Jayapura, the MBG program is changing lives meal by meal. For a child sitting in a classroom, a hot breakfast is more than food—it is energy to learn, grow, and dream. For a mother at a health post, it is reassurance that her child’s future will be healthier than her past. For a farmer, it is reliable income. And for the city itself, it is a path toward a stronger, more prosperous future.
As the program expands to all 22 planned kitchens and beyond, Jayapura’s story is a reminder that tackling malnutrition is not just about feeding bodies—it is about nourishing futures.
