JAKARTA - Drinking water and sanitation are one of the main priorities in sustainable development goals in Indonesia. In line with the commitment to bring health to as many Indonesians as possible, Danone Indonesia in collaboration with the Provincial Government of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), Kupang Regency and South Central Timor Regency along with partners of the Community Care Network Foundation (JPM), the Muhammadiyah Community Empowerment Council (MPM), Nazava and Mitra Dhuafa Cooperatives (Komida) today inaugurated clean water facilities and handed over safe drinking water facilities at SD GMIT Oenaek, Kupang, NTT.
The inauguration was also attended by Retno Marsudi, the Special Envoy for the Secretary General of the United Nations (UN) for Water Affairs; and Gita Sabharwal - UN Resident Coordinator for Indonesia.
The inauguration of clean water facilities in the villages of Oenaek and Sumlili, Kupang Regency, was carried out as part of efforts to prevent stunting in NTT which had started in 2020. To ensure that people have access to safe drinking water both at the household level and when doing activities in public facilities, Danone Indonesia also handed over safe drinking water facilities in the form of Nazava water sievery for people in Kupang Regency and South Central Timor (TTS).
Retno Marsudi, Special Envoy for the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) for Water, explained that access to drinking water is still an urgent challenge at the global and national levels.
"BP data shows that 1 in 4 people do not have access to clean water, and every day 1,000 children under 5 years die from this limitation, with the death rate due to diarrhea 3 times higher than violence. In Indonesia alone, access to clean water is also one of the challenges we face. In responding to this challenge, collaboration between the government and all parties, including the private sector, plays an important role. Therefore, we appreciate and warmly appreciate Danone Indonesia's support and collaboration in providing infrastructure and clean water access facilities. Hopefully, this synergy can be stronger to overcome water issues in various regions in Indonesia," he explained, in a written statement,
The Governor of NTT, represented by the Head of the NTT Provincial Health Office, drg. Iin Anggraeni, also appreciated this collaboration.
For more than two decades, Danone Indonesia has presented access to clean water to villages in NTT. Danone Indonesia has not stopped and continues to contribute through stunting prevention programs that include education, training, providing access to nutrients, to the establishment of the Village Stunting Monitoring Team. Until now, this program has reached around 20 villages in Kupang and has begun to expand to other regions in NTT. We hope that people who are scattered in various regions in NTT can feel the impact, and live a healthier life.
We believe the availability of access to clean water and drinking water is closely related to the health and quality of life of the community. As part of our commitment to Danone Impact Journey to create health impacts through hydration and nutrition as well as support the efforts of the Indonesian government and SDGs in achieving the target of access to drinking water is feasible and safe; we hope that by inaugurating clean water facilities and handing over safe drinking water facilities in the form of water filters, it can encourage a reduction in stunting rates, and improve the health of the people of NTT, in particular, in areas that have limited access," said Vera.
Galuh Sugijanto, VP General Secretary of Danone Indonesia. Data from the 2022 Indonesian Nutrition Status Survey (SSGI) recorded NTT as the province with the highest stunting prevalence rate of 35.3 percent. Therefore, supporting efforts to reduce and handle stunting prevalence in NTT, Danone Indonesia has been running stunting prevention programs since 2020.
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This initiative has reached more than 79 thousand beneficiaries through educational activities as well as the provision of access to nutrition, clean water and sanitation, as well as contributing to the reduction and handling of stunting prevalence in Kupang Regency, which previously in 2020 was at 22.3 percent to 12 percent in 2024. The availability of clean water and sanitation can reduce the risk of infection such as repeated diarrhea which can inhibit nutrition absorption and cause stunting.
In an effort to improve this clean water access facility, Danone Indonesia has built clean water facilities in five villages in Kupang and Southwest Sumba Regencies, of which two were inaugurated today by Danone Indonesia to the beneficiary community, witnessed by the Special Envoy for the Secretary General of the United Nations (UN) for Water, the Head of the Permanent UN Representative in Indonesia, the Governor of NTT Province and the Regent of Kupang.
Realizing the limited resources of the community to process clean water into safe drinking water, Danone Indonesia also collaborated with NAZAVA to distribute a total of 1,500 safe drinking water filters (water filters) to various regions in NTT.
Partnering with MPM Muhammadiyah and the Community Care Network Foundation (JPM), Danone Indonesia handed over 500 units directly to the people in Kupang Regency and TTS; and developed an ecosystem for subsidized water filter marketing which was allocated 1,000 units in the early stages, by cooperating with the Mitra Dhuafa Cooperative (KOMIDA) through a credit mechanism.
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