The Inquiry Can Indonesia afford free lunches?
11 snips
Aug 19, 2025 This week, discover Indonesia's ambitious initiative to provide free school meals as a solution to rampant childhood malnutrition, where one in five kids are stunted. Dive into the political and economic repercussions of the plan, with budget cuts affecting vital services like health and education. Hear about protests from students who feel this program is compromising their futures. Additionally, comparisons with India's successful free meal scheme raise questions about efficacy and sustainability in the fight against poverty and hunger.
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Scale And Delivery Challenges
- Indonesia faces large-scale child malnutrition with about one in five children stunted.
- Reaching dispersed communities across 17,000 islands makes delivering nutrition programs highly complex.
Care And Sanitation Limit Nutrition
- Dini Widiastuti describes how poor water, sanitation and caregiving limit nutrient absorption in children.
- She highlights child marriage and absent parents as factors reducing infant and child care quality.
Policy Driven By Long-Term Vision
- The free meals programme is central to President Prabowo's plan to build human capital for a 'Golden Indonesia'.
- Ambitious political goals drive rapid implementation despite enormous logistical needs.