PORTALJABAR, DISTRICT. GARUT - Garut Regency Education Office (Disdik) Forum Group Discussion (FGD) Stunting Prevention in PAUD (Early Childhood Education) Institutions, at the Kassiti Fave Hotel Ballroom, Jalan Raya Cimanuk, Tarogong Kidul District, Garut Regency, Wednesday (15/5/ 2024).

In her speech, Garut Regency PAUD Mother, Sri Kartika, revealed that stunting is a condition of failure to thrive in toddlers, especially in the first 1,000 days of a baby's life from birth.

Sri Kartika, who is familiarly known as Ika, revealed that failure to grow is caused by a lack of nutritional intake consumed by pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers or toddlers. However, this can be prevented by eating nutritious food.

"If a child is born and is indicated to be stunted, then for 2 years they can be given adequate nutrition so that their growth and development in the future will return to normal," he said.

He revealed that the regional government had made various efforts, including Rembuk Stunting, Geber Stunting (Joint Stunting Intervention Movement) towards Garut Regency Zero New Stunting 2024, TOSS (Find, Treat, Love, Stunting Toddlers).

"I hope that this activity can be socialized again in each region according to our role so that we can optimize and support the implementation of stunting reduction," he said.

Meanwhile, the Head of the PAUD and Community Education Division, Entib Satibi, said that this activity was attended by teachers or heads of kindergarten education units from areas that are stunting loci. Not only that, added Entib, this activity was also accompanied by the Village PAUD Mother.

"This is the first aim to suppress the growth of stunting. This is so that there will be zero new stunting in Garut Regency, we have to focus on this stunting," he said.

Entib said that this activity would be followed up with movements at each PAUD Cluster Activity Center. He hopes that this activity can reduce the growth of stunting in Garut Regency.

"We have conveyed the message earlier, firstly we can spread the knowledge that has been absorbed here to our respective communities, as well as being able to reduce (the stunting rate) by working side by side with the Village PAUD Mother," he said.