*Loa Murib
The designation of Cenderawasih University (Uncen) as a Regional Center of Excellence (RCOE) for the Free Nutritional Meals (MBG) program in Papua is a strategic step worthy of appreciation. This step demonstrates the government’s commitment to prioritizing child nutrition as a key priority in human development, particularly in eastern Indonesia, which still faces significant challenges in access to and equitable nutrition. The MBG program, which has been rolled out nationally, requires a regional coordination and innovation center for more effective implementation, adaptability to local conditions, and sustainability.
The Papua Provincial Government welcomes the designation of Uncen as an RCOE. It is believed that this institution will be a driving force for strengthening local capacity, both in the form of research, innovation development, and training for field personnel such as health workers, teachers, and community cadres. In addition to serving as a learning center, the RCOE is expected to serve as a space for cross-sector collaboration, combining academic approaches, public policy, and local wisdom to achieve nutritional security in Papua.
Matias Mano, Acting Expert Staff to the Governor for Community and Cultural Development, stated that the Papua Provincial Government is fully committed to supporting the sustainability of the MBG program. This commitment extends beyond administrative measures, but also includes encouraging multi-stakeholder involvement in program implementation and enhancing human resource capacity at the grassroots level. He emphasized that the MBG program is not simply about food distribution, but rather a long-term social investment targeting the most vulnerable groups: toddlers, pregnant women, and students in remote areas.
In the context of Papua’s extraordinary geographical challenges, equitable access to nutritious food is crucial. When children do not receive adequate and safe nutrition, the risk of stunting, delayed cognitive development, and low productivity in the future will continue to loom. Therefore, the MBG must be interpreted as a form of the state’s commitment to social justice. There should be no disparity in treatment between children in large cities and those living in remote villages.
Within this framework of justice, the importance of strengthening the MBG program’s distribution infrastructure is urgent. One innovative approach currently being proposed is the establishment of satellite kitchens in remote areas. This idea was put forward by Petrus Thokiman, the patron of the Kencana Papua Nusantara Foundation, who expressed his hope that the MBG program would truly reach children in underdeveloped areas, particularly in Fakfak Regency, West Papua.
According to Petrus, MBG implementation has so far been focused on urban areas. Children in remote villages have not yet fully benefited from this program. To bridge this gap, establishing MBG satellite kitchens is a real solution. In addition to ensuring faster and more efficient distribution of healthy food, this concept also allows for the empowerment of local communities. Petrus emphasized that local foods such as sago, sweet potatoes, taro, and vegetables from community gardens should be integrated into MBG menus. This will promote food security and empower the local economy.
Furthermore, satellite kitchens align with the spirit of decentralizing public services that adapt to Papua’s geographical characteristics. With regulatory and funding support from the central government and development partners, these kitchens can be established in strategic locations, particularly those far from main roads or in remote hilly and coastal areas. This way, children living in these locations will receive equal treatment and will not be marginalized by national policies that should be inclusive.
It is important to understand that the success of the MBG program depends not only on the availability of nutritious food but also on efficient and participatory governance. Therefore, support from various parties is essential—including universities, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and partner governments such as Australia, China, and Japan. They have played an active role in strengthening a more resilient and sustainable food and nutrition system in Papua.
As a center of excellence, Uncen can play a strategic role in developing training modules, researching locally based nutrition interventions, and building a data-driven monitoring and evaluation system. This is crucial for identifying nutritional hotspots, evaluating the effectiveness of menus, and designing more targeted follow-up interventions. As a center of knowledge, the campus is ideally positioned to integrate scientific approaches with the broader community.The social and cultural context of Papuan society.
These steps ultimately aim to achieve one thing: ensuring that every Papuan child has a healthy, intelligent, and productive future. Human development efforts cannot be separated from meeting basic needs such as adequate nutrition. Therefore, the MBG program must be prioritized, not merely as a temporary social program, but as part of a national strategy to strengthen the foundation of the nation’s future generations.
Developing Papua is not just about building roads and bridges. It is also about developing its people—starting with their plates. The MBG program, if implemented seriously, can be the answer to Papua’s multidimensional challenges: from poverty and educational disparities to the low human development index. Now is the time to unite our efforts and expand the scope of this program, so that no more children of the nation are left behind simply because of their geographical location.
*The author is a Papuan student in Surabaya
