Bayer Launches Stunting Prevention Program "CETING" for Community of Cisalak, Depok

DEPOK, Indonesia, Aug. 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- *Bayer*, a global Life Science company in health and nutrition, is taking an active role in addressing the stunting problem in Indonesia. Coinciding with Bayer's 66th year in Indonesia, Bayer launched the CETING (Prevent Stunting) program for the community around the Bayer factory in Cimanggis which will reach 2,250 beneficiaries in the Cisalak sub-district, Sukmajaya, Depok. Bayer appointed Mercy Corps Indonesia (MCI) as the program implementing partner.MoU signing: President Director of Bayer Indonesia, Kinshuk Kunwar, and Executive Director of Mercy Corps Indonesia, Ade Soekadis. Witnessed by the Head of the Depok City Labor Office, Secretary of the Depok Health Office, Head of the Program and Budget Preparation Division of the Planning and Development Agency of Depok, the Sub-District Head of Sukmajaya, and the Village Chief of Cisalak, Head of Product Supply Consumer Health APAC, and the Head of Product Supply Consumer Health Cimanggis.

The launch of this program was marked by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Bayer and MCI on Saturday, 26 August 2023 at the Cimanggis factory. Also attending the event were *Head of the Labor Office of Depok, Dr. Sidik Mulyono, B. Eng, M. Eng**; President Director of Bayer Indonesia, Kinshuk Kunwar, Head of Product Supply Consumer Health Asia Pacific, Jong Paglinawan; Head of Product Supply Consumer Health Cimanggis, Priscilla Silvan Prarizta; Secretary of the Health Service Depok, Head of the Program and Budget Preparation Division of the Planning and Development Agency of Depok, Sub-District Head of Sukmajaya, Wijaya; Village Chief of Cisalak, Rini Ekasari; and representatives of beneficiary Cisalak residents.*The launch of the Stunting Prevention program for the residents of Cisalak, Depok. This program will reach 2,250 beneficiaries in the Cisalak, Sukmajaya, Depok neighborhoods, providing clean water facilities, education, and health training.

To date, stunting is still a serious challenge facing Indonesia to achieve the demographic bonus and realize Indonesia Gold 2045. Even though the prevalence of stunting in Depok is 12.6% below the national target, the City Government of Depok is focusing on preventive strategies. "We really appreciate and welcome Bayer's efforts in helping the government Depok in preventing stunting in Cisalak. This effort is a role model of a company giving positive impacts to society. We will support the success of this program and hope this program can be replicated by other companies in Depok," said* Dr. Sidik Mulyono, B. Eng, M. Eng, Head of the Labor Office of Depok in his welcoming speech representing the Mayor of Depok. *

The CETING program aims to prevent stunting by increasing access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) as well as health education. This goal is aligned with the problem faced by the community near the Bayer Cimanggis factory. "The CETING program is part of Bayer global sustainability program and in line with our vision: Health for All, Hunger for None. We are committed to helping the government achieve the target of reducing stunting in Indonesia. Stunting is a multi-dimensional problem and solving it requires close collaboration from multiple stakeholders like the government, companies, universities, and society. This program will enhance the Posyandu program which we have been running since 2014 as a good corporate citizen and will further benefit economically vulnerable communities around our factory," said *Kinshuk Kunwar, President Director of Bayer Indonesia.*

*Overcome stunting through powerful collaboration*

In practice, the CETING program includes various training components, including WASH Committee Training and Health Training. Approach Training of Trainers (ToT) will also be implemented for health workers and health cadres. This program will also emphasize the gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) approach to ensure equal participation from all levels of society.

To make the CETING program a success, Bayer and MCI partnered with a number of partners stakeholders, starting from local government, community leaders, health workers, to housewives. "This joint action with Bayer in the CETING program is an important step in improving the quality of public health in Cisalak and its surroundings. With comprehensive and ongoing support from Bayer combined with Mercy Corps Indonesia's expertise and extensive network, we are optimistic that this program will be able to have a significant impact for beneficiaries," said* Ade Soekadis, Executive Director of Mercy Corps Indonesia.*

In order to ensure the CETING program is sustainable in the long term, the program implements a behavior change strategy (Behavioral Change) and community involvement. Women and health cadres are the main targets of the CETING program, because empowering women through health knowledge and skills is believed to be able to effectively encourage behavior change in society.

*Continuous transformation for society through the CETING program*

The CETING program, which will run until January 2024, is expected to benefit at least 500 women through Information, Communication, Education (IEC) materials. If each household has three members, it is estimated that this program will reach 2,250 indirect beneficiaries. Other CETING program outcomes include the establishment of three Communal Water Station Facilities (WCS), training for ten WASH Committee members, and access to clean water for 150 households.

This result is expected to be achieved through the CETING program, because according to the report by the National Team for the Acceleration of Poverty Reduction (TP2K) sanitation and clean water have an important role in preventing stunting. The CETING program is in line with the Indonesian government's national priority programs as outlined in Presidential Regulation Number 185 of 2014 concerning the Acceleration of Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation. There are a number of government targets for the people of Indonesia in 2024 including access to proper drinking water, 15 percent of residents have access to safe drinking water, 30 percent have access to piped drinking water, and 10 million water connections to people's homes.

*About Bayer*

Bayer is a global company with core competencies in the life sciences related to health and agriculture. Bayer's products and services are designed to provide benefits and address the major challenges posed by a growing and aging global population. Bayer Group aims to create value through innovation, growth, and high earning power. As a corporation, Bayer adheres to the principles of sustainable development and provides positive benefits for its business. At the same time, Bayer aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand is the embodiment of trust, reliability, and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2022, Bayer employs around 101,000 people with sales of 50.7 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 6.2 billion euros.