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April 11, 2024Local Food Creation as a Main Choice to Improve PLHIV’ Nutrition
The integrated HIV and AIDS control programme in the district run by CD Bethesda YAKKUM is a project that has urgency and benefits that are felt by the community because previously very few parties were concerned with the issue of HIV and AIDS in Belu District. Various interventions were carried out by this HIV and AIDS programme, in addition to targeting PLHIV and people who live with PLHIV directly but also involving the general community at the base level, including housewives, teenagers, men, and workers. Among the strategies used is capacity building through various trainings, which aim to support and strengthen the integrated prevention of HIV transmission.
The training was held by CD Bethesda YAKKUM Belu area on 17-18 September 2021. It was attended by the Belu District Peer Support Group and members of the AIDS Care Communities from two urban villages and five villages, including Mama Ata (36 years old) and a person from the Manleten Village AIDS Care Community cadre. The training aims to equip participants to process local ingredients in the village into various types of food that can support the improvement of nutrition for PLHIV. During the training, Rosalia Mahanani, from Yogyakarta, provided materials on how to make flour and the processing. Mama Ata had transmitted this knowledge to other housewives around her neighbourhood in Manleten Village, including families of people who live with PLHIV.
Two weeks after the training, Mama Ata immediately made the flour with four other housewives, by preparing ingredients for baking in purple sweet potato flour, banana flour and cassava flour. The three types of flour are the results of preparations made a few days earlier.
Then, on 29 October 2021, Mama Ata invited 11 housewives to process the flour by preparing the utensils and ingredients, such as fish, potatoes, moringa leaves, tofu, milk, cooking oil, onions, celery, pepper, and pumpkin. Mama Ata deliberately invited 11 housewives to make cakes together using local food processing to support the nutrition of PLHIV.
Mama Ata prepared some utensils such as serving plates, stoves, steaming pots, tacu, spatula, traditional mortar, bowls, spoons, plates, forks, pudding cups, and basins. However, some equipment was borrowed from CD Bethesda YAKKUM including cake moulds, sieves, brownie pans, mixers, slicing boards and measuring cups. All the main ingredients used are provided independently by Mama Ata, whose main ingredients are available in Manleten Village so the manufacturing costs are relatively affordable. Wheat flour, which is usually used to make cakes, can be replaced with flour from purple sweet potato, cassava and banana, which are available in the village.
This activity received a good response from the involved housewives. They were happy and impressed with this activity because they gained new experiences and skills in making various kinds of cakes and snacks using local food ingredients. Participants also learnt how to process these local ingredients into flour which can be used as supportive food ingredients for PLHIV nutrition. That day, they managed to make some types of preparations such as purple sweet potato steamed sponge cake, banana steamed sponge cake, purple sweet potato brownies, moringa tofu meatballs, fish cakes, moringa tofu cakes, purple sweet potato pudding, pumpkin pudding.
There were two PLHIV who participated in the activity. They planned to process these foods to support the nutrition of HIV-positive family members. A PLHIV has made local ingredients and given them to their family members. In addition, Halifunan Hamlet Posyandu cadres with Mama Ata have also followed up by making pumpkin pudding which is distributed to toddlers in Posyandu activities.
AIDS Care Community members and housewives in Halifunan, Manleten hope for support from the Village Government. In this case, the Family Welfare Development team of Manleten Village works with the AIDS Care Community and Wedomu Public Health Centre, especially in the nutrition sector, to develop local food processing. Moreover, they can support the nutrition of PLHIV and their families.* (Mariana Dince Manek).
