Bill Gates Praises Indonesia’s Free Nutritious Program During Jakarta School Visit
President Prabowo and global philanthropist Bill Gates visit Jati 03 Public Elementary School, Jakarta, on Wednesday (05/07), to directly observe the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) Program. (Photo by: BPMI of Presidential Secretariat)
Global philanthropist Bill Gates praised the implementation of the Government’s signature Free Nutritious Meals (FNM) program.
According to Head of the National Nutrition Agency (NNA) Dadan Hindayana, Mr. Gates commended the program’s implementation during his visit with President Prabowo to Jati 03 Public Elementary School, Jakarta, Wednesday (05/07).
For the record, the visit was part of a collaboration between the Indonesian Government and the Gates Foundation in the health sector.
At the elementary school, the focus was on observing the distribution of nutritious meals to elementary school students and providing basic health checks for them.
“Alhamdulillah, thank God, today the President welcomed Bill Gates, who has several health-related agendas. They also oversaw the FNM program here at the Jati 03 Public Elementary School. Mr. Gates expressed his deep appreciation and was impressed by what we have done,” Dadan told journalists..
Dadan added that Gates also showed a particular interest in the importance of proper nutrition for pregnant mothers, breastfeeding mothers, and toddlers, adding that Mr Gates views the FNM program as an integral part of the Government’s long-term efforts to foster a healthier and more productive generation.
“According to him, this is a crucial program and he especially highlighted that the first 1,000 days of life, covering pregnant mothers, breastfeeding mothers, and toddlers as well as children who are still in a growing phase,” Dadan said.
During the visit, President Prabowo Subianto and Bill Gates also spoke warmly with students and observed the meal distribution process directly.
In addition to overseeing the FNM program, they also inspected free health check-up services provided for students as part of an integrated approach to children’s nutrition and health.
“He was deeply impressed as the program requires a substantial budget. The President explained that the Indonesian Government has allocated the necessary funding. And, Mr. Gates was clearly moved by the scale of the effort,” he added.
As for potential concrete support from the Gates Foundation, the BGN Head said that more detailed, technical discussions would follow.
“These matters are usually addressed in follow-up meetings. We’ll see,” he said.
Dadan also stated that the visit to the elementary school was spontaneous and not specifically arranged, adding that neither the school’s preparation nor the day’s menu was tailored for the occasion.
“The visit was truly spontaneous. We didn’t know which school would be visited until the morning. What happened here today was not staged, completely authentic,” he added.
This visit served as a powerful symbol of global collaboration to improve child nutrition in the country and reaffirmed the President’s commitment to human development, starting from early childhood. (BPMI of Presidential Secretariat) (FI/EP)
