Soe, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) - The Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) for East Nusa Tenggara Province (NTT), Bobby Lianto, has declared Kadin’s readiness to serve as foster parents for stunted children in Timor Tengah Selatan (TTS) Regency. The commitment was expressed during the Community Mobilization and Empowerment Program for Accelerating the Elimination of Extreme Poverty and Reducing Stunting, held at the TTS Regent’s Office courtyard on Tuesday (October 29, 2025).

“We are ready to support the activities of the National Population and Family Planning Board (BKKBN) by becoming foster parents for stunted children. I will call on Kadin members and entrepreneurs across NTT to take part in this movement,” said Bobby Lianto, Chairman of Kadin NTT.

Bobby emphasized that the private sector’s concern should not stop at providing financial assistance but must also be realized through tangible actions to strengthen family nutritional resilience.

To that end, Kadin NTT is committed to establishing Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPG kitchens) to support the Free Nutritious Food (MBG) program in Indonesia’s frontier, outermost, and underdeveloped regions (3T).

“We aim to build MBG kitchens, especially in remote villages, where children are most in need of attention,” Bobby added.

At the same event, TTS Regent Eduard Markus Lioe highlighted the persistently high rates of poverty and stunting in his region.

Based on data from the first semester of 2025, the stunting rate in TTS reached 41.5 percent, or approximately 12,213 children, while the poverty rate remained at 24.64 percent.

“The local government continues to work hard to reduce these numbers. However, tackling stunting and poverty cannot be the government’s responsibility alone it must become a collective movement involving all elements of society,” Eduard stated.

Meanwhile, Sukaryo Teguh Santoso, Deputy for Community Mobilization and Participation at the Ministry of Population and Family Development, praised the concrete steps taken by the TTS Regional Government and the support from Kadin NTT.

According to him, accelerating the reduction of stunting requires four key approaches: the Foster Father Program, the Child Care Garden Initiative, the Exemplary Father Movement, and the Empowered Elderly Program.

“The greatest challenge lies in the lack of public knowledge about stunting. That’s why activities like this are crucial to fostering collective awareness,” Sukaryo concluded.