PELALAWAN, INDONESIA - Media OutReach - 8 July 2021 - 300 integrated health service post (posyandu) volunteers received special training to bolster efforts in stunting mitigation during the pandemic. Initiated by APRIL Group's Indonesia operations PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP), the 15-29 June 2021 online training aimed to support healthcare workers in the management of 276 posyandu in Riau.

Meranti Islands District Health Office Head Dr. Misri Hasanto said: "Posyandu volunteers serve on the frontline in rural areas and support the management of the posyandu. This important training will broaden and improve their skillsets. This will then positively impact maternal and child health, and help with wider stunting prevention efforts."

Susanti, a Mekar Sari Village posyandu volunteer, said: "The training injects newfound energy in all the volunteers. We learn how to better manage a posyandu during a challenging time such as the pandemic. We have also learned useful skills in development, data recording and reporting, in addition to developing a deeper understanding on infant and toddler health and stunting prevention."

The Riau government has been actively working with stakeholders to reduce the stunting prevalence to 14 percent in 2014. Governor Syamsuar said on the sidelines of an event in which food packages under its Supplementary Feeding Program were distributed to the community: "The stunting prevalence in Riau has declined from 27.4 percent in 2018 to 23.7 percent in 2020. The figures are still high and we require more support to fight stunting. It is important we have continued collaboration between the government, the people and the private sector. We are very grateful to be working with PT RAPP, which has committed to tackle stunting in the province."

RAPP's Community Development Strategic Planning Manager Bertone Anwar said that stunting prevention required all stakeholders to work together, and more can be done to improve the nutrition of children and pregnant women. He added that the posyandu volunteer training program was part of APRIL Group's commitment to supporting the national stunting mitigation efforts. In Nov 2020, APRIL Group launched APRIL2030, the company's vision for meeting the challenges of the next decade. The company counts stunting reduction in the areas near its operations as one of its many targets in sustainable development.

APRIL Group is part of a global group of resource manufacturing companies managed by RGE. RGE's business philosophy is to create value for the community, country, climate, customer and company, and is founded by its Chairman Sukanto Tanoto.

About APRIL Group:

APRIL Group is a leading fiber, pulp and paper producer operating in Riau Province, Indonesia. We are committed to sustainability in doing business as well as in the broader landscape in which we operate. Under the production-protection model, we adopt a 1-for-1 goal in which for every hectare of plantation, we conserve and restore one hectare of natural forest ecosystems. We have succeeded in restoring around 365,000 hectares of forests, including the RER program. APRIL Group is a holding company of PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP). For more information, visit www.aprilasia.com and follow our IG at @discoverapril.

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