Indonesia launches free meals program to feed millions of children and pregnant women
The Free Nutritious Meal program delivers on a campaign promise by President Prabowo Subianto, who was elected last year to lead the nation of more than 282 million people and Southeast Asia’s largest economy. It aims to fight the stunting of growth that afflicts 21.5% of Indonesian children younger than 5 and help raise income for the nation’s farmers. The government’s target is to reach an initial 19.5 million schoolchildren and pregnant women in 2025 with a budget of $4.3 billion USD, and more than 80 million people at a cost of $28 billion USD by 2029.