SEAMEO RECFON visited Jambi to coordinate partnerships with the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Jambi and East Tanjung Jabung District. This meeting aims to evaluate and plan the implementation of the Early Childhood Care, Nutrition, and Education (ECCNE) Program which has been going on for several years.

The meeting began on 17 July 2024 with an agenda to strengthen partnership cooperation and evaluate the achievements of activities between SEAMEO RECFON and the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Jambi for the period 2023-2024. Both parties agreed to continue cooperation with a new agenda that includes collecting baseline data on the ECCNE Program in Early Childhood Education, ECE units in East Tanjung Jabung and initiating the Nutrition Goes to School (NGTS) Program in Jambi City.

On 18 July 2024, the meeting continued with the involvement of the Government of East Tanjung Jabung District. The three parties, SEAMEO RECFON, University of Jambi, and the Government of East Tanjung Jabung      District, discussed the success of the ECCNE Program that has been running since 2019. The East Tanjung Jabung District Education Office reported the results of the ECCNE module Training of Trainers (ToT) training which covered 64 ECE units with a total of 270 participants consisting of educators, ECE mothers, and village midwives.

During this meeting, an agreement was reached to collect ECCNE baseline data and measure child development using instruments from the DP3AKB Office. Support from PD HIMPAUDI of East Tanjung Jabung District will also be strengthened, especially in assisting the implementation of parenting and recording sessions at the ECE level. The meeting was attended by various stakeholders, including representatives from the Education Office, Health Office, DP3AKB Office, Religious Office, as well as PD and PW HIMPAUDI.

On 19 July 2024, the focus shifted to monitoring the implementation of parenting sessions in several ECE units in East Tanjung Jabung District. The routinely held parenting sessions were appreciated due to the high participation rate of parents, who attend 2-4 times a year. However, it was found that local food-based balanced nutrition (PGS-PL) messages have not been delivered specifically according to local potential. The need for cross-sector support to enrich nutrition and health topics in parenting sessions was a major concern identified in the Focus Group Discussion (FGD). This activity was held in the District Education Office and attended by 12 parents and 6 teachers from six PAUD units participating in the ECCNE Programme ToT Training, namely PAUD Adinda, PAUD Melati, PAUD Teratai Putih, and PAUD Kamboja.

The three-day meeting confirmed the commitment of SEAMEO RECFON, University of Jambi, and the East Tanjung Jabung District in supporting early childhood education, nutrition, and health through the ECCNE Program. With solid coordination and strong synergy, the programme is expected to have a significant positive impact on the future development of children in the region.