The Tanoto Foundation and Alive & Thrive will continue their cooperation in support of the Government of Indonesia’s national stunting reduction strategy by supporting the implementation of a social and behavior change communication (SBCC) strategy, the organizations announced in July. "We are very pleased to be able to continue this collaboration as part of our contribution to help the Government of Indonesia achieve its target of reducing the stunting prevalence to below 20% by 2024," said Eddy Henry, Tanoto Foundation’s Head of Early Childhood Education and Development. "Through the study on maternal, infant, and young children nutrition and early childhood development practices, we have gained many important findings. These findings become the basis to develop community-based SBCC solutions that will address nutrition problems faced by the community.” "Alive & Thrive and Tanoto Foundation are helping the Government of Indonesia to take appropriate steps to reduce the burden of stunting and ensure Indonesian children grow well and lead healthy and productive lives," said Roger Mathisen, Program Director of the Alive & Thrive Southeast Asia office. Stunting is a very serious issue in Indonesia. According to the 2019 Survey on the Nutrition Status of Children Under the Age of 5 (SSBGI), one of four Indonesian children under the age of 5 is stunted. Stunting is not only making them more susceptible to disease and infection, but also impairs their mental and physical development. Stunting impacts children’s future by reducing educational achievement and increasing the risk of poverty as they grow older. Seeking to address this problem, in 2017 the Government of Indonesia launched the National Stunting Reduction Movement, making addressing stunting during children’s first 1,000 days of life a national priority. Alive & Thrive has been providing technical assistance to the government in developing social and behavior change communication campaign materials that have become an integral part of the government's efforts to reduce stunting. The Tanoto Foundation-Alive & Thrive collaboration supports both central and local governments to use the insights and findings of "Exploring Maternal, Infant, and Young Child Nutrition & Early Childhood Development Practices in Indonesia," a study conducted in 2019 with funding from the Tanoto Foundation. This study aimed to find practical recommendations in relation with social and behavioral change communication on infant and children’s nutrition. The study was conducted in six districts in Indonesia located in South Kalimantan, West Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara, Maluku, West Sumatra, and West Java and provides input to the Government in developing communication for social and related changes related to breastfeeding, complementary feeding, maternal nutrition, and early childhood development. Using an immersion approach, the study deepened understanding of the local behaviors and practices and formulated recommendations for improvement.