JOHOR BAHRU – Universitas Airlangga, in collaboration with the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) conducted an international community development program at Kangkar Pulai, Johor Bahru, Malaysia. The program, which was held on Saturday, August 26, 2023, aims to improve the health of Flat Kenari residents, Selangor, Malaysia.
The team from UNAIR’s Faculty of Medicine partnered with the UTM team, with 15 and 5 members respectively. The program aims to educate 1,200 residents at Flat Kenari through multiple activities. For instance, dengue fever and nutrition disseminations and planting ginger and lemongrass in the local community garden.
The program, coined by the World University Association Community Development (WUACD) UNAIR, encourages the Flat Kenari residents to cultivate herbal plants. Represented by Suciati SSi MPhil Ph.D. Apt, Faculty of Pharmacy UNAIR lecturer, the team presented an informative session about various types of family medicinal plants (known as “toga”).
Suciati shared the importance of planting medicinal plants around the house and three types of medicinal plants, including ginger, turmeric, and lemongrass. Besides, she also taught the women how to make turmeric and tamarind tonic drinks.
“Among the herbal plants, we choose ginger and lemongrass due to their numerous benefits and easy maintenance,” said Prof Dewi Melani Hariyadi SSi MPhil Ph.D. Apt who plants the lemongrass with the residents.
The program aims to encourage a healthy lifestyle for the Flat Kenari residents, some of whom are Indonesians. The program is in line with the SDGs point 3, Good Health and Wellbeing.
Early detection of dengue
UNAIR team also shared preventive actions and early detection of dengue fever symptoms with the local residents. Interactive elements like various quizzes were also held in the program.
“Dengue fever remains a concern in the field of health, especially in tropical countries. Just like Indonesia, Malaysia is also located near the equator,” said Dr. Sulistiawati dr MKes.
Apart from that, the local community also needs knowledge about children’s nutrition in order to achieve optimal growth and development. Besides, maintaining healthy foods for adults is also required to prevent metabolic disorders.
“Our program is simple. We educate the residents about sodium, sugar, and fat intake. The community needs to be aware of this so that from an early stage, they can consume sodium and sugar intakes in appropriate amounts,” Tria Mahmudiono SKM MPH Ph.D. said.
Rosli, the Head of the Flat Kenari Community, expressed his delight about the program initiated by UNAIR and UTM. “This is the first time we’ve had health education activities from foreigners. Hopefully, such activities can be sustained in the future,” he said.
Author: Martha Kurnia Kusumawardani
