22 Thousand People Support Nina To Make A Sachet Free School Canteen

 The Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI) released data showing that the prevalence of children with diabetes increased 70 times in January 2023 compared to 2010. In addition, Main Director of the Social Security Administration Agency (BPJS) for Health Ali Ghufron also said pediatric patients with diabetes increased by approx. 1,000 cases in 2022 compared to 2018. This condition is very worrying, that children "have adopted unhealthy lifestyles", one of which is the result of consuming foods high in sugar. School canteens have so far provided lots of sweet food and sachet drinks which are so easy to reach, while government policies have so far been deemed "not sufficiently protective". she said

This condition prompted Aeshnina Azzahra Aqilani co-captain Rivers Warrior to write a letter and send it directly to President Jokowi and to the Ministry of Environment and Forestry in Jakarta. "Previously I had sent a letter to the President but there was no response, so today (Tuesday 7/2/2023) I want to send a letter of request directly about healthy canteens to Jakarta," said Aeshnina.

22 Thousand People Support Nina

Aeshnina submitted a letter to the President at the State Secretary's Office
in Jakarta Tuesday (7/February/2023)

Apart from the urgency of the problem of massive sugary food and drinks circulating in schools, another factor that prompted Nina to go straight to Jakarta to submit the Healthy Canteen proposal was the support of 22,109 people in a petition that Nina made on the change.org platform. https://www.change.org/p/menteri-pendidikan-dan-kebudayaan-republik-indonesia-kurangi-penggunaan-plastik-sekali-pakai-di-lingkungan-sekolah

The petition started two years ago when Aeshnina Azzahra Aqilani was still studying at SMPN 32 Gresik.

"Since 2021 I have made a petition asking the Minister of Education to make regulations requiring school canteens to be free of plastic and that has been signed by more than 22,000 people," said Aeshnina further, Bilingual Madrasah Aliyah Student at the Al Amanah Islamic Boarding School in Sidoarjo. East Java explained that school canteens must provide food healthy natural food that is not packaged in plastic, prohibits food and drink sachets that are low in nutrition and contain chemical additives that are harmful to children's health. Every school must enforce the ban on single-use plastics and require all school members to sort waste, provide facilities for segregated waste collection and process organic waste into compost and ecoenzymes within the school environment.

Nina Sends Direct Letters to Jakarta

Aeshnina Submitted a letter to the Minister of Environment in Jakarta

Nina's house is 900 km from the Indonesian capital city of Jakarta, 1 hour journey by plane. Nina flies to Jakarta. Tuesday and Wednesday (7-8/February/2023) Aeshnina sent a letter of proposal for a single-use plastic-free healthy canteen directly to Jakarta. On Tuesday afternoon (7/2/2023) Nina sent a letter to Public Relations of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry at the Manggala Wanabakti Main Building, Gd. Forestry Center, Jl. Student Army Jl. Tarunajaya No.2, RT.1/RW.3, Senayan, Tanah Abang District, Central Jakarta City, Special Capital Region of Jakarta. Next Nina headed to the Office of the Minister of State Secretariat on Jl. Veteran No.17-18, RT.2/RW.3, Gambir.

"As a youth, I reminded the President and Minister of the Environment that the condition of Indonesia's environment is currently an emergency for plastic waste, plastic waste has been found to contaminate mountain forests to the bottom of the oceans and microplastics have entered the human body," said Nina, Nina further explained that many schools were found. Burning plastic waste in the school environment even though children must be protected from inhaling toxic air and microplastic particles which are harmful to health.

“I often carry out audits of plastic waste in rivers and beaches and find that most of the scattered waste is plastic bags, sachets, diapers, styrofoam, straws and plastic bottles. As the next generation of young people, I don't want our environment and place to live in the future to be polluted with non-biodegradable plastic waste and be flooded with microplastics," said Nina.

In her letter, Nina asked the President and Minister of the Environment:

1. The Government's serious attention to recovering and preventing plastic pollution that threatens the health and survival of our Indonesian children. To deal with the waste problem,

2. propose to launch a national movement for sachet-free schools and healthy canteens, which implement 5R (Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle).

3. A healthy canteen that provides healthy food so as to prevent Indonesian children from foods that are preservatives, contain artificial flavors and sweeteners which encourage children to suffer from diabetes mellitus and all Indonesian children to be free from toxic plastic and microplastic pollution.