For 16-year-old Aprilia Kleopatra Yambeabdi, who was raised on the outskirts of Abepura city in the Papua province by a single mother, the idea of having a healthy breakfast used to feel like a distant possibility. The “My Plate” menu – recommendations for a healthy balanced diet that Aprilia saw at the local public health center and on TV ads – was a luxury beyond her family’s means. 

“The menu was either too pricey or simply unavailable in this town,” says the native Papuan. “Until tenth grade, for breakfast, I grabbed whatever fried food was available at our school canteen during breaks.” 

Aprilia knew that this affected her well-being and concentration during class activities, but she had no other options. Then the Diaspora Christian High School, where she studies, joined the Aksi Bergizi pilot programme by UNICEF – a comprehensive initiative to address adolescent nutrition.