Jayapura — The Asei Besar Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG), located in East Sentani District, Jayapura Regency, has been awarded the 2025 Inspiradaya Award by the Ministry of Community Empowerment Coordination (Kemenko PM). The award recognizes inspirational community kitchens that successfully drive community empowerment, develop innovations in local food, and implement inclusive governance.
Sofyan Hasan, Head of the Asei Besar SPPG, stated in Jayapura on Wednesday that the SPPG was selected for its strong empowerment components, including the involvement of local community members ranging from volunteers to raw-material suppliers.
“In addition, this SPPG actively conducts education through modifications of local food for nearly 3,000 beneficiaries,” he said.
Sofyan expressed hope that this achievement would further strengthen the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program as a gateway for revitalizing the community’s economy, particularly for residents living around the lake region.
“We are truly grateful. This award shows that the Asei Besar Community Kitchen has genuinely become an economic pillar for the surrounding communities,” he noted.
He added that the primary objective of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) is not only to ensure nutrition fulfillment but also to build an empowered and inclusive local economic ecosystem. Therefore, he hopes that other community kitchens will grow using similar approaches.
The Chairperson of Yayasan TEKER Harapan Papua, Hesty Kere, also emphasized that from the outset they have been committed to empowering local communities both as volunteers and as suppliers of raw materials.
“We developed a community-based supplier ecosystem, especially since this kitchen is located within an indigenous community. No goods may come from outside without the involvement of the local people,” she explained.
In addition to involving indigenous communities, the foundation has also engaged mama-mama Papua as volunteers and suppliers of local commodities such as smoked fish and various types of tubers.
This year, 20 SPPGI units were selected to receive the 2025 Inspiradaya Award from Kemenko PM. Two of them are from Papua SPPG Asei Besar in East Sentani and SPPG Titian Kasih in Yapen affirming Papua’s important role in driving local food systems and strengthening community empowerment.
