<![CDATA[Background: Chronic energy deficiency (CED) among pregnant women remains one of the nutritional problems contributing to an increased risk of pregnancy complications, low birth weight, and stunting. One approach that can be taken is to empower families by utilizing locally available plant-based foods with high nutritional value, such as moringa leaves. The GELORA NABATI Program (Family-Based Natural Plant-Based Local Food Movement) was developed as a community service innovation to improve families’ knowledge, skills, and participation in preventing CED among pregnant women. Objective: To improve knowledge, skills in processing local plant-based foods, and family involvement in meeting the nutritional needs of pregnant women at risk of KEK in the service area of the Wara Selatan Community Health Center in Palopo City. Methods: The community service activities employed a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach through health education sessions, training in local food processing, cooking classes, family mentoring, as well as monitoring and evaluation. The target participants were 30 pregnant women at risk of KEK and their accompanying family members. Evaluation was conducted using pretest–posttest assessments, skill observations, and activity documentation. Results: The participants’ average knowledge score increased from 61.20 to 87.40 after the intervention. The proportion of households with “good” local food processing skills increased from 16.7% before the training to 83.3% after the training. A total of 90.0% of families expressed a commitment to continue utilizing local foods to meet the nutritional needs of pregnant women. In addition, a group of GELORA NABATI cadres was formed to serve as local leaders who support the program’s sustainability within the community. Conclusion: The GELORA NABATI program effectively enhances the capacity of pregnant women and their families to utilize plant-based local foods as a means of preventing chronic energy deficiency (CED) and has the potential to serve as a community empowerment model that can be replicated in other regions.]]>
