Stories

When it comes to discussing menstruation issues, studies show that teenage students mostly talk about it with their peers, and they only come to authorities like women teachers when it is truly necessary. This is to show how menstruation remains a taboo and how young girls still feel uncomfortable and embarrassed about the situation. In SMPN 3…

PALU, Indonesia – Living in a camp for displaced persons with dozens of other families, Chi Ramadhani found herself at a crossroads. After an earthquake damaged her home in Palu, she felt compelled to stay with her family and take care of her infant daughter. At the same time, she knew that as a social worker there were thousands of people…

In the hilly, scenic village of Paya Seunara on Sabang island, promoting child immunization is far from an easy task. Fears of side effects are often touted by hesitant parents, as are concerns over whether vaccines are halal. But it is a challenge that Nurbaiti, a volunteer health worker at the local posyandu , embraced with open arms. Posyandu…

On a morning in June, mother of three Ulfia Rahmi wrapped her youngest son Tanvir in her embrace as she moved about the posyandu (community health post) in Paya Seunara village in Sabang, Indonesia’s westernmost city. The 7-month-old was weighed by volunteer community health workers before they measured his height. The results showed good growth…

Bali, Indonesia – Classrooms at Sempidi Primary School No. 1 in Badung Regency, Bali, have been empty for more than a year. But today, health workers have arrived with a special cargo that aims to help change all that – the COVID-19 vaccine.   “We are using the school as a vaccination centre for the village,” explains Dr Wayan Darta, Head of…

Ariel Fitriani has never let her blindness get in the way of achieving her dream of becoming a professional singer. The bubbly 17-year-old studies at a public vocational high school in Surakarta City, Central Java, majoring in Javanese music ensemble or Seni Karawitan . After she graduates, she wants to enrol in the prestigious Indonesian Arts…

Fourteen-year-old Ochi wants to be a judge one day. She believes that she can use her voice to help promote justice and fairness for others.  But despite her big smile and energetic spirit, Ochi was often quiet among her family and friends at home and in school. Like many students in West Papua Province, she struggled with language and lacked the …

Like many children across Indonesia, 12-year-old Hetin is worried about her education for possibly a third consecutive school year of remote learning as a result of COVID-19.   “I’m not sure I’ll be able to understand multiplication in my math classes when I enrol in junior high school next year,” she says.  Hetin is not alone. Aryo, 11, feels…

The delta variant has been blamed for the current outbreak in Indonesia, which reported over  2,000 coronavirus deaths on Tuesday . But there’s another factor that’s likely contributing to the surge — hoaxes and misinformation that’s kept individuals from following public health protocols, going to the hospital to seek treatment, or in receiving …

In Tanah Papua, one of the poorest provinces in Indonesia, a strong patriarchal culture makes menstruation a taboo topic of conversation, especially among men. But Demianus Dike is one local man daring to break the myths and misconceptions about periods in his community.  Demianus, or Demi, works for the Noken Papua Foundation, a local non-…

Bali, Indonesia – Badung Regency covers the most heavily populated tourist areas in Bali, including Kuta, Nusa Dua and Jimbaran. At one point last year, occupancy rates fell to 3 per cent at some hotels, while restaurants and other tourist spots had to close or drastically reduce staff. Those lucky enough to keep their jobs usually had their…, A “gala” vaccination drive, The villages in Bali play a key role in organizing the vaccinations. They provide names of residents who are eligible and coordinate with the health department.  In Jimbaran, Ketut Rimbawan and his team also secured a prime location for their latest vaccination drive.  More than 700 people, mostly hotel and tourism workers, were vaccinated in a…

Nurjanah, 12, met with Gita Gutawa during her visit to Bone, South Sulawesi, as part of the Back-to-School Movement. A middle school student, Nurjanah is unable to go back to school as she is responsible for caring for her grandmother and chronically ill aunt at home. Nurjanah 2 The travel to Nurjanah’s house involved a journey on a katinting , a…