Stories

In the bustling cities of Semarang and Pekalongan in Central Java, women from diverse walks of life are fighting against a once-forgotten foe: polio. They are united in their determination to protect as many children as possible from the debilitating disease. After the Central Java health authority detected a confirmed case of polio in late…

In a small home in Gampong Lamlagang district in Banda Aceh, the afternoon sunshine streams through the door onto carpet-covered wooden floorboards. The roof is made from patches of corrugated iron, with gaps that permit both light and rain – a common sign of a poverty-stricken household in Indonesia. This is the family home of recently widowed…

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 –…

Orpa Korwa, 33, a native of Nandali village in Sentani, Papua, who has served as a Sunday class teacher at a local church for 18 years, believes deeply in dedicating herself to the welfare of children in her community.  She envisions children thriving, their nutritional needs met by the bounties of the land and water in Nandali, nestled beside the…

Ratna Dewi Sinaga, age 52, an immunization coordinator in Batu Bara district, North Sumatra Province, has dedicated her life to children in her hometown for the past 17 years.   When Ratna started her role in 2006, she faced an immediate challenge during the first national immunization week in Indonesia. Tasked with immunizing thousands of…

It used to be impossible for 18-year-old Nur Annisa to find a clean, fully equipped and functioning toilet at Puskesmas Mancobalang , the closest healthcare facility to her home in Gowa, South Sulawesi. Distressed by this lack of dignity, especially during her menstrual cycle, Nur would skip healthcare visits. This is a common challenge for…

After giving birth at the Yowari Hospital in Jayapura, Papua, Cremilda Kwanimba grappled with physical discomfort. This gave way to joy when she was handed the birth certificate of her newborn son, Gregorius.   “I felt a tremendous sense of relief,” she says while wiping happy tears. "I gave birth at five o’clock this morning, and just five hours…

As 2023 was coming to a close, one family’s life took a tragic turn. A young child in the Central Java province of Indonesia – who had just returned from visiting Madura in the East Java province – contracted polio. The case led to outbreak responses in both provinces, and a race against time to vaccinate millions of children and prevent the…

Four-year-old Sultan Alfarizki smiles with joy as he proudly shows off his paper adorned with a picture of a bird, meticulously created using dried leaf fragments. Sultan looks around for his father, Wahyu Martono, who sits among other parents in the yard at the Pembina Public Early Childhood Development (ECD) centre. “Dad, look at my work. It’s a…

In Rembang, Central Java, peaceful mornings are greeted with sunrise that illuminates rows of rice fields. Amid this serenity, there are silent struggles. There are children who are grappling with mental health issues. Debora Agatha or Tata, 17, 12th grade student in SMAN 1 Rembang, Central Java, stands in the headmaster’s office. Debora Agatha or…

Families in Lumajang, a regency in East Java that was declared open-defecation free in 2021, are now working on a new goal – getting a safe toilet and septic tank into their homes. For most households in Lumajang, proper septic tanks and toilets were seen as a luxury. Now, they have become widely accesssible thanks to a financing programme by…

In the tobacco-filled landscape of East Java, 16-year-olds Aisya Nur Jannah and Naufal Rifki Ramadhan, students of Annur Islamic Boarding School in Malang District are trying to change the norms they grew up with.  Against the odds, in an environment that normalizes smoking, they are choosing a different path. “I have many friends who smoke, and I…, How You Can Help, Thanks to your generous contribution and collaboration with all stakeholders, UNICEF can develop more initiatives to help prevent tobacco use among adolescents and ensure a healthier environment #ForEveryChild. The story above is one among many activities initiated by UNICEF and partners to reduce cigarette consumption among Indonesian adolescents…