Stories

Ambon, 17 November 2022, - The timing could not have been better, as governments and stakeholders are now gathering in Egypt for the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27). I want to send my message across the oceans to those making big promises at the annual event. I only want my thoughts and concerns about Ambon, the small island I grew up on, to be heard…

Leaving behind the close-knit community where she grew up, new mother Desti Tritania dreamed of a better life for her family as they frequently moved across the Riau Islands for her husband’s work. But after two years, those hopes began to dim as she watched her daughter Naura become underweight and fall sick. Since she was two months old, the…, Protecting children from vaccine preventable diseases, May 18 marked the first catch-up immunizations for Naura, and also for many other children as Indonesia launched its National Childhood Immunization Month (BIAN) in 27 provinces. The first phase of the campaign, which runs from May to July 2022, aims to ensure millions of children are caught up on their routine and MR vaccinations. A second phase…, "There is no such thing as too late.”, “I hope that parents in my position will not dwell on regrets and know that they can always ask people who know better. There will always be village and volunteer health workers to turn to,” Desti said.

“Nothing makes a mother's heart happier than seeing her child grow up healthy. And I’m proud to say that I am now a happy mother," says Lisnawati, a mother of two with a smile and a sparkle in her eyes as she watches her youngest daughter Adifa cheerfully play at home in Bogor. For the first six months of her life, Adifa was breastfed by her…, A local solution, Severe wasting – the most dangerous form of malnutrition – continues to be a major public health issue in Indonesia, affecting more than two million children under five years old. The condition increases the risk of childhood mortality by approximately 12 times and requires urgent treatment. While RUTF allows severely wasted children to be…, Please support our wor, k to help get children the nutrition services they need to survive and thrive., Since 2019, UNICEF has been working to facilitate the local production of local RUTF in coordination with the government and the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Business Network. As part of these efforts, UNICEF supported a joint study with the government, the Institute Pertanian Bogor, private sector companies, research agency SAVICA, and the French…, Will you support this work?,  , Growing healthy and happy, Weeks into the study, Lisnawati noticed remarkable changes in her daughter after she began consuming the RUTF. Adifa’s appetite began to increase, and she slowly started to grow taller and fill out her frame. She became more active and open to trying new foods. At the end of the eight-week period, Lisnawati was overjoyed to learn that Adifa had…, Your donation will help efforts, like these to prevent all forms of malnutrition and to detect, treat and care for malnourished children. “Through this study, it is possible to prove that Indonesia can produce local RUTF to treat severely wasted children. It becomes the basis for formulating relevant national policies for local RUTF production in Indonesia,” said Ir. Doddy Izwady…, donating through this link, so more children get the nutrition they need to grow up healthy and strong., How You Can Help, Thanks to the monthly contributions from Pendekar Anak and other donors, UNICEF can collaborate with local governments, partners, and healthcare workers to provide services and ensure adequate nutrition #ForEveryChild in Indonesia. Adifa is one of the children who has become happy and healthy again after previously suffering from malnutrition…, please donate to UNICEF, . We greatly appreciate your contribution.

Every day, young people in Indonesia are exposed to tobacco in their homes, schools and communities. Being surrounded by tobacco advertising and widely scattered cigarette butts is just one part of the problem. Through their own habits, young people’s lives are also going up in smoke. About, one in ten, of the country’s, 10–18-year-olds are current smokers, , which is one of the highest smoking rates among adolescents globally, and the number has continued to grow. Despite a ban on purchasing tobacco for those below 18 years old,, over 40 per cent of Indonesian students, aged 13-15 years old have, consumed tobacco products, , according to the 2019 Global Youth Tobacco Survey. Extensive tobacco use puts the future of children across Indonesia at grave risk. Tobacco is the second biggest risk factor for premature deaths and disability in Indonesia. There are 600,000 premature deaths annually due to exposure to cigarette smoke, 28 per cent of which are children. Non-…, How You Can Help, Thanks to stakeholder support and collaboration with communities, UNICEF is supporting Indonesian youth to voice their aspirations and advocate for smoke-free areas and tobacco control for a healthier future. However, much more remains to be done to make their aspirations a reality. For that we need your support. If you want to help promote more…, you can donate to UNICEF, . We would really appreciate it.

As a journalist and mother of four, Delima Napitupulu always hoped that she could use her platform to help promote the rights of children. But after a decade of working in newsrooms in her home province of Lampung, she still felt that she could do more, especially for children’s health. “I thought that informing (readers) about upcoming…, Two days of training for years of hope, In response to these issues, UNICEF collaborated with AJI to hold a two-day training for journalists on Supporting Children's Health Rights through Immunization. The training, held in Jakarta in May 2022, is part of a series of workshops aimed at strengthening journalists' understanding of children’s rights and encouraging advocacy through the…, Tackling preventable child deaths, While child health and survival have improved substantially in Indonesia over the past two decades, significant obstacles remain. According to UNICEF data , there were over 110,000 deaths of children under the age of five in Indonesia in 2020. Proper reporting by the media can play a key role to provide parents with the information they need to…, UNICEF Indonesia is grateful for the support received from key partners, including Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Governments of Australia, New Zealand and United States of, America and KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency).

It’s late March, and in the outskirts of Makassar City, Karunrung and Mangasa Inpress elementary schools are preparing to welcome students back for face-to-face learning after nearly two years. Banners neatly plaster the walls with messages on preventing the spread of COVID-19 while dozens of handwashing stations have been installed in almost…, A Safe Return to Learning, When UNICEF launched the Safe Return to Learning programme in November 2021 with funding from the Government of Japan – and support from partners Lemina and Yayasan Gaya Celebes (YGC) in Makassar – Adriyani and many school staff felt relieved. “I am glad that our school was included in the training,” she said with a spark in her eyes. The…, UNICEF wishes to express its sincere gratitude to the Government of Japan for its support to the COVID-19 response in Indonesia.

Under the glaring sun that Friday, the cool waters of the sea surrounding the Aru Islands in Indonesia’s eastern Maluku Province rippled gently as a motorboat sped through the waters. Among those on board was Immunization Coordinator Yulianus Yanto Tivan, who was carrying a large cooler box containing COVID-19 vaccines. It had already been a long…, Joining hands to ensure a long life for all, With a routine immunization rate lower than the central government’s target, any disruptions to vaccination services in Maluku could have severe consequences for its communities. Several regions across Indonesia, including Maluku, have reported outbreaks or cases of vaccine preventable diseases, which could lead to disabilities or even deaths. In…, COVID-19 vaccine implementation is supported by partners, such as the Australian Embassy, the British Embassy, the Canadian Embassy, the European Union, Indonesia, the Japanese Embassy, the New Zealand Embassy and USAID Indonesia through COVAX. UNICEF Indonesia is grateful for direct support received from key partners, including Gavi, the Vaccine…

In July 2021, Marta, 10, was watching over her brother Febri, 2, unaware that their father was fighting for his life as the children played just outside his bedroom. Several days later on her birthday, Marta saw her father take his last breath as he lost his battle against COVID-19. Marta and Febri continue to live under the care of their mother,…, How You Can Help, Thanks to the monthly contribution from our regular donors, the Pendekar Anak, as well as other donors, UNICEF is able to deliver much-needed support to children like Marta and ensure they can access social and protective services. However, apart from the 20,000 children who have received assistance, there are many children in other parts of…, please consider donating to UNICEF., We very much appreciate your contribution.

With his only child grown up and approaching marrying age, Indonesian farmer Misdirianto longed for another child. His prayers were answered when a friend asked him to care for her 3-month-old baby girl, Alia. The child’s parents were separated, and the mother would soon leave to work in Hong Kong. Misdirianto took the baby home to his village of…, You can take part in UNICEF’s work to support these children through this link., Suyanto, the Head of Social Affairs in Tulungagung, said his office is now working with social workers to reach these vulnerable children and assist with birth registration. “The Integrated Service Unit for Child Social Protection (ULT PSAI) is coordinating with relevant institutions,” he said. “Our social workers educate and do outreach,…, Flexibility, and a breakthrough for serving children, In Klaten, Central Java, social worker Anna Nur Fitriani dealt with a more complicated situation when assisting with the birth registration for a two-year-old girl, who was born in a Jakarta police prison where her mother was serving a prison sentence. “The baby was sent to an orphanage in East Jakarta before her grandmother took her to live with…, Will you support this important work?, Hidayani Nuryastuti, acting head of the Civil Registration Service Division at the Klaten Civil Registry Office, said the new regulations issued in 2021 by the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Director General of Civil Registration and the Head of the Civil Registration Office have provided more flexibility with the birth registration process. “There are…, Your donation now will make a big impact., "I’m happy that she’s now officially an Indonesian citizen. It’s my hope that she can take her education as high as possible." said Misdiarianto.

Being the only female in a household of four, and at such a young age as Hayfa, who was only 11 when she lost her mother to COVID-19, is not something many children experience. On top of that, she has to endure not seeing her father for two to three weeks at a time, as he works at a construction site far from their home. Hayfa and her two older…, The Love of Family, Amid all the hardship, Hayfa is fortunate to have the love and strength of family, especially when her father is away. Apart from her two doting brothers, Hayfa finds much solace and companionship in her relatives, who all happen to live nearby, including her grandparents from both sides, her paternal aunt Bude Mamiek, and Adiba, whose mother was…, A Double Loss, Like Hayfa, Faishal knows a thing or two about losing his parents to both work and COVID-19. At eleven years of age, he has even lost both of his parents—both migrant workers—in close succession. He and his two younger siblings are now being taken care of by their aging grandparents. In 2021, Faishal’s father, who worked as a stone labourer…, A Safe and Friendly Environment for Children, For all the support of family and community, Hayfa and Faishal are not yet entered into the Ministry of Social Affairs’ database for social protection. Despite help from the neighbours, the mosque and the local orphanage, their families need cash, basic food, health care and educational funding on a regular basis.  To this end, UNICEF is working…, How You Can Help, Thanks to the generous contributions of individual donors, UNICEF has been able to work with social workers, women empowerment and child protection officials, schools, health and community centres and caregivers across Indonesia to help alleviate the vulnerability and improve the well-being of children orphaned by COVID-19. With increased capacity…, please consider donating to UNICEF, .  We very much appreciate your contribution.

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…, Strategic Communication Tool, One of the most notable intervention in the MHM program was the launch of the story book titled The Secret of Two Worlds (2019), a brilliant strategy to raise teenagers’ awareness on the MHM issue. This book was a result of close collaboration between students, mentors, and local religious leaders. Mina said the idea for comic book came up during…, Program Continuation, Apart from teachers and mentors, school principals play a key role in creating a successful campaign. Their leadership, from appointing designated teachers to ensuring that the program runs smoothly, has opened up a new horizon about menstrual and reproductive health management for students of all genders. “I’m ecstatic that girls and also boys…

It was a morning unlike any other in early March 2022 at Maradekaya II Elementary School. After being closed for 20 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the school’s main gate was wide open once again, and students and teachers trickled in as parents chatted with each other next to street vendors outside. Although they were all wearing masks, the…, UNICEF wishes to express its sincere gratitude to the Government of Japan for its support to the COVID-19 response in Indonesia.