Stories

Artika could barely contain her excitement as she waited in line to have her body temperature checked before entering her classroom. That morning in March 2021, students in Banten Province, Indonesia returned to school for in-person learning after having mostly online classes for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Besides meeting her friends and…, Youth as Agent of Change, One of the key strategies for the MHM program is the involvement of youth health cadres ( Kader Kesehatan Remaja, KKR), a group of student volunteers that help initiate, organize and lead the activities and campaigns. The strategy was based on a UNICEF survey that most girls are more comfortable talking about puberty with other girls, including…, Behaviour Change, Artika, Daniel and Cucuk said the programme has created behaviour change among students and good practices at school. According to Artika, the MHM programme has helped female students to overcome unnecessary embarrassment related to menstruation and have their needs addressed by the schools that provide sanitary pads and better toilets. "The boys…, How You Can Help, The above story is just one example of how UNICEF works with schools to raise awareness on reproductive health and reduce bullying among Junior High School students. There are still many teenagers who need the support of programs like this. The success of this program will be a major milestone so that it can continue in other regions in Indonesia…, please consider donating to UNICEF, . We are very pleased for your contribution.

Outside of St. Fransiskus Xaverius II Merauke Primary School, there’s a new brightly coloured reading retreat, complete with interesting books and spacious tables. The teachers at the school are excited and ready to try out some new skills as they prepare to welcome students back for face-to-face learning again. Over the past two years, the COVID-…, How You Can Help, The above story is just one example of how UNICEF works with partners across Indonesia to help improve the reading and comprehension skills of early grade students. But the challenge is far from over, and a long-term, coordinated effort will be needed to assist these teachers and schools. For this we need your support.   If you want to support our…, please consider donating to UNICEF, . We very much appreciate your contribution. 

During wedding ceremonies, the religious sermon often conveys messages about creating a happy and long-lasting union. But in eastern Indonesia, female cleric Sarifa Suhra uses her platform for a different purpose: to advocate against child marriage. Sarifa began urging newlywed couples not to marry their future children young after she received a…, Countering Patriarchal Interpretations, While legal breakthroughs are necessary, Safira believes that as a cleric, she can play a key role in countering entrenched patriarchal tradition and religious interpretation by providing more progressive counterarguments. “Religious figures keep coming back to the Prophet Muhammad’s marriage with Aisyah, who was said to be underage,” Safira said…, Stepping Up Religious Efforts, Sarifa is grateful that clerics like her have been given the space to preach against child marriage. Their efforts together with the government have intensified over the past few years, supported by UNICEF., Please consider donating to UNICEF to support important projects similar to this., These include writing sermons and guidebooks, which were reviewed by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) before being published and distributed widely to local mosques. The sermons were then recorded at state radio station RRI and distributed for Quran studies and religious gatherings in villages as well as for female farmer communities and traders…, you can help UNICEF sustain programmes like this and implement the Life Skill Education programme in other parts of the country., With stakeholders joining forces and coordinating their efforts, the results have been tangible. The number of dispensation cases in religious courts has dropped from 228 cases in 2019 to 174 in 2020, and 62 in 2021. The Bone Regional Legislative Council has also passed the 2021 Bylaw on Child Marriage Prevention, which provides a legal basis for…,   Your donation can help UNICEF continue its, comprehensive interventions to prevent child marriage.

A year has passed since a 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck West Sulawesi Province, and its capital city of Mamuju was not spared. Damaged buildings and ruins remain in parts of the town, but for lab analyst Panca Rakhmat, the earthquake also left behind another concern – an increase in COVID-19 cases. As one of only two lab analysts at Puskesmas…, How You Can Help, The above story is just one example of how UNICEF works with dedicated partners across Indonesia to ensure access to COVID-19 health services for communities in post-disaster areas. The challenge is far from over, and a long-term, coordinated effort will be needed to support these health workers. For this we need your support.   If you want to…, please consider donating to UNICEF, . We very much appreciate your contribution.  Antigen testing helps minimize the risk of infections, which makes me feel safe, especially since I have kids at home,” said Rindima, safely wrapped in her personal protective equipment., UNICEF wishes to express its sincere gratitude to the Government of Australia for its support to the COVID-19 response in Indonesia.

On an early Monday morning, 9-year-old Gian dressed in his red and white uniform and packed his books into his bag as he got ready to go to school. After saying goodbye to his mother, he and his older brother Wabu rushed to their first class of the day at YPK Urmboridori Elementary School in Supiori District, Papua. As they approached the school…, Please donate to UNICEF to support quality education programmes for children in 3T (Frontier, Outermost, , and Disadvantaged) areas., To help improve access to reading materials and increase children’s literacy levels, UNICEF, along with the government and partners, launched the Early Grade Literacy Programme with support from Prudential Indonesia. The programme also includes a financial literacy training for teachers who then teach these skills to students and families. “We are…, Will you support UNICEF’s work like this?, “I am happy because our school gets a lot of books, I have read several story books given to me by my teacher; the stories are fascinating!” Gian Your gift today will help UNICEF to reach more children to ensure they have access to reading materials and enhance their literacy levels. ,   Your donation can help UNICEF continue its work to support children's education.

Once a month, Ibu Linda’s front room is filled with chatty volunteers and giggling babies. Sometimes it gets a bit messy, sometimes it can be a bit loud, but as a voluntary health cadre, Linda wouldn’t have it any other way. Since 2007, on the 12th of every month, her house has doubled up as a posyandu (community health post) where all the local…

Yuliana Duwith’s face mask could not contain her joy as a health worker injected the measles and rubella vaccine into her daughter Meylan’s upper right arm. Next to her, dozens of other mothers sat patiently in chairs outside the Sejahtera Health Post along its green painted walls, waiting for their children’s turn. When the health post closed in…, you can help UNICEF sustain this work to improve access to health and routine immunization services., This situation is not unique to West Papua. Data compiled by the Indonesian Ministry of Health (MoH) showed a 20 per cent drop in national vaccination coverage against diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus in 2021 compared to 2019. “Even before the pandemic, child mortality remained a significant challenge in West Papua, despite recent progress,”…, Spearheads of public service, To help maintain child vaccinations during the pandemic, the MoH, in collaboration with UNICEF and WHO, created a guide for safe vaccinations that was introduced and distributed to health workers in all 34 provinces in the country. As part of this support, health workers were also trained to safely administer vaccines to children by following…, Will you support this important work?, Besides putting health measures in place at facilities, COVID-19 vaccinations were also critical. “We urged the local government to give the COVID-19 vaccines to health workers and community health volunteers so that we could open the health post as usual,” explained Asma Yunita, a health worker in Malawili. “The villagers refused to come unless…, Your donation here can save their lives.,  

It’s late afternoon in the village, and night is falling, but there is a bustle in the house — as often happens after a death. The house belongs to Sari, 32, and her husband Bondan. At the back, they are building a new kitchen as well as a bedroom for Sari’s 12-year-old brother, Aga, whose mother and stepfather recently died from COVID-19. Ever…, How You Can Help, The above story is just one example of the type of work UNICEF, in conjunction with dedicated partners and social workers across Indonesia, doesto identify children orphaned due to COVID-19, facilitate access to mental health and psychosocial services, and help ensure children remain in family-based care. But the challenge is far from over, and a…, please consider donating to UNICEF, .,  We very much appreciate your contribution.  “Without this help, I could barely buy milk for the little one, let alone keep Ayra in school and see her pursue her dreams.” Suwarsi

Like many girls her age, 7-year-old Afiqa is shy and a little withdrawn, especially around strangers. Since COVID-19 claimed her mother’s life a few months ago, the light has gone out of her eyes. It took some time — and a set of play dough — to draw her out of her shell, revealing her curious side and deftness at shape-making. The days, however,…, How You Can Help, Thanks to the generous contributions of individual donors, UNICEF has been able to work with dedicated partners and social workers across Indonesia to identify children orphaned due to COVID-19, facilitate access to mental health and psychosocial services, and help ensure children remain in family-based care. But the challenge is far from over, …, https://www.supportunicefindonesia.org/donate/child-protection?donate_type=1&utm_source=newwebsite&utm_medium=childprotectionpage&utm_campaign=his4f please consider donating to UNICEF, . We very much appreciate your contribution. 

It’s a sunny afternoon in the quiet rural neighbourhood, and 11-year-old Putera is sitting on the floor of his house, bent over a notebook. An otherwise quiet boy with fine features and sad, impenetrable eyes, he seems completely absorbed in his work.   Sitting across the table is his schoolteacher, Siska. Since schools reopened, she has been…, How You Can Help, Thanks to the generous contributions of individual donors, UNICEF has been able to work with dedicated partners and social workers across Indonesia to identify children orphaned due to COVID-19, facilitate access to mental health and psychosocial services, and help ensure children remain in family-based care. But the challenge is far from over, …, https://www.supportunicefindonesia.org/donate/child-protection?donate_type=1&utm_source=newwebsite&utm_medium=childprotectionpage&utm_campaign=his4f please consider donating to UNICEF, . We very much appreciate your contribution. 

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…, You can take part by helping UNICEF and Nurbaiti through this link., Nurbaiti could not sit idly by while seeing children in her village exposed to the risks of preventable diseases, even if that meant getting the cold shoulder from some families or being seen as a foe by others. “We cannot force parents. All we can do is embrace them and help them to understand why their children need immunization,” she explains.…, You can make a donation to support health workers like Nurbaiti., “With these reminders, we [health workers] don’t have to work alone to encourage parents to get their children vaccinated,” Nurbaiti says.   “If they forget the schedules – or if they were never willing to begin with – the messages can prod them.” The SMS service is part of the e-Posyandu digital monitoring system launched in eight districts in…, Donate to UNICEF now!, “If they’re angry, then we can’t be emotional too,” she says.   “We have to cool our heads and keep smiling, even if we’re hurt. That’s the only way to go.”