Project HOPE Hosts Day of Contests in Indonesia Showcasing HealthWorks Program
A brief description of Project HOPE's HealthWorks program in Indonesia and description of a day of contests hosted for its participants held in August 2014.
By: Sapruddin Perwira, Deputy Country Director, Project HOPE Indonesia
Women working in factories in Indonesia are often low paid, come from low socioeconomic groups and tend to have low literacy levels and little education about health. These women work long hours and lack access to health care services, particularly for maternal and reproductive health.
Through its HealthWorks program launched in 2014, Project HOPE is working with factory managers and suppliers to promote health and wellness among women factory workers in Indonesia. The program is focusing on issues that affect maternal mortality and include anemia testing and treatment [baseline estimates showed high incidence rates up to 35% of the workforce], increasing the quality of and access to maternal and reproductive health services available to women within the factories and offering health education sessions on topics such as antenatal and postnatal care, preparation for delivery, breastfeeding, family planning, nutrition, and basic hygiene and disease prevention. A key component of the program is building the capacity of the health staff employed by the factories, so that the program can be sustained over the long term.
On August 30, 2014, Project HOPE Indonesia and the company Yayasan Kusuma Buana conducted a competition coinciding with Indonesia’s Independence Day in Subang, West Java. All of the participants in the competition are employees of the factories participating in the HealthWorks program.
The purpose of this competition was to strengthen ties among the workers of the three companies participating in the program in Indonesia. It was also an opportunity to promote the program to companies that may want to join the program in the future.
The day included a talk show, quizzes, a poster competition, a rice cone decorating contest with a maternal and child health theme, and information about anemia prevention, nutrition, healthy living habits and breastfeeding.
This event was attended by representative from ILO Better Work, the Subang District health office, and management and workers from Daenong Textiles Co., the Willbes Co. and Hansoll TextileLtd.
Dr. Ahmad Nasuhi from the Subang District Health Office gave a speech expressing his thanks for the program. He also thanked Project HOPE for initiating the HealthWorks program in Indonesia. He stated that the program will contribute to a reduction in maternal mortality, which is still high in Indonesia.