Indonesia

Project HOPE’s history in Indonesia dates back to the first visit of the SS HOPE in 1960 and has continued to today, including humanitarian assistance for the victims of the 2005 Indian Ocean tsunami, 2017 Central Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami, and the 2022 Cianjur earthquake. Our current focus areas include tuberculosis (TB), maternal and newborn health, mental health, infection prevention and control (IPC), disease surveillance, and humanitarian assistance. Our sister organization, Yayasan Project HOPE, began public health and humanitarian assistance operations in 2018.

Tuberculosis

The USAID PREVENT TB project aims to increase the uptake of tuberculosis preventative treatment (TPT) from its current low percentage rate of 2-5% (MoH TB Substance, 2022). Through the Ministry of Health Guideline for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) Year 2020, the National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTP) has set ambitious targets to increase TPT coverage among household contacts to 68% to expedite declining TB incidence and 55% among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV). Yayasan Project HOPE is implementing a strategic health communication campaign to improve the coverage and outcomes of TPT among eligible subpopulations in North Sumatra, Banten, Jakarta, West Java, East Java, and South Sulawesi.

The PREVENT TB Health Communication plan enhances high-level political and faith-based support so that people possess complete and correct knowledge on latent TB and required TPT, thereby ensuring practicing safer and preventive health behaviors and mitigating associated stigma in the communities. Project HOPE is working with proactive TB survivors to serve as “Positive Deviants” and strong advocates for the required TPT for latent TB cases on early and timely detection, ease of adherence to complete treatment, and mitigating any associated stigma. Furthermore, we are targeting the health providers with prevention practices at-work by addressing their concerns on drug resistance, adverse events, and durability of the protection which will foster stigma-free TB treatment.

Strengthening TB Laboratory Technicians

Project HOPE in collaboration with Beckton, Dickinson and Co., is strengthening the capacities of managers and technicians of the 26 Regional Laboratories for diagnosing Multi-Drug Resistant cases and conducting drug susceptibility tests before proceeding with the second line drug regiments. This includes identifying knowledge and skill gaps, developing modified training modules, conducting online trainings to the laboratory workers, utilizing the skills to run the Mycobacteria Growth Indicator Tube (MGIT) machines, and connecting the test results to the TB information system.

Infection and Prevention Control

Since the COVID-19 pandemic started in March 2020, Project HOPE has been implementing the UBS Optimus Foundation-funded “Saving Healthcare Workers” program in 29 private hospitals, eight public hospitals, and 20 primary health facilities in seven regions representing west, central, and east Indonesia. This program prevents COVID-19 transmission to health care workers who are treating moderate-to-severe COVID-19 cases in government-assigned facilities and engages the Indonesia Society for Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) to apply the WHO IPC Assessment Framework for repeated capacity assessments. This program also trains nurses and other critical workers to prevent and control infection within health facilities, as well as strengthens the capacity of frontline health workers with mental health screenings and resiliencies from COVID-19 related work burdens.

Saving Lives at Birth

Since 2017, Project HOPE has implemented the Give2Asia-funded “Saving Lives at Births” program that aims to support sub-national health authorities and equip frontline health workers, independent private midwives, obstetricians, pediatricians, and hospital workers to deliver quality emergency care to high-risk mothers and neonates. This is part of a local emphasis on accelerating the reduction of preventable maternal and neonatal deaths. Additionally, Project HOPE is implementing the “Saving Neonates at Risk” program that equips midwives and doctors in Grobogan and Indramayu districts with the skills and equipment to detect potential birth defects during pregnancy and to screen newborn babies for congenital hypothyroidism. This program will also support mothers and families with psychological first aid and support for nurturing low birth weight and sickened babies. In addition, Project HOPE supports independent midwives and medical doctors in Bantul, Bandung, and Banjar districts to help them diagnose and treat asthmatic syndrome by building the capacity of those frontline workers to apply inhaler corticosteroids among their clients.

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support

Project HOPE is implementing the Give2Asia-funded “Mental Health and Psychosocial Support” program that is building the capacity for midwives to conduct screenings for mental health and psychological disorders among pregnant women and mothers and providing the psychological first-aid if needed. We have engaged a local NGO, Mother Hope Indonesia, and the Association of the Clinical Psychologists to identify the scale of mental health problems among mothers and the capacity of providers to provide mental health counseling, as well as to develop the training modules for Mental Health Champions among midwives in three districts on Java. This initiative is being adopted by the Ministry of Health for further scaling up nationwide.

Humanitarian Assistance

Project HOPE has a long history of humanitarian response in the region, including the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, 2018 Central and West Sulawesi earthquake, the 2021 fire that impacted Myanmar-Bangladesh IDP camps, 2021 East Nusa Tenggara flash flood, 2021 Semeru volcano eruption, and the 2022 Cianjur earthquake. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Project HOPE also distributed six tons of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), oxygen concentrators, High Flow Nasal Cannulas, and critical equipment to hospitals and health care facilities across Indonesia and the Philippines.