Strengthening Maternal and Newborn Health in Indonesia
Indonesia has one of the highest maternal and neonatal mortality rates in Southeast Asia, with an average of two mothers and eight newborns dying every hour. Recognizing that most of these deaths are preventable, Project HOPE and its Indonesian affiliate Yayasan Project HOPE (YPH) – with support from Give2Asia– have worked to save the lives of mothers and babies through the Expanding Saving Lives at Birth (ESLAB) initiative by collaborating with community and government partners to improve access and quality of care.
Over the past three years, across four priority districts – Sumedang, Indramayu, Grobogan, and Sampang – ESLAB has strengthened the capacity of more than 6,000 health workers, including pediatricians, obstetricians, general physicians, nurses, midwives, doctors, community health workers (CHWs), healthcare administrators and students. Through comprehensive training, these providers gained skills to deliver high-quality antenatal, postnatal, neonatal, psychosocial, and emergency care. At the same time, the initiative improved maternal and newborn health care standards across 107 private and public hospitals, clinics, and midwife practices by engaging academics and health professionals to review and revise standard operating procedures, embedding sustainable, long-term improvements in care delivery.
Since its inception, ESLAB has emphasized community-level interventions by training CMCs, who became trusted partners for high-risk mothers, bridging the gap between homes and health facilities. This last year alone, 237 CHWs accompanied 1,957 pregnant women and 498 postpartum mothers across nearly 5,000 visits, ensuring each mother had an advocate and received timely, life-saving care, as needed.
“ESLAB is not just a one-time initiative, but a movement to improve the quality of care that puts mothers and babies at the center,” said Dr. Tutut Sri Purwanti, Program Manager of ESLAB “While more work must be done to reduce preventable maternal and newborn deaths in Indonesia, through a holistic approach we have identified best practices and recommendations that can make ESLAB’s impact sustainable for years to come.”
The program, which recently concluded, leaves behind five actionable strategies that have been proven effective in ensuring safer pregnancies, deliveries, and postpartum care for Indonesian women and newborns:
- Regular and intensive training for health workers and cadres on early detection of complications, emergencies, and high-risk neonatal care.
- Post-training monitoring to evaluate the application of newly acquired skills and identify key areas of improvement.
- Address shortages in essential equipment, such as resuscitation tools, to ensure quality care.
- Integration of peer support groups in pregnancy classes to enhance education, solidarity, and emotional support among mothers and communities.
- The “One Client, One Cadre” model, which offers personalized psychosocial support throughout pregnancy and postpartum.
ESLAB is more than a training program—it is a catalyst for change. Building on the strong foundation it created requires supportive systems, ongoing training, quality monitoring, and sustained funding. Project HOPE and YPH will continue advancing health outcomes for women and newborns in Indonesia.
