Photos: Mothers in Indonesia Couldn’t Reach Care, So it Came to Them
For mothers in western Java, care is often out of reach. Project HOPE is helping change that — empowering midwives and volunteers to support them through monthly wellness fairs held in their own neighborhoods.
In the rural villages of Serang, Indonesia, the risks of being a woman are exceptionally high. The district struggles with maternal and neonatal mortality rates — many mothers, tragically, are simply unable to access health services because care is either too expensive or too far away.
They’re not alone. Every day, thousands of mothers and babies in developing countries are unable to get the care they need to survive. Nearly 1,000 women and 7,000 newborns die from preventable causes each day — deaths that could be avoided if women were reached with the right health education and treatment.
Project HOPE is changing that by empowering midwives and volunteers in Serang to reach the most vulnerable mothers and children. Every month, they host a wellness fair, and mothers from around the district bring their children to a bustling village square to ensure their little ones are healthy, and growing strong.
On the day of the fair, Asih, 25, and her seven-month-old baby make their way to the village clinic, called a posyandu, for his monthly checkup. It normally takes Asih 30 minutes by motorbike to reach her doctor, but today, it’s only a 10-minute walk through their village.
Asih made the drive to the health clinic throughout her pregnancy for routine care, which she says she otherwise would have received from her parents. Now, the wellness fairs allow her to ensure her son stays healthy, and to receive guidance on how to feed him. Today she’ll return home with a new stock of medicine, calcium tablets, vitamins, and milk.
“Everything is helpful,” she says. “With this kind of outpost I see how my children develop. I get more experience with children, and the midwife also teaches me about children.”
Mothers come from all over the village for checkups. On this particular day, more than 60 midwives, volunteers, mothers, babies, and children gather together at the event, located beside a preschool, to receive routine care, health education, and essential supplements.
There are five desks set up to receive them — one for admission, one for weighing, one for recording, one for nutrition, and another for health services.
Dr. Andah Suryani oversees the family health programs at the village clinics, where volunteers and midwives trained by Project HOPE support women throughout pregnancy and delivery. Dr. Suryani says volunteers are their “health warriors.”
“Volunteers are the front line for the public health office,” she says. “They refer patients to the public health center and the outposts, and they help the midwives.”
“In Serang, people have lower education. They only went to elementary school; they don’t have information about health. Volunteers bring them the information.”
The wellness checks are only for babies and children under 5, but new and expecting mothers come to talk with the midwives about managing their own health and wellness. Volunteers and midwives set up a table with food to demonstrate healthy portions and variety for a balanced diet — a mix of veggies and fruit, proteins, and grains. Midwives hand out vitamin A, calcium tablets, and iron tablets, while volunteers spend several hours weighing babies using a manual scale and sling.
District health officials say events like these have been essential in keeping women and children active and invested in their health. With outreach, more and more women are delivering safely at the health center instead of at home, and mortality rates are already dropping as a result.
“Our health service could only handle non-emergencies, but now, with training, our midwives can manage emergencies,” says Dr. Suryani. “And our volunteers’ knowledge and skill in mother and child health is increasing.”
Project HOPE has worked in Indonesia for more than 30 years, helping improve access to lifesaving care for mothers, children, and newborns across the country. We supply health centers with vital equipment like incubators and thermometers, and empower midwives and volunteers to walk alongside women throughout the journey of pregnancy and delivery.
In Serang and beyond, HOPE is fighting for women’s health — ensuring the most vulnerable have the care and support they need to grow strong and stay healthy for years to come.
Learn more about our work in maternal, neonatal and child health
Learn more about our work in Indonesia
How you can help
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