Health Partisan in Tabundung (East Sumba) Promoting clean and healthy life
Tuesday, 17 December 2019by adminstube
Sumba has natural beauty and cultural uniqueness, however it has also obstacles in transportation, communication, education and health. However, these did not discourage me to return back to my hometown after completing my study at STIKES Wirahusada Yogyakarta majoring in Public Health. I am Aryanti Rawambaku, from Karita village, Tabundung district, East Sumba regency. Tabundung is located in the southern part of Sumba island and its hilly area slows down the development of the region compared to others.
I am working at Banggawatu Public Health Center (Puskesmas), which covers five villages, Banggawatu, Tapil, Tarimbang, Praimudi and Uimanu. The areas are about 80 km, Southwest of Waingapu. As a health staff in a new Public Health Center, I found that the facilities are limited, including no clean water pipelines, electricity and communication networks, including at staff’s dormitory. Therefore, the health office of East Sumba regency delivers water using vehicle every week. There are 22 people who work here, and I am responsible for health promotion programs and community empowerment related to health, health advocacy, counseling on Clean and Healthy Lifestyle (PHBS) of households, schools, health institutions and public places, development of health promotional media, empowerment of Community-Based Health service (Posyandu UKBM, poskestren) and partnerships in health sector.
My Activities is related with the aim to improve the quality of public health in the surrounding of the Public Health Center through socialization about people’s health, cleanliness of the house and the environment, and improving nutrition through training how to process local food covering processing cassava into Onde-onde, sweet corn into snacks and moringa leaves into jelly. We also conduct some counselings on Clean and Healthy Lifestyles at several schools and I was in charge to give counseling at Tarimbang Elementary School (SDI) and facilitated 77 elementary students practicing of washing hands properly.
The challenge I often faced when I served the community is not their ability to understand the message but the difficulty to change behavior in implementing clean and healthy lifestyles, for example when they are going to eat, they want to eat immediately and wash their hands carelessly. Then, in program of constructing toilet, they said 'Ok, ready to build it' but the fact they ignored the program. It did not work because they have no money, still busy and others have not made it. Some of those already have toilets but they did not use them because they are accustomed to defecating in the forest for practical reasons without much water. Their tendency to build toilets is sense of reluctance and fear of the local village officials.
The initial strategy of our health team is having closer approach to the families living at the surrounding of Public Health Center, collaborating the community to construct toilets by implementing system of money gathering to build a toilet, having collaboration with village officials because each village provides budget to construct 10 permanent toilets per year. So far half of the houses around the Public Health Center have toilets already. Another health education method is by watching movie in people's house that will enable me to have dialogue with them and to hear their health complaints.
Working in a new Public Health Center is not easy, on one hand I serve health needs and campaign clean and healthy life to the community in difficult circumstance, on the other hand I have to be the example of clean and healthy life itself. There was an interesting motivation when I took part in Stube HEMAT training about Survival Skills as a student in Yogyakarta. I have survived until I finished my study, so I should have more capability to exist in my hometown by applying my knowledge. (Aryanti Rawambaku).
A Girl Fights for EducationVebiati Lende
Friday, 29 November 2019by adminstube
"Women do not need to study higher, women work only in the kitchen, rice fields and farms, so what is having further education for?". Those were the words that my dad said when his daughters were eager to continue their education with no exception for me.
I am Vebiati Lende from Mareda Kalada, Southwest Sumba. Since I was in senior high school I wanted to continue my study and I told my mom about it. My mom really supported my wish. However, when I was in the second year of high school, my mother was sick and went to the hospital many times but she never recovered, even her illness could not be cured. In 2014 my mom, my loved ones left me forever, I was very shocked because someone who supported me to continue my study passed away. I thought my dreams had gone and it was useless to continue study higher because no one supported me anymore. In 2015 I was graduated from high school and I intended to work out of Sumba island because some young people in my area prefer to work out in other island.
Accidentally, I met a friend of mine at Children's Development Center (PPA), she got a college scholarship, then I asked her if she could inform the donor that I also want to get scholarship too. I thought my message was not answered, but when I attended in a PPA meeting, it turned out, the hope that I thought was lost was finally answered. I never imagined to get a donor for college study. My feeling was mixed, one hand I was very happy and wanted to give this news to my family, but on the other hand I knew that my father did not allow me to go to college. This was the beginning of my struggle.
I realized that my dad disagreed, so I had left my house before sunrise so that he did not know when I was out, walking down the path to the main road waiting for the bus from Southwest Sumba to Lewa in East Sumba. Finally, I registered as a student in Theology College of Sumba Christian Church in Lewa with a scholarship from PPA and my sister paid my boarding fees. For me, study at college is a struggle because I have to fulfill myself with money available for campus assignments and foods. Besides study, I also take part in campus activities, churches and organizations in order to increase my experiences. In semester five I got a miracle from God when my father said that he would support my study after seeing my determination to study, and now my dad also always goes to church. How God answers my prayers.
Everyone's life journey is not the same, my struggle to study at college is not just to continue my study but the struggle of Sumbanese women to get higher education opportunities for a better life, for themselves, families and the society of Sumba. For women who are struggling, please stay faithful, do not give up, broaden your network and keep on praying, because we do not know the God's answer to our lives and our time is different from God's time. Fight hard and achieve your dreams.