Secretary Clinton Visits Petojo, Indonesia, to Learn about USAID-funded Programs

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton smiles while placing her hand on the belly of Ibu Fitria, a pregnant woman from Petojo Utara, West Jakarta registered as part of HSP's Birth Preparedness and Complication Readiness Program. Fitria later told Secretary Clinton she intended to name her child "Valerie" —a blend of "Valentine" and "Hillary" meant to commemorate the Secretary's post-Valentine's Day visit.

"And when are you due?" U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asked as she reached out to touch Ibu Fitria's belly during a February 19th tour of the Petojo Utara neighborhood in Central Jakarta. Clinton was in Petojo to learn about USAID's Health Services Program (HSP), implemented by JSI, which has provided assistance to Fitria and thousands of pregnant women and mothers like her all across Indonesia.

While walking through the neighborhood, Secretary Clinton also had a chance to meet Ibu Dewi, whose life and child were saved thanks to an emergency plan put in place with HSP's support. When Dewi required immediate medical attention during her delivery, a car and driver were mobilized, taking her to a birthing clinic where, through an emergency caesarian section, she delivered a healthy baby girl. Secretary Clinton met members of the community health committee that created that plan following an HSP-sponsored health needs assessment. In addition, members of HSP described the lack of emergency transportation that used to affect pregnant women in the area, one of the poorest in the city. With HSP's assistance, Petojo's plan for pregnant women now includes a roster of stand-by drivers.

U.S Secretary of State Hillary Clinton listens as Sylvia Bakarbessy, Community Mobilization Coordinator for USAID's Health Services Program (HSP), explains stickers placed on the homes of pregnant women in Petojo Utara, Central Jakarta as part of the HSP's Birth Preparedness and Complication Readiness Program. Clinton was in Petojo to learn about HSP's work to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates across Indonesia.

Stopping by the home of another pregnant woman in Petojo, Secretary Clinton was shown the birth preparation stickers used as part of HSP's Birth Preparedness and Complication Readiness Program (P4K). Under P4K, pregnant women in Petojo and participating neighborhoods all over Indonesia are registered by community health volunteers and assisted with creating a delivery plan, which includes selection of a health provider and a savings schedule to cover delivery costs. Registered women are then publicly identified using stickers placed on the outside of their homes, with their name, due date, and blood type included as well as contact information for their skilled birth attendant and an emergency transportation volunteer.

The Secretary's tour ended with a stop at the MCK, a compound of public baths, washing stations and latrines, built by the Health Services Project, other USAID-funded initiatives, and the community in response to poor sanitation surrounding Petojo's public toilets. Consisting of four bathrooms, six toilets and one combined toilet and bathroom for children, the MCK—the first of its kind in Jakarta—uses a Decentralized Waste-water Treatment System (DEWATS) to discharge treated effluent into the river. Benefitting over 300 people in the neighborhood, the MCK also has child-friendly facilities, including hand washing stations, and a safe drinking water unit. In addition to the MCK, HSP helps promote public hygiene in Petojo through hand washing with soap posters and campaigns run by the monthly neighborhood health post or Posyandu. Other sponsored Posyandu activities include the promotion of immediate breastfeeding through HSP-developed community modules, registration of pregnant women in the area, and baby weighing and measuring.

In other good news for Petojo Utara, West Jakarta's health budget increased 163% from 2007 to 2008, partly due to technical assistance provided by HSP on planning and budgeting for maternal and child health.

During her visit, Secretary Clinton learned that the future looks brighter for mothers and children in Petojo and across Indonesia, thanks to HSP's efforts to reduce the country's maternal and child mortality rates. One child in particular, the Secretary discovered, would not only come into the world with HSP's help, but would be forever marked by her post-Valentine's Day visit. Beaming with pride while Hillary Clinton patted her belly, Fitria said that, no matter the child's gender, it would be named "Valerie"—a commemorative blend of "Valentine" and "Hillary".