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29 April 2008
PRESS
RELEASE Program to fulfill health rights of madrasah children in Jakarta launched
JAKARTA – Uplift International and Dharma Wanita Persatuan today launched a capacity building and sustainable program to fulfill the health rights of primary school madrasah children in Jakarta. The program will improve the health and nutrition of nearly 6,000 students in 30 primary school madrasah (madrasah ibtidaiyah), some of whom are among the poorest in the city. The program was launched at a ceremony hosted by Ibu Mufidah Jusuf Kalla at the Vice President’s Palace Auditorium at Kebon Sirih, Jakarta. Ibu Mufidah Jusuf Kalla said: “The program aims to build the capacities of the madrasahs to improve the health and nutrition of these children to enhance their ability to learn so that they have the basic foundation to succeed. Optimal learning can occur only when students have better nutrition, clean water, good sanitation and less illness”. Prof Nila Moeloek, President, Dharma Wanita Persatuan, said that “Dharma Wanita Persatuan is very pleased to be able to work together with Uplift International in this program which focuses on improving nutrition, water and sanitation, while providing health education to the children, teachers, and parents.” Mark Schlansky, Uplift International’s Founder and Chief Executive Office, stated, “Our program is innovative and sustainable because our model includes an income generating component. It is based on a public-private partnership that promotes several Millennium Development Goals”. The program builds the capacity of each school’s management team, the madrasah teachers, their students and the student’s parents to create and maintain a healthy environment in their respective madrasahs. The students’ families actively participate in the school program and the knowledge can be transferred back home and to their communities. The program also engages local doctors to advocate for the rights of all children, especially those children in madrasahs to obtain better nutrition, clean water, proper sanitation, disease prevention and infection control. The program is a sustainable one because it includes an income generating component, Parents are provided training and employment to help lift them and their families out of poverty. Profits from the sale of products produced from the income generating activity are reinvested back into the program. The public sector partner is The United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Through its Food for Peace Program, USAID is providing 75 tons of dehydrated vegetable mix that will be used to provide supplemental food for breakfast. The food has been certified halal by the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA), recommended by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), and passed by the Food and Drug Control Agency (BPOM). Private sector partners comprised international and Indonesian companies and civil society organizations. The Boeing Company and APL Logistics are the lead private sector partners. They are joined by key partners; P. T. RPX One Stop Logistics, Yayasan XSProject, Bakrie Peduli, Kiroyan Partners, Johnson & Johnson, Hotel JW Marriott, and Asosiasi Toilet Indonesia. Uplift International is dedicated to improving the right to health through technical assistance in health, law and education. It endeavors to increase awareness about the linkages between population health human rights and economic development. Since its founding in 1997, Uplift International has developed and implemented programs in health and human rights, humanitarian assistance, maternal and child health, telemedicine, and medical education in Southeast Asia. Uplift International partnered with PB IDI in the wake of the tsunami that devastated Aceh, Indonesia in 2004 bringing emergency medical relief to over 19,000 survivors. It provided over 20 tons of medicines for the relief effort. Uplift also has programs that build capacities of health professionals to care for women and children victims of violence, and communities to prevent and control avian influenza. Uplift International has been working in Indonesia since 1998. More information may be found at http://www.upliftinternational.org/. Dharma Wanita Persatuan is a cohesive and independent organization of wives of civil servants that seeks to improve the well-being of its members and communities in a democratic manner in the fields of education, economy and socio-culture. For more information, visit http://www.dwp.or.id. CONTACTS:
Prof.
Nila Moeloek, Dharma Wanita Pusat, 5201720,
nilamoeloek@yahoo.com -###-
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