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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 2, 2001
New Quality Family Initiative Encourages Indonesians to Make
Their Own Decisions and Demand Quality Service
BALTIMORE—A new family planning and reproductive health program called “Quality Family” launched in Indonesia this summer to make Indonesians aware of their right to quality family planning services so that they can make the best decision for their families and future.
The Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs (JHU/CCP) and JHPIEGO Corporation are assisting the Indonesian government's National Family Planning Coordinating Board (BKKBN) in this effort to communicate the importance of quality family planning services in deciding how couples can plan for a bright and prosperous future.
“This new approach seeks to empower Indonesians to make informed decisions on their own about their reproductive health choices and their right to access quality services. At the heart of the Quality Family initiatives is the concept that a planned family is better able to make decisions on what works best for its health and well being,” said Dr. Lalu Sudarmadi, Secretary-General of the BKKBN.
On July 5th, the BKKBN held a national launch event in Jakarta attended by former President Wahid and the former Minister of Women's Empowerment, who jointly announced the Quality Family campaign. Thirteen parachutists in provincial dress landed at the foot of the National Monument to unfurl a banner bearing the new Quality Family logo.
After the launch, mobile units and motorbikes fanned out across the country carrying field workers to other regions of Indonesia. Upon arrival in their target destination, the field workers displayed the campaign's banners, showed entertaining videos and distributed brochures and other materials.
Since the 1970s, the Indonesian government has encouraged families to have just two children. The new Quality Family program will build on the success of that effort by providing high quality health, information and consultation services and letting Indonesians know that they have a right to access such quality services.
One of the program's features is a song and video that includes the lyrics “Let's plan the number of our children. Space them for a brighter future. If everything is well planned, our children are taken care of, the family will be physically and spiritually happy.”
Through this program, the National Family Planning Coordinating Board hopes to make informed choice and quality services a key part of its long-term “Quality Families in the Year 2015” plan. The BKKBN defines a quality family as prosperous, healthy, progressive, responsible, harmonious, God-fearing and with an ideal number of children.
This launch is supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) program on sustaining achievements in reproductive health implemented through JHU/CCP and JHPIEGO in close coordination with Indonesia's BKKBN.
JHU/CCP, a pioneer in the field of strategic, research-based communication for behavior change and health promotion, is providing technical assistance to Indonesia in implementing this new program with financial support from USAID. Established in 1973, the JHPIEGO Corporation is a nonprofit organization affiliated with Johns Hopkins University and currently working in more than 30 countries.
For more information contact: Kim Martin at Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, 111 Market Place, Suite 310, Baltimore, Maryland 21202, USA. Tel: 410 659-6140; Fax: 410 659-6266 e-mail: press@jhuccp.org.
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