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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 5, 2004
Indonesian Mothers Surviving Childbirth More Often with
Support from Husbands, Community, Faith-based Groups
 JAKARTA, Indonesia — When Siti Aminah started bleeding profusely during the birth of her second child, she did not become another grim statistic in a country where about two women die each hour as a result of pregnancy and childbirth. Instead Siti was rushed to the health facility by her husband and family in a village ambulance where she received blood donated by her neighbors and friends.
A comprehensive five-year safe motherhood program involving the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Indonesian government, the World Health Organization, the National Family Planning Coordinating Board, and several nongovernmental organizations led to the coordinated response that saved Siti's life. The Maternal and Neonatal Health (MNH) Program is made up of several public awareness campaigns, including Suami Siaga (alert husband), Bidan Siaga (alert midwife) and Desa Siaga (alert village).
JHPIEGO, an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University, and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for Communication Programs (CCP) help implement the program in Indonesia. According to CCP researchers, a midline survey found that 60 percent of women exposed to the Bidan Siaga campaign recommended the use of a midwife to others in their community.
Suami Siaga began in 1998 to get husbands more involved in pregnancy and delivery to ensure the safety of the mother. Desa Siaga focuses on how to get the entire community more involved in safe motherhood. Siti Aminah lives in a Desa Siaga and her alert community responded appropriately during her crisis. Bidan Siaga was launched in 2002 to promote the use of midwives and their skills. The concept of shared responsibility for healthy mothers is the foundation of the USAID-supported MNH program in Indonesia.
"We believe it does indeed 'take a village' to make sure mothers survive to raise their children," said Donna Vivio, JHPIEGO's Deputy Director of the MNH Program. "The MNH Program has been remarkably successful in engaging everyone in the village, from the husbands to faith-based groups."
Indonesia is a predominately Muslim society and Muslim organizations played a key role in increasing acceptance of the Siaga campaigns.
The MNH program takes place primarily in two provinces, West Java and Banten, which have a combined population of 42 million. Suami Siaga, Bidan Siaga, and Desa Siaga use radio, television, print materials, special events, and training programs to reach Indonesian families and communities with the concept of being alert for emergencies during childbirth.
At the community level, individual citizens are encouraged to help arrange for transport to the hospital, provide funds, donate blood, and recognize danger signs. Husbands are taught to prepare for the delivery and potential complications, while midwives are trained to know when to send women to health facilities.
The 2003 Demographic and Health Survey for Indonesia reported a drop in the maternal mortality ratio to 309/100,000 births from 390/100,000 reported in 1994.
JHPIEGO, an international health organization affiliated with Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., builds global and local partnerships to enhance the quality of healthcare services for women and families through training and support for healthcare providers including doctors, nurses, midwives, and health educators working in limited resource settings throughout Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and Europe. www.jhpiego.org
With representatives in more than 30 countries, Johns Hopkins' CCP is a pioneer in the field of strategic, research-based communication programs for behavior change and health promotion that have helped transform the theory and practice of public health communication. For more information about CCP, visit www.jhuccp.org.
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