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Photo & Caption

Photo: USAID/John Snow International

Dr. Wistiana interviews an elderly patient during a USAID-sponsored health promotion campaign in Jogonalan, Indonesia. “The residents of Jogonalan still face many health problems in addition to treating their injuries from the earthquake,” said Dr. Wistiani.

Following the May 2006 earthquake in Indonesia’s Yogyakarta-Central Java region, USAID and Indonesian medical volunteers formed a partnership to address the long-term health issues that earthquake survivors faced. After immediate disaster needs were addressed, USAID tapped into national networks of health professionals and about two dozen volunteer nurses, midwives, and pediatricians agreed to provide mobile health services to women and children in affected areas. The volunteers came from the Pediatricians’ Association, Midwives’ Association, and the Indonesia Public Health Association.

Within weeks of the earthquake, in Jogonalan, a sub-district of Klaten, mobile teams began providing measles immunizations to all 14,500 children under age five and tetanus vaccination to all 32,000 adults. In addition, the volunteer health teams coordinated with local health centers to address maternal and child health issues such as diarrhea, malnutrition, and complications with pregnancy and deliveries.

Dr. Wistiani, a member of the Pediatricians’ Association, noted that affected populations could use all the help they could get in the coming months, because “the residents of Jogonalan still face many health problems in addition to treating their injuries from the earthquake.”

Other USAID projects also expanded existing programs to provide immediate assistance to earthquake survivors. For instance, USAID’s environmental project delivered a product that makes contaminated water safe to drink to the residents of Jogonalan in the days following the earthquake, while USAID’s education program provided tents to be used as temporary classrooms for elementary school students so they could complete their coursework before the summer holidays.

Thanks to its existing programs and connections with local experts, USAID quickly mobilized a network of local experts and health professionals. It will take time before Jogonalan rebuilds, but for the moment, survivors are comforted knowing that help from USAID and its partners is just around the corner.

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