From 11th to 20th November, JOICFP accompanied four journalists representing four of Japan's leading national newspapers on a study tour to three project sites in Indonesia.

Lombok

In cooperation with the Indonesia Planned Parenthood Association (IPPA), and with support by Yakult Co., JOICFP has been conducting a safe motherhood/nutrition project in Lombok since 2005.

Visiting a village in the project, the journalists were struck not only by the poverty and high maternal and infant mortality, but also by the low literacy rates. Many women there do not know their age, making the delivery of appropriate reproductive health services, such as those to over 40s, problematic.

A woman with her child;
illiteracy hinders the delivery of effective services

Many husbands have gone overseas to look for work, leaving behind single mothers to care for children. Often the men fail to send income back, creating more difficulties for the mothers, leading some to call themselves 'widows'.

Banda Aceh

After the Asian tsunami in December 2004, JOICFP offered assistance for reconstruction. People are still living in camps and temporary shelter, and JOICFP has supported micro-credit activities.

Temporary accommodation is still normal in many areas

In groups of five, women are able to each borrow up to 1.5 million rupiah (approx. US$170), which they use to start small businesses such as a bakery or coffee shop.

Women gather for a micro-finance meeting

One important activity has been training of school-teachers as counselors for school children traumatized by the earthquake and suffering from post-traumatic stress.

Yogyakarta

May 2006 saw an earthquake strike Java, with a lot of the damage occurring in the town of Yogyakarta. Many dwellings are still ruined, and often people do not have enough money to rebuild.

JOICFP has constructed safe sanitation facilities, especially important for women, and repaired drinking water wells, and the study group also observed mobile clinic activities carried out by IPPA.

New sanitation facilities built with support from JOICFP

All the journalists were struck how diverse the three project areas are and the kinds of activities carried out. Articles have already appeared in some of the newspapers, and JOICFP expects that this will raise awareness of its activities.