Sekadau Area Program

The expansive community of Sekadau is home to just over 77,000 people"including at least 30,000 children. Most people are native to the area and work in agriculture, farming palm oil and rubber to earn a living and support their families basic needs. Banks are available to improve small business growth, however many farmers limit productivity and success with the use of outdated farming techniques.

Most families in Sekadau live along the edge of a river, commonly contaminated by garbage and waste. The lack of good sanitation practices often leads to children suffering preventable waterborne diseases, such as diarrhea or malaria. Recent flooding in Sekadau also threatens the health and well-being of families, in addition to disrupting farmers growing seasons.

Health
In Sekadau, young children consistently struggle to enjoy good health and proper nutrition. Water sources are often uncovered and a primary channel for waste disposal, which often leads to illnesses like diarrhea. Only 40 per cent of the community have access to latrines and only 35 per cent have access to piped clean water. Many families lack the information to understand the benefits of hygienic practices such as regular hand-washing, which also exposes them to disease.

In Indonesia, Posyandu is an integrated service post that provides community-based health care support for families. However, in Sekadau, most of the Posyandu workers do not have the training they need to fully support patients. Additionally, parents lack the education and support to ensure their families are well-nourished. As a result, almost 50 per cent of children are both stunted and underweight for their age. Acute respiratory tract infections are also common.

Education
In parts of Sekadau, the education system is active and thriving, with high passing rates for students in elementary and middle school. However, this is only common in more central areas of the community, which are easy for students and teachers to access. In rural areas, recruiting and retaining trained teachers is a challenge and the ongoing issues with flooding and the resulting road damage can make it impossible for children to get to class.

This is especially true of high schools, which tend only to be available in urban parts of the community. Because of this, students commonly drop out after completing junior high. Many also wish to begin to working to earn an income and support themselves and their families. Early childhood education is also limited and needs improved curriculums and staff.

• Educate families on proper hygiene and sanitation practices to reduce preventable diseases
• Advocate for and help develop better government policies to sustain a clean, safe environment
• Investigate and implement solutions to increase the availability of basic health services for remote families
• Monitor child growth and development, particularly through early childhood care and development programs

• Promote the importance of early childhood education and development to parents to improve enrolment
• Improve early childhood education curriculums to include information about good sanitation, hygiene and nutrition practices
• Provide training and capacity-building to teachers, tutors and schools to improve the quality of education
• Promote the importance of continued education and work to increase access to school for children living remotely