Melawi Area Program

Program Type

Community Development

Planned Life Cycle

2016 - 2026

Location

Indonesia

Areas of Focus

Health | Education 

Program Timeline

Status: Active

Progress

3,269people were trained or involved in community water, sanitation or hygiene initiatives

Progress

1,637people had access to sanitation facilities like toilets at home or school

Progress

674people had access to handwashing facilities at home or school

A white jeep driving through a muddy path, featuring a rainbow and trees in the background.

Program Details

Context

The community of Melawi is home to 54,516 people, including 17,322 children. Although the land is rich with natural resources, many of them are poorly managed. Outdated farming practices can lead to disasters including forest fires and landslides. Flooding, land disputes and restricted access to business networks all keep farmers from maximizing their earning potential.

Traditional customs guide the daily life of families and communities, suggesting that decisions should be made through consensus. They can also perpetuate dated practices that can be limiting or even harmful to children and youth. For example, the belief that the best source of water comes from the river leaves many sick, as the river is often contaminated and unsafe. This leads children to suffer unnecessarily from sicknesses like diarrhea, stomach flu and skin rashes.

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Challenges
Water and Sanitation
In Melawi, children and their families don't have proper latrines close to home. This forces them into the outdoors, where their waste contaminates the environment. Many have limited information on the dangers of this practice and continue to put themselves and others at risk. There are no safe water sources available in the village. Rivers are polluted by waste from illegal mining, but are the only place families can wash and bathe.

For drinking purposes, families must make the hour-long journey to another village to buy clean water. The development of palm-oil plantations has reduced the availability of ground water and there are no safe water management systems at the village level. Understanding of good hygiene and sanitation practices is limited.

Child Protection
In Melawi, obtaining a birth certificate is an ongoing challenge for children and their parents. Many parents don't have the information to know why birth certificates are vital to protecting their children's rights and freedoms. Some presume they are costly or don't know how to go about getting one. Many parents themselves do not have the documentation needed to register children, including a marriage certificate"which many lack due to their early marriages or marriage under traditional law.

One challenge in villages is that there are no local offices to process certificates. Families must travel far distances at great expense just to obtain them. The government has not proactively tried to address this issue, citing lack of human resources and limited staff as causes.

Education
In Melawi, education and early childhood development is in need of improvement. In general, many parents don't have the information needed to prioritize education for their youngest children. There is little information available on the topic and parents are often too busy with work and household responsibilities to seek out the information independently.

Often, students struggle with both literacy and numeracy skills. Schools require better resources and teachers need additional training to improve the learning environment.
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Plans
Water and Sanitation
To improve access to clean water and help families practice good hygiene, World Vision will work to:
  • Increase usage of latrines by sensitizing families to good sanitation and hygiene practices Improve village water management systems and the availability of clean water in the community
  • Promote the importance of water and environmental sanitation to all villages within the community

Child Protection
To ensure children's rights are preserved and advanced, World Vision will partner with the community to:
  • Sensitize parents to the importance of child rights issues like birth registration and help them to act
  • Lobby the government for better birth registration policies and improve the quality of public services
  • Increase the capacity of government officials and cooperation among stakeholders to promote the importance of birth registration
  • Create joint action plan with stakeholders including parents, community leaders and religious figures Improve children's ability to protect themselves and their peers and participate in decision making forums through children's groups

Education
To improve education and development in Melawi, World Vision will partner with the community to:
  • Improve access to quality education for all children
  • Provide additional training and resources to teachers to improve their effectiveness in the classroom
  • Equip schools with the necessary resources and equipment to help students learn
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An image of children sitting on the ground in a classroom, writing in workbooks.

Results

Unless otherwise stated, data presented on this page reflects the most up-to-date results of World Vision Canada programs reported between October 2022 and September 2023, and any previous fiscal years available. Previously reported data may not match the current presentation as we continuously receive and refine data from our programs. If you have any questions, kindly reach out to us.