Alor Community Based Health Project – Indonesia

Newmarch WA¹*

1. World Vision Australia, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

The Alor Community Based Health Project was implemented in the district of Alor in the Indonesian province of Nusa Tenggara Timur.

The project aimed to address primary health care issues, but more particularly to establish mechanisms and sufficient levels of understanding for community members to take more control over their own health and development. The project recognised that health is not limited to clinical activities and that primary health care must address root causes of poor health and achieve sustainability through a community development approach. Malaria and access to clean water supply were identified as key health issues but income or livelihood generation was also identified as providing a means for communities to sustain their access to the health system.

The approach taken by this project has attempted to create a community focus for its activity and strengthen the capacity of the community to understand and engage with the formal health system. Activities within the formal health system were designed to strengthen the capacity of local health personnel so as they could deliver better services but also feel a sense of achievement in obtaining better results. Activities within the community were with the use of qualitative surveys such as Participatory Learning and Action and materials in their own languages, and were expressed through formation of groups and committees. These are being reinforced through a supervision system with locally based motivators and through training in skills to increase income.

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