Ibu Robin is a Certified Professional Midwife listed with
the North American Registry of Midwives. She is also a member
of Ikatan Bidan Indonesia. A Filipino/Chinese on her mother’s
side and German/Irish/Native American on her father’s,
Ibu Robin first came to Bali in 1992 after the publication
of her first book After the Baby’s Birth (Celestial
Arts/10 Speed Press, Berkeley, CA) because she wanted to discover
what was special about Balinese culture, in particular how
the Balinese raised their children and treated their elderly.
Ibu Robin is currently a volunteer for Yayasan Bumi Sehat,
a community-based family healthcare cooperative.
Why did you take up midwifery?
Research shows that one’s birth and the first hour or
two of life are very significant. Birth trauma all too often
causes individuals to have an impaired ability to love. I
had my own children at home, they were never separated from
me, and as a result they behave as intact human beings.
When was the Bumi Sehat Foundation established?
We initially began the foundation under another name, Yayasan
Anak Bahagia, about ten years ago.
From where do you draw your staff? Do you provide training?
Our staff are all Balinese and Indonesian. We have a fabulous
board of directors and the staff works very professionally.
Occasionally, volunteers from abroad like myself help out
with capacity building, but Bumi Sehat is not a bule organization.
We are registered as an official Indonesian yayasan (organization)
in Bali with the Department of Justice in Jakarta.
How and when did you become involved in relief work in Aceh
Province?
Bumi Sehat sent medical supplies to Aceh from our clinic via
Yayasan IDEP (Indonesian Development, Education and Permaculture)
at the end of December 2004. In February 2005 we sent
out our first medical relief team, and have since then been
based in Samatiga, very close to the epicenter of the December
26th 2004 earthquake and subsequent catastrophic tsunami.
With the help of the Obor Berkat, a Jakarta-based organization,
we work hand in hand with the Dinas Kesehatan (Department
of Health) in Aceh Barat.
What is your work in Aceh Province all about?
Bumi Sehat does basic medical relief. We see all kinds of
illnesses and injuries, treating people right on site if possible,
or provide emergency transport to the hospital in Meulaboh.
If necessary we have called upon our relationship with the
UN to medivac patients to the cities of Banda Aceh or Medan.
We also do Safe Motherhood and Infant Survival, prenatal care,
birth services and breastfeeding support right on the spot.
What are the most serious problems you face in carrying out
your work there?
Funding and logistics.
What are the most acute dangers facing the people of Aceh
right now?
Clean water, sanitation, shelter, food and proper medical
support. Without clean water, sanitation facilities, adequate
shelter from Sumatra’s intense weather, and decent nutrition,
the health issues tsunami survivors must face will only grow
much worst over time.
What are the greatest needs in making you and your staff’s
contribution more effective and far-reaching?
We need more money to keep both the family health and birth
services facility in Bali and the clinic in Aceh open. We
are just now working out the logistics of bringing in vitamins
for pregnant women and children in both Bali and Aceh. Thanks
to the BRR, a new governmental organization, this has become
possible.
Can you tell us some success stories?
That would take a book. We have a young woman, whose baby
was torn from her arms by the tsunami water. Last February
she was slated to have her leg amputated as her tsunami laceration
had not healed. We redressed that wound everyday for 9-1/2
months. With the help of John Fawcett of Yayasan Kemanusiaan
Indonesia, we were able to get more broad spectrum antibiotics
sent over from Australia. Finally the wound has healed and
Yusmi and her husband have just achieved pregnancy.
In another case, we had an orphan who was thought to be severely
retarded. Our medical team had his eyes checked and it turned
out that his only problem - besides being orphaned by the
tsunami - was that he desperately needed eyeglasses. He is
now in normal school and is quite bright and happy. We have
successfully treated dozens of elderly Acehnese with hypertension
by having them take a traditional medicine made of water and
starfruit leaves. Now that’s sustainable medicine!
We had a group of women from Hawaii give us money to do a
work training project for women living in tents. In speaking
to the women they wanted to start their own businesses, on
site, since transportation is an issue. Working with IWAPI,
a Muslim Women’s group, we trained two women in bead
working in Bali. These two women have now trained 25 women.
They are now beading and marketing their wares through IWAPI’s
network of friends all over Indonesia. We did no assessments,
no studies, just tried our best and it was done!
Have you received much help from organizations in Indonesia
and abroad?
Yayasan IDEP, John Fawcett of Yayasan Kemanusiaan Indonesia,
Obor Berkat, The Red Cross, UN, Helen Keller, Atlas Logistics,
Handicapped International Mission, Aviation Fellowship, Ethos
Global, Maltesser, IWAPI, WALHI, Buddha Tsuchi, and others
have all lent a hand.
How can people help your organization?
Please send money to Yayasan Bumi Sehat, Bank Niaga, Jl Melati
29 Denpasar, Bali, account number: 047-02-09658-009, swift
code: BNI AIDJA.
Their homepage is www.bumisehatbali.org.
For anyone interested in being considered for Siapa, please
contact : <pakbill2003@yahoo.com>
Copyright@2006 Al Hickey
You can read all past articles of Siapa at www.BaliAdvertiser.biz
