The third Monitoring and Evaluation of the Adolescent Reproductive Health in Gunungkidul was held on Wednesday, 7 May 2014, by Rahayuningtyas (WRI Program Coordinator for Adolescent Reproductive Health) and Benita Nastami (WRI Researcher). The Monitoring and Evaluation activity was started with a discussion with the Gunungkidul Program Officer, Tri Asmiyanto, to discuss the progress of the adolescent reproductive health program since the last monitoring and evaluation on 25-27 March 2014.

 

The progress achieved is as follows:

1. A number of two from three WRI’s target forums, i.e. Bening Hati and Police, became participants at the adolescent reproductive health competition for the “Tegak” and “Tumbuh” categories held by the National Population and Family Planning Board (BKKBN) through BPNPKB DI Yogyakarta. Police placed 3rd, while Bening Hati won the 1st Place of the competition, earning them the opportunity to represent DI Yogyakarta at the national level.
2. Due to their achievements, both of their status will be increased by one rank. Police will enhance its status from Tumbuh to Tegak, while Bening Hati from Tegak to Tegar. This change will be officiated the following year, based on their performance this year.
3. Police plans to enlarge their organization by conducting visits to schools within their scope at Karangawen District, which currently has 5 junior high schools and 1 vocational high school.
4. Bening Hati plans to proceed with their mentoring and educating on reproductive health to youths at Islamic boarding schools, both for those in junior and senior high schools.
5. Established the Registration Book for 3 groups (Bening Hati, Teen Girls’ Class, and Police), which contains the data and photographs of the groups’ participants.
6. Group discussions are still routinely held, led by members who have been trained by WRI as peer councelors. The topic of discussion was centered on youths’ reproductive health. In terms of organization, each group has made a profile.

 

Bening Hati

 

Bening Hati was chosen as the winner of the provincial competition of Information & Councelling Center for Youths Category Tumbuh and Tegak by BKKBN. Routine meetings are held by the management (14 men and women) as well as the members of the group (approximately 80 people). As an icebreaker, Bening Hati also held an outbound with all group members in order to maintain participants’ enthusiasm and consistency in performing their activities at Bening Hati.

 

Due to their achievement as the 1st Winner of the Youth Forum Competition, Bening Hati is to make a documentary on their organization’s profile. The film-making on Bening Hati’s profile was carried out with the WRI Program Officer in Gunungkidul, Tri Asmiyanto, in cooperation with BPMPKB (the subdistrict BKKBN). This film will be competed in the next competition at the national level.

 

Several obstacles found at Bening Hati:

• The controversy of Bening Hati’s presence in the Islamic Boarding School among students, who consider reproductive health as a taboo or un-Islamic topic of discussion, will be clarified.
• The benefits of Bening Hati’s presence have yet to be felt, despite its programs that are undergoing in the Islamic Boarding School. There is a plan to start a bulletin entitled “Jendela Isi Hati” or Window to the Heart, of which the latest management meeting was attended by 8 of 13 members. In addition, the Islamic boarding school still has not provided a real support for Bening Hati.
• Discussions on reproductive health among the male students have not been held as often as expected, because the male students have more activities compared to their female counterparts, as well as the logistic needs outside the boarding school.

 

In the effort to find solutions for the existing obstacles, WRI Gunungkidul Program Officer Tri Asmiyanto assigned the students to make articles relating to youth issues. The selected articles will be made into a bulletin and will be distributed to all students to make Bening Hati’s presence more beneficial for everyone.

 

Apart from an Islamic boarding school, the Al-Hikmah Foundation also owns the Al-Hikmah Orphanage, where 14 children (10 boys and 4 girls) aged 6-12 live. The majority of children there were abandoned by their parents and/or were street children. Several members of the Bening Hati management also act as organizers or sitters at the orphanage.

 

Kelas Remaja Putri (Teen Girls’ Class)

 

Kelas Remaja Putri holds routine meetings twice a month or biweekly. During their last meeting with Ibu Bidan (Midwife) Endah, the members of the Class were asked to visit junior and senior high schools in Ponjong.

 

This activity was postponed for two weeks due to the National Examinations faced by the participants of Kelas Remaja Putri, as half of them are in 9th grade. In addition, during the following week, the members of Kelas Remaja Putri in the 7th and 8th grades faced their Final Exams. Thus the activities were adjusted with their schedule to avoid conflicts with their preparation for exams.

 

Ibu Bidan Endah, as the mentor of Kelas Remaja Putri as well as a Health Officer at the Health Center in Ponjong, was chosen as a model health manpower and was awarded at the provincial level of DIY. She was also sent to conduct a comparative study at the Health Center of Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, with other health manpowers from DIY.

 

To develop the group discussions, Ibu Bidan Endah through the Health Center Ponjong made a special space, called Permadani, for youth groups to hold discussions. Permadani had been established for some time but has been undergoing a hiatus. This activity is planned to be held with financial assistance from Health Operational Assistance (BOK) which, despite being limited, is expected to establish other youth groups from schools in Ponjong Subdistrict.

 

Ibu Bidan Endah expressed her hopes that WRI’s collaboration is not limited to Kelas Remaja Putri but also with Permadani and/or the Health Center of Ponjong. This will impact the Health Center positively because it will be able to network with NGOs in enhancing the reproductive health of youths in Ponjong Subdistrict.

 

The Health Center has in fact gave a reproductive health education to schools in Ponjong by visiting schools and holding trainings to 20 selected students. Unfortunately, the Health Center has no follow up activity to it due to limited funds. The Health Center has arranged Permadani as a medium for youths to discuss reproductive health issues and provide a counceling service through the Health Center’s Health Service for Youths (PKPR). Unfortunately, when youths come to the Health Center for certain complaints related to reproductive health, the service is still centered in the Mother and Child Care because there is no special clinic for youths.

 

Police

 

Police won the 3rd place in the youth forum competition held by the DI Yogyakarta Community Empowerment, Women’s Affairs and Family Planning Agency (BPMPKB). Therefore, Police will be able to increase its rank from Tumbuh to Tegak, provided that it can bring a larger benefit to youths outside Pokak Village. Police is required to facilitate a health promotion to schools in Karangawen, consisting of 5 junior high schools and 1 vocational high school. This activity is expected to boost the capacity of Police members as peer councellors, providing them the experience and confidence to deliver information as well as share knowledge and experience related to adolescent reproductive health.

 

Apart from WRI, Family Planning officers will also help Police to prepare the school visits at Pokak. They plan to maximize the opportunity provided by the orientation of freshmen which will be held in July-August 2014. The target is to give freshmen an adequate knowledge on reproductive health and attract them to join Police, or even establish youth groups focusing on reproductive health at their respective schools.***