40-year-old Mulyani is having a busy day. She is responsible for the day-to-day running of the Seulanga Health Clinic and child care group in the village of Kopelma, Syiah Kuala sub-district. And today she has ten under-fives in her care.
Seulanga clinic is a posyandu, or village health post. Posyandus provide essential medical care to people who may otherwise have to travel long distances to get to a health clinic. They specialise in providing maternal and infant healthcare.
This posyandu was built by Islamic Relief in December 2005, and is one of 14 similar facilities that we have built throughout Aceh. The centre focuses on providing integrated healthcare for children by meeting their medical needs and encouraging their personal development. Healthcare is integrated with education, providing the children with interaction, stimulation and a safe place to play.
The play group at the clinic helps parents who cannot afford to send their children to nursery school and provides young children with educational materials and toys. “We are not only teaching them how to sing and draw,” explained Mulyani, “but also to grow their creativity and improve their intelligence at an early age.”
Mulyani and five members of staff manage the activities at the centre. They provide pregnant women with ante-natal and post-natal care and are working towards reducing rates of child mortality and malnutrition by providing services such as growth monitoring, immunisations, and sessions on infant nutrition and hygiene.
42-year-old Nuraini explained, “We were given training, funded by Islamic Relief at the Syiah Kuala Community Health centre. Here doctors and nurses shared their knowledge about how to care for pregnant women and children.”
Mulyani said, ‘I am so happy that Islamic Relief built this building. Pregnant mothers need somewhere to check the progress of their pregnancies and children really need this playground.”