Basic Human Services
Objective: Improving the Quality of Basic Human Services
Program Description
The Challenge
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More than 140 million people live on less than two dollars a day and lack adequate health services, food and sanitation.
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Nearly one-third of the population (over 75 million people) lacks access to clean water.
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Preventable, poverty-related diseases, such as diarrhea, cause hundreds of thousands of deaths each year.
The Goal
- Governments, communities, organizations and the private sector mobilize to advocate for higher quality basic human services.
- Basic human services are delivered effectively at the local level.
- Improved practices and behaviors are adopted at the community and household levels.
Programs
The delivery of basic human services at the local level is critical to the health of Indonesians. Under Indonesia’s decentralization law, local governments are responsible for the delivery of health care, water and sanitation. To help improve the health and quality of life for vulnerable populations, USAID supports an integrated program of activities that strengthen the capacity of local agencies and businesses to deliver essential services.
health Services
Vulnerable populations – in particular the urban poor, women and children – are the principal beneficiaries of USAID’s public health program. Working with local government agencies, non-governmental organizations and other partners, the program focuses on: maternal and neonatal health; reproductive health; child health and nutrition; prevention of infectious diseases including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria; decentralization of the health sector and improvement of personal hygiene practices. A comprehensive education program improves understanding and adoption of healthy practices, such as regular hand washing with soap, which reduces diarrheal disease – a leading cause of childhood death.
Safe Water and Environmental Services
USAID supports better health through improved water resource management and expanded access to clean water and sanitation services. With a ‘ridges to reef’ approach, partners improve water resource management from watershed sources along rivers and through cities to coastal reefs. In the upper watershed, the program promotes forest management, biodiversity conservation and land use planning to protect a steady, year-round source of clean water. Further downstream, the program strengthens municipal water utilities to improve and expand piped water and sanitation services to communities. Stakeholder forums link upstream and downstream communities to build consensus on water and waste management issues. Marginalized urban communities also benefit from the introduction of safe drinking water through Air Rahmat, a home chlorination product introduced to the market through a public-private partnership.
Food Security and nutrition
To improve the nutritional status of Indonesians, USAID food assistance targets poor communities. These activities directly benefit women and children with supplemental feeding and information campaigns on balanced diets, vitamins and other nutrition topics. The food assistance program also works closely with local communities in the construction of public facilities, latrines, washing facilities, water supplies and in designing solid waste disposal systems to protect community health.
Recent Accomplishments
Maternal and Child Health programs helped 423,000 women safely deliver babies in the presence of skilled birth attendants; provided essential care to
190,000 newborns; treated 645,000 cases of child diarrhea and provided 255,000 children under age five with nutrition services.
Infectious Diseases – Through community outreach, HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis programs reached 432,430 people at high risk of HIV infection; 6,169 people received counseling and testing for HIV; 1,525 HIV-positive people benefited from case management services; and 187 local organizations were trained in HIV/AIDS programming. The national TB Case Detection Rate rose from 20% in 2000 to 68% in 2005; 70,000 TB cases were notified in two provinces – contributing to almost of 30% of all TB cases notified nationwide. More than 1,000 specialists and other health professionals were trained in International Standards of TB Care, and laboratory TB diagnosis capabilities were improved in nine provinces.
USAID’s Community-based Avian Influenza Control Project trained 705 animal health staff in surveillance and outbreak response; helped create surveillance teams in 115 districts – 25 percent of Indonesia – which are actively finding and responding to poultry outbreaks and trained 1640 village volunteers to prevent outbreaks in as many villages.
In the areas of Water, Environment and Health, 32,804 hectares of ‘High Conservation Value’ land is under improved local management; 22,984 hectares of degraded land has been rehabilitated; 89,410 households are accessing improved water sources; 120,682 people are benefiting from improved sanitation systems and 627 million liters of water have been treated by a point-of-use method. More than 100,000 people have been reached directly through hand washing activities, trainings and school programs.
Food Security and Disaster Response initiatives have reached 200,000 poor people in five provinces, helping to improve their nutritional status. In Yogyakarta, scene of a massive earthquake in 2006, 10,000 transitional shelters have been built for earthquake victims and thousands more are benefiting from USAID-funded relief operations, medical services and rehabilitated water and sanitation facilities