Stories

Dr Ratni Palullungan is a fearless doctor, mother, and selfless volunteer providing sexual and reproductive healthcare to marginalized groups in fragile humanitarian settings.  Currently she is deployed with the Indonesian Planned Parenthood Association’s (IPPA/PKBI) response team in Majene District, West Sulawesi, following a magnitude 6.2 earthquake which occurred in January 2021.   In an open diary, Dr Ratni shares what a day in the life looks like for a volunteer doctor providing care to those affected by the earthquake.   5.30 – 8.30am I get up quite early and have my quiet time (prayer), then I gather my dirty laundry. Currently, I live with other volunteer teams in a place called PKBI Post in Majene, and there is a cooking schedule for everyone. After prayers, chores and breakfast, I get my daughter ready for the day as she accompanies me to work temporarily. After that, the team and I prepare medical equipment and medicine for the day's humanitarian mission. 8.30 – 11am Today the first location is Maliaya Village Health Centre, in Malunda District, Majene. Here, I attend to and examine 25 pregnant women. The pregnant women, on average, get married at a fairly young age. There are definitely risks to their reproductive health. There is a 43-year-old mother who is currently pregnant with her 11th child. To limit health risks, we advise her on the various safe family planning options.   There is also a 38-year-old woman who is eight months pregnant. However, the size of her belly is very small for a woman in her third trimester. In fact, I initially thought that she was only four or five months pregnant. After I examined her, it turns out that she is categorized as a ‘malnourished’ pregnant woman. It is very unfortunate because she admitted that she eats food without paying attention to her nutrition intake. In fact, she tends to eat instant noodles. So I advised her to drink milk, eat only nutritious foods, and always taker her vitamins.  11am – 2pm After visiting Maliaya Village, I travelled to Kabiraan Village. This village was severely affected by the earthquake. Here, I walk around the evacuation camp, most of which is still occupied by displaced people in this post-earthquake period. Even under the evacuation tent, I continue to conduct health examinations for pregnant women.  Due to the large number of cases of young marriages in Kabiiran Village, the team and I decide to conduct counselling sessions for the teenagers here. I advise the teenagers to get to know the risks that might occur to their reproductive health if they marry too young.  2 – 4pm The health volunteer team and I are finally able to take the time for lunch. We have our lunch near the beach, and get to enjoy local seafood as our menu. Enjoying the seafood while looking at the beautiful sea view is a precious time. I certainly won't forget this moment. 4 – 6pm We continue our journey to East Lombong Village. We have many elderly patients here. Yet interestingly, during one of the patients’ examination, there is one mother who wants to get the contraceptive implant. For me, this is quite a shock, given that we rarely find women in this village who want to do family planning. The mother admitted that she did not know much about the family planning program and has many children. She is grateful that the PKBI volunteer team and I came to their shelter camp for the health examination. 6pm The team and I decide to return to the PKBI Post. Today’s journey is quite tiring but there is a sense of pride and emotion for having carried out a humanitarian mission for teenage girls, mothers, the elderly and even toddlers who still stay in the shelter camp. 7 – 8pm At the PKBI Post, after cleaning and tidying up the medical equipment again for the next day’s program, I  prepare dinner for the team and assist my child with her studies. I am so grateful for each and every day that I am involved in this program. I feel encouraged to continue to provide sexual and reproductive healthcare to marginalized groups

Dr Ratni Palullungan is a fearless doctor, mother, and selfless volunteer providing sexual and reproductive healthcare to marginalized groups in fragile humanitarian settings.  Currently she is deployed with the Indonesian Planned Parenthood Association’s (IPPA/PKBI) response team in Majene District, West Sulawesi, following a magnitude 6.2 earthquake which occurred in January 2021.   In an open diary, Dr Ratni shares what a day in the life looks like for a volunteer doctor providing care to those affected by the earthquake.   5.30 – 8.30am I get up quite early and have my quiet time (prayer), then I gather my dirty laundry. Currently, I live with other volunteer teams in a place called PKBI Post in Majene, and there is a cooking schedule for everyone. After prayers, chores and breakfast, I get my daughter ready for the day as she accompanies me to work temporarily. After that, the team and I prepare medical equipment and medicine for the day's humanitarian mission. 8.30 – 11am Today the first location is Maliaya Village Health Centre, in Malunda District, Majene. Here, I attend to and examine 25 pregnant women. The pregnant women, on average, get married at a fairly young age. There are definitely risks to their reproductive health. There is a 43-year-old mother who is currently pregnant with her 11th child. To limit health risks, we advise her on the various safe family planning options.   There is also a 38-year-old woman who is eight months pregnant. However, the size of her belly is very small for a woman in her third trimester. In fact, I initially thought that she was only four or five months pregnant. After I examined her, it turns out that she is categorized as a ‘malnourished’ pregnant woman. It is very unfortunate because she admitted that she eats food without paying attention to her nutrition intake. In fact, she tends to eat instant noodles. So I advised her to drink milk, eat only nutritious foods, and always taker her vitamins.  11am – 2pm After visiting Maliaya Village, I travelled to Kabiraan Village. This village was severely affected by the earthquake. Here, I walk around the evacuation camp, most of which is still occupied by displaced people in this post-earthquake period. Even under the evacuation tent, I continue to conduct health examinations for pregnant women.  Due to the large number of cases of young marriages in Kabiiran Village, the team and I decide to conduct counselling sessions for the teenagers here. I advise the teenagers to get to know the risks that might occur to their reproductive health if they marry too young.  2 – 4pm The health volunteer team and I are finally able to take the time for lunch. We have our lunch near the beach, and get to enjoy local seafood as our menu. Enjoying the seafood while looking at the beautiful sea view is a precious time. I certainly won't forget this moment. 4 – 6pm We continue our journey to East Lombong Village. We have many elderly patients here. Yet interestingly, during one of the patients’ examination, there is one mother who wants to get the contraceptive implant. For me, this is quite a shock, given that we rarely find women in this village who want to do family planning. The mother admitted that she did not know much about the family planning program and has many children. She is grateful that the PKBI volunteer team and I came to their shelter camp for the health examination. 6pm The team and I decide to return to the PKBI Post. Today’s journey is quite tiring but there is a sense of pride and emotion for having carried out a humanitarian mission for teenage girls, mothers, the elderly and even toddlers who still stay in the shelter camp. 7 – 8pm At the PKBI Post, after cleaning and tidying up the medical equipment again for the next day’s program, I  prepare dinner for the team and assist my child with her studies. I am so grateful for each and every day that I am involved in this program. I feel encouraged to continue to provide sexual and reproductive healthcare to marginalized groups

Geneviève Head of Youth and Stigma project and fundraising at the Association Beninoise pour la promotion de la famille (ABPF) Since joining ABPF in 1995, Geneviève has worked closely with community leaders to reduce stigma around abortion. Talking about the importance of young women having choice and access to abortion care, Geneviève says, “the law only applies in three circumstances, meanwhile everyday people need to access these services. Reproductive rights do exist, but that is something many people choose to ignore.” Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share via WhatsApp Share via Email Hélène ABPF youth champion with the Young People’s Action Movement  27-year-old Hélène acts as a link between young people’s activities and the ABPF board. She has advocated for abortion rights at conferences locally and internationally.  “In my school there were a fair number of pregnant girls so I was already looking for a way to help. Every week I went to different classes to educate them about abortion and stigma. When my mother found out, she told me this was a movement of depravity! But after a while my mum became a member of the association and came with me, and even my dad. Now they say they are proud of what I’ve achieved.” Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share via WhatsApp Share via Email Simon Gnansounou Community leader In the small town of Cocotomey-La Paix, Simon works closely with ABPF supporting their work to reduce abortion stigma within local communities. “It’s a project for social development, and I am all for that. It’s going to limit harm done to these girls. Parents don’t talk about this with their children. It’s taboo. This project helps us negotiate this difficult parent-child question. There is no development without health, and the politics of health are very complex.” Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share via WhatsApp Share via Email Kader Youth champion 26-year-old Kader says his first youth meeting at ABPF was a positive experience. “They told me that there was a jam session at the event. What I liked is that it was run by young people. Everything that I know about reproductive health I learnt at the centre. A lot of young women I know got pregnant very early. I know people who have died because of unsafe abortion. We can avoid so much of it if people have the right information.” Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share via WhatsApp Share via Email Souliya Mevo Tairou Midwife “Stigmatization complicates our work. Fourteen and 15-year olds come here without their parents and it’s hard to work with them. The girls are so scared that they can’t really explain what’s happening to them. They come here after going to the traditional healers when that hasn’t worked and they are bleeding or have an infection. Here, with the Youth and Abortion Stigma Project, we have awareness sessions. The young people and those supervising give out their numbers and tell them to call if they have a problem.” Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share via WhatsApp Share via Email Amour University student “Her friends told her to take laxatives and other products, to put things in her vagina, to wash with hot water, to move about a lot.” 21-year-old Amour talks about a friend who confided in him when she discovered she was pregnant. “When we talk about abortion in Benin, it’s something people don’t want to hear about. It’s not well seen. Talking about sex is a problem. It’s still taboo. Thanks to the Youth and Abortion Stigma Project, I had benefited from training on how to talk to girls if they came to ask about abortion.” Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share via WhatsApp Share via Email Flore Literature teacher Flore says some of her students go to her for support and advice: “They are quite shy because at home the subject of sex is always taboo. They are reticent; they think it’s a shame. We will only correct this problem over time. There is chatting and whispering in class ‘you know what she did?’ Can’t we support these children instead of stigmatizing them?” Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share via WhatsApp Share via Email Ida University student 19-year-old Ida attended a workshop on abortion and stigma for teachers and students at the Fiyegnon collège d’enseignement général. “It really helped. If we take our own decisions we will make it to the end, we will get what is right for us.” Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share via WhatsApp Share via Email