“I convey to all parents the importance of bringing their children to Posyandu to get health services and knowledge of parenting. However, it has not yielded maximum results,” complained Mama Maria Yoli Tako when talking about one of her worries while working at the Posyandu. Mrs. Maria Yoli Tako or who is often called Mama Maria has served for 12 years as a cadre of Posyandu (Integrated Healthcare Centre) Tana Kaka and since 2017 has also worked as a cadre of BKB (Toddler Family Development). The lack of children’s attendance at Posyandu activities which are scheduled every month is largely due to the parent’s working schedule. Parents have not prioritized visits to Posyandu and have not understood the importance of routine monitoring of their child’s growth and development. In addition, parents also have not done the right parenting pattern according to the needs of the child.
Mama Maria is one of the Posyandu cadres who is also William & Lily Foundation (WLF)’s beneficiary in the PAUD HI Revitalization Program in Pogo Tena Village, Loura District, Southwest Sumba. This program not only focuses on providing capacity building for PAUD tutors but also improving Posyandu services through various training activities for Posyandu cadres. During the two-year program implementation period, Mama Maria regularly attended training, mentoring, and monitoring sessions aimed at improving the quality of the Five Tables Service at Posyandu. The Five Tables service consists of 1) registration, 2) measuring height and weight, 3) recording, 4) nutrition counseling, and 5) health services.

Slowly but surely, Mama Maria learned to practice her new knowledge from the training and monitoring sessions. Mama Maria began collaborating with the Gugus Tugas PAUD HI (PAUD HI Task Force) which provided a forum for relevant stakeholders who were authorized to provide early childhood services. She was also happy because Gugus Tugas PAUD HI provided space for Posyandu cadres to support each other and share knowledge so that children get their full rights.
Not only in terms of capacity building as Posyandu cadres, but Mama Maria also changed her approach to parents. In the past, counseling to parents was usually only done through routine Posyandu activities once a month. Currently, Mama Maria is proactively conducting various meetings involving the community at the village level. Every time she meets with the community, she always uses this opportunity to promote Toddler Family Development (BKB) activities, invite parents to come to the Posyandu, and conduct counseling related to childcare.
Mama Maria realized that the process of building society’s awareness about the importance of Posyandu was not only the responsibility of Posyandu cadres. It needs support and collaboration with PAUD tutors, midwives, and the village government. Thus, the parents finally started to come to Posyandu. The local government began to show its support for Posyandu activities by allocating village funds as incentives for Posyandu cadres, scales, and other tools procurement, and even beds. The village head has also issued a letter of information that invite all parents with babies or toddlers to bring their children to Posyandu and register their children to PAUD. These changes and support from the village government increase Mama Maria and her colleagues’ confidence to work harder in delivering better healthcare services and reaching more children in her village.
“Before the PAUD HI Revitalization Program, only 50 children joined the Posyandu. After the PAUD HI Revitalization Program was implemented, it increased to 70 children. Before, we didn’t have any support from the Village Government for parenting programs such as PMT (Supplementary Feeding) and adequate medical equipment. But now we finally have them all. The incentive for BKB cadres has also increased from IDR 250.000 to IDR 400.000,” said Mama Maria with a happy face.

As a BKB and Posyandu cadre, Mama Maria always uses the Five Table Service, precisely at the fourth table service, to raise awareness about the importance of good parenting for children. Equipped with the parenting modules that she received during the training, the learning process for parents is getting easier and more focused. This module provides a variety of practical information about being a good parent, how to maintain health, care for and fulfill children’s nutrition at home, early stimulation at home, protecting and ensuring the welfare of children at home, effective communication, and other very useful knowledge.
Mama Maria’s inspiring story is one of many stories about how Posyandu cadres trying to monitor the children’s growth in Southwest Sumba. For many years, Posyandu and BKB cadres had to face many challenges such as the lack of supporting facilities for healthcare, lack of training, limited resources, low public knowledge about the importance of child growth and development, and nutritional intake problems that cause stunting and malnutrition. Posyandu cadres are the “warriors” that oversee and monitor the process of child growth and development, including fighting for children’s right to access better healthcare services.
The PAUD HI Revitalization Program in Southwest Sumba which has been implemented from 2019 to 2022 is one of WLF’s commitments with the Adaro Foundation to encourage the integration of Early Childhood Education and Development services in 13 villages in Southwest Sumba. Based on the results of a baseline study conducted by Sumba Integrated Development (as Implementing Partners) in 2020, early childhood services in the 13 villages assisted by SID are still sectoral and partial. The existence of Posyandu in general only carries out the function of basic health services and PAUD only carries out preparatory education services for entering elementary school. At Posyandu, most of the services are still in the form of weighing, measuring height, and immunization for children. The PAUD HI Revitalization Program focuses on integrating education, health and nutrition, parenting, protection, and welfare interventions by strengthening the governance system to optimize the growth and development of early childhood (0-6 years).

Writer: Robinson Umbu Soru (SID)
Editor: Mariska Estelita (WLF)