Protecting Indonesia’s most vulnerable from the health and socio-economic impacts of COVID-19
Above: Elders Yoseph (75) and Nonina (80), and Jemi (62) who is hard of hearing, at their Village Government Post which features a large COVID-19 vaccine promotion banner to combat vaccine hesitancy as part of the Australian Humanitarian Partnership’s COVID-19 Surge Response in Indonesia. All three have received two COVID vaccines and cash support through the response. Photo: Nadine Gabrielle/World Vision Indonesia
Yoseph (75), Nonina (80), and Jemi (62) live in the remote village Pene Utara in South Central Timor, Indonesia.
“When the pandemic hit, we felt scared. Our day-to-day activities were not the same. As elderly members of the community, we felt extremely vulnerable,” Yoseph said.
When the vaccination program began in 2021, there was a surge of misinformation in their village that caused confusion and panic. In a Christian-dominated village, rumours circulated that if locals got vaccinated, they became associated with the Antichrist movement. Possible side-effects of the vaccine were also exaggerated, with stories falsely claiming high numbers of people were getting sick or dying from COVID-19 vaccines.
World Vision’s Indonesian COVID-19 Surge Response, supported by the Australian Humanitarian Partnership (AHP), is working in remote villages like Pene Utara across East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, Central Sulawesi, North Maluku, and Papua to enhance the Government of Indonesia’s response to COVID-19. Efforts are focused on reducing transmission, combatting vaccine misinformation, and mitigating the economic impacts of the pandemic on the most vulnerable.
In Pene Utara, the response trained faith leaders and local faith-based civil society organisations like Gereja Masehi Injili di Timor (GMIT), an Evangelical Christian Church in Timor, to actively promote preventive measures and encourage COVID-19 vaccine uptake. Now correct information on COVID-19 vaccines is shared in Sunday communal worship services.
The response also worked with the sub-district health service and integrated health centre to ensure that vaccines were distributed to Pene Utara directly, particularly for the most vulnerable such as the elderly and people with disabilities who are often unable to travel to larger health centres. Yoseph, Nonina and Jemi (who is hard of hearing) have all received two COVID-19 vaccinations thanks to direct rollouts in their village.
Due to economic disruptions in their village leading to reduced agricultural production and income, Yoseph, Nonina and Jemi all struggled to meet their basic needs. As elderly people or persons with disabilities, the three were identified as eligible participants of World Vision’s cash assistance program, also supported by the Australian Government through AHP.
All received two cash transfers of IDR 600,000 (AUD 60) each. As of September 2022, the response has assisted 14,367 people through cash assistance in West and East Nusa Tenggara, Central Sulawesi, and North Moluccas provinces to ensure vulnerable community members can meet their needs. This number comprises 4,202 men; 4,570 women; 1,688 boys; 1,583 girls; and 2,324 people with disabilities.
“I bought a baby pig for livestock, paid for my two grandchildren’s school term, and bought books for their schooling,” said Yoseph.
“I saved part of the cash assistance in a credit union for future emergencies, especially for my grandchildren. Some of the funds were also used to meet my daily needs due to increased costs of staple foods like rice and oil,” Nonina said.
“I bought a pig for livestock and the rest on daily food needs,” Jemi said.
“Our hope is for other NGOs to assist the elderly like us with the [socio-economic] impacts of COVID-19. We wish for our neighbours to also receive this kind support,” Yoseph added.
Story: Yvanah Hernandez, World Vision Australia