Supporting women from an early age means laying a strong foundation for the future of the nation. Recognizing this urgency, the RISE Foundation has collaborated with the Project HOPE Foundation (YPH), with the full support of Kimberly-Clark Corporation, to initiate the HER WAY (Healthy, Educated and Resilient Well-being for every Adolescent Girl and Young Woman) program, known in Indonesian as SEKAR (Sehat, KAya Pengetahuan, dan Resilien).
Over the next two years, this program is committed to providing support for adolescent girls and young women in Indonesia so that they can be physically and mentally prepared to go through every phase of life with confidence and have access to adequate health information and services.
HER WAY/SEKAR is not just an educational program but an empowerment movement designed to strengthen adolescent girls, young women, and young mothers, while building a more women-friendly support ecosystem in families, schools, healthy facilities, and at the local policy level.
This program will be implemented in four intervention areas, namely Tangerang City, Bandung Regency, Sidoarjo Regency, and Banyuwangi Regency. These areas were chosen as they represent the diversity of social and health characteristics in Indonesia, enabling comprehensive and relevant learning for the national context.
During its implementation, HER WAY/SEKAR will focus on three main pillars. The first pillar is Empowered Adolescents in the context of improving Comprehensive Sexual Education (CSE) and Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM), providing education on mental health, and introducing Social Emotional Learning (SEL) for adolescent girls both through schools and out-of platforms. The goal is for adolescent girls to have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to face these changes in a more prepared and healthy manner.
The second pillar is antenatal care for young mothers by strengthening the capacity of health workers in implementing Respectful Maternity Care (RMC) and integrating mental health support for pregnant women and young mothers. This ensures that every woman can experience a safe, dignified, and empathetic pregnancy and childbirth.
The final pillar is empowering young mothers and families by promoting a supportive environment for postpartum mothers through family education on breastfeeding, balanced nutrition, available health services, and access to childcare support during the baby’s first year of life.
As a first step, the HER WAY team will hold kick off meetings with local governments and relevant stakeholders. These meetings aim to build mutual understanding, map out needs and potential for collaboration, and ensure the program aligns with local priorities and challenges. At this stage, a cooperation agreement will also be signed as a symbol of shared commitment to bringing about real change.
Through a collaborative and sustainable approach, HER WAY/SEKAR will create long-term impactful results: increased knowledge and confidence among adolescents girls and young women, health services that are more sensitive to women’s needs, more supportive families, and communities that are better prepared to support a generation of women who are healthy, smart, and resilient.