In a collective efforts to improve women’s health and empowerment in East Java, RISE Foundation, in collaboration with Project HOPE Indonesia Foundation and supported by Kimberly-Clark Corporation, officially launched the HER Way (Healthy, Educated, and Resilient Wellbeing for every Adolescent Girl and Young Woman) program, known in Indonesian as the SEKAR (SEhat, Kaya PengetAhuan, dan Resilien) program, in Sidoarjo Regency.
The program was launched through a Cross-Sector Kick Off event which was held at the Aston Sidoarjo Hotel & Convention Center, involving the Sidoarjo Regency Government and various key stakeholders in the region. The program aims to strengthen efforts to empower adolescent girls and young women through a life-cycle approach to ensure their health and resilience in various stages of life.
This initiative carries a major mission through three main pillars that are crucial for human resource development in Sidoarjo Regency. The first pillar focuses on empowered adolescents, where the program will intervene in schools and adolescent health centers to provide education on menstrual hygiene management, sexual and reproductive health, and mental health. The second pillar emphasizes women-centered childbirth care by promoting the implementation of Respectful Maternity Care (RMC) and psychosocial support for pregnant women.
Meanwhile, the third pillar aims to create a supportive environment for new mothers and babies during their first year of life by providing information on balanced nutrition and proper breastfeeding techniques. The event began with warm remarks from various parties, including the Executive Directors of Project HOPE and RISE Foundation, as well as representatives from the Kimberly-Clark Foundation who provided support online.
Full support from the central government was also present through the Indonesian Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, which stated that the HER Way/SEKAR program is in line with government programs and is expected to serve as a reference in the development of an applicable reproductive health curriculum guideline at the national level. The First Assistant to the Government of Sidoarjo Regency, who was present at the event, emphasized that this cross-sector collaboration is vital assistance for the region, especially in providing a positive impact on young people and young mothers in order to reduce stunting rates in Sidoarjo Regency.
During this meeting, a cooperation agreement was also signed between the Health Office, the Education Office, the RISE Foundation, and the Project HOPE Indonesia Foundation. This signing was not merely a ceremony, but a symbol of a shared commitment to align program implementation plans with real needs in the field. The 45 participants, consisting of representatives from relevant agencies, professional organizations such as IBI and IDI, and Karang Taruna, were actively involved in a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) to map out the roles, responsibilities, and implementation strategies for the program going forward.
The success of this event was evident from the high enthusiasm of the participants who gave their full commitment to the sustainability of the HER Way program. As a concrete step after the launch, the RISE Foundation team will immediately conduct further coordination to map priority areas from the Health Office and Education Office.
This data will be used to determine which community health centers and schools will become the primary implementation sites in Sidoarjo District. With the advocacy action plan already in place, it is hoped that this synergy will continue to run smoothly in order to achieve healthier and more resilient adolescents and mothers in the future.
