The Spirit of Spreading Social Accountability through Learning Event
The series of "Learning Event of Citizen Voice and Action for Government Accountability and Improving Basic Maternal and Child Health Services" reached its final on Thursday, September 6, 2018. The activity that took place at the Oria Hotel, Jakarta, was a continuation of the similar events held at the district and provincial level in May-June and July 2018. Kompak (Community Collaboration and Services for Welfare - Partnership between the Australian and Indonesian Governments) joined with this event.
The Citizen Voice and Action Program is the implementation of the Global Partnership for Social Accountability (GPSA) project with the support of the World Bank. The program focuses on government accountability to improve basic maternal and child health services (KIA) run by Wahana Visi Indonesia (WV). During 2014-2018, as many as 60 villages from 11 sub-districts in 3 districts (Kupang, North Central Timor/TTU and Sikka) East Nusa Tenggara Province (NTT) have become the program implementation areas. The attendees of the Learning Event were representatives of village facilitators, village midwives, heads of community health centers and village heads from the three districts.
The Learning Event was opened by Candra Wijaya, Strategy Management & Advocacy Director - WVI and Anna Winoto, Director of the Community Development Program - KOMPAK. In her remarks, Anna said, "Through this dialogue (Learning Event, red) we get inspiration from the stories of friends in the area to spread or share the knowledge of social accountability." Unlike WVI which focuses on improving basic services for maternal and child health (KIA), KOMPAK focuses its activities on a wider area; namely increasing access, quality and implementation of basic services in the sectors of health, education and law; strengthening good governance and community participation; as well as the development of productive economic opportunities.
Representing the WVI’s CEO and National Director, Candra expressed his appreciation to people who directly involved in the village, namely village facilitators and service providers. "The fighters in the area must remain enthusiastic," said Candra. He continued, the Citizen Voice and Action program helped increase awareness of the basic rights of the community and also minimum service standards (SPM). Thus, the community and service providers sit together to find solutions to improve basic MCH services. "This one-day workshop aims to continue to support the improvement of public services." Candra closed the conversation.
As a representative of Indonesian Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas), Sumedi Andono Mulyo, said that the event participants were the primary agents of change in carrying out activities from the central government. This change is a challenge for citizens to move forward. "People in the villages have improved the management of the organization (in their respective villages)." According to him, the improvement can be realized thanks to the trust and tolerance that can only be built through dialogue. "Healthy and educated people are more easily to make dialogue. You are the good examples. Thank you," the Director of Disadvantaged, Transmigration, and Rural Areas said.
Written by: Regina Veronica Edijono, Editor, Wahana Visi Indonesia
