 I PREAMBLE
In November 2006, at the closing address of the National Conference of Human De-velopment, President Susilo Bambang Yud-hoyono among others stated that the condi-tions and growth of the Indonesian popu-lation is causing trepidations. The popula-tion is characterized by its low education and its high ratio of poverty. The popula-tion growth is estimated at 1.3 percent or more. Therefore, the President called upon all concerned to take expeditious tangible actions to develop the population and to revitalize the family planning program as was once known.
Responding to his call the DAMANDIRI Foundation commenced with a program on population development through family empowerment, encouraging the establish-ment of ‘silaturahmi’ (communications) and information sharing forum at the village and hamlet levels. These forum are called the Family Empowerment Posts or better known as the POSDAYA.
Through those forum various organizations were invited and encouraged to give assis-tance to families to comprehend their func-tions and roles, and to join in efforts to eradicate poverty and promote family wel-fare.
II SCOPE, GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
POSDAYA is is a forum for communications, silaturahmi, advocacy and education, and simultaneously the institution for activities to strengthen family functions in an inte-grated manner. The POSDAYA could also be further developed into the vehicle for integrated services for families, such as family health services, education, small enterprises and for the caring of the envi-ronment, all for facilitating self-sustaining efforts at family enhancement.
Efforts in empowering the families are geared towards revitalizing family functions, i.e. in religion, in culture preservation, in fostering love and affection, in providing sanctuary, in reproductive health, in educa-tion, in providing economic opportunities, and in preservation of the environment. The fulfillment of those functions is in es-sence the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which is adopted as the development goals in Indo-nesia.
In the POSDAYA paradigm, with the assis-tance of the government and/or community organizations, the more well-to-do families are called upon to give assistance to the less-privileged families in strengthening their potentials.
In a capsulated format, the objectives of establishing POSDAYA are:
a. To reinvigorate social capital, such as the “Gotong Royong”c (Community mu-tual help) spirit to augment comprehen-sive family empowerment towards the development of happy and prosperous families.
b. To nurture and strengthen the smallest community unit in society, i.e. the family, such that it could cement social cohesiveness in forming harmonious, peaceful, yet dynamic lifestyles.
c. To open opportunities for all families to contribute and accept normative and value changes which are essential for the happy and prosperous family life.
III. THE DIRECTION AND SUBSTANCE OF EMPOWERMENT
The establishment and development of POSDAYA are done by social organizations and/or their members, such as the PKK (Family Welfare Movement), or religious-based organizations, such as the board of Mosques or foster homes. The formation of POSDAYA could also be initiated by edu-cational institutions, such as Senior Secon-dary Schools by involving students with the guidance of the teachers. POSDAYA could also be developed by local government apparatus at Kecamatan (sub-district), vil-lage, community and neighborhood asso-ciation (RW and RW) levels, or Banjar in Bali.
POSDAYA could also constitute as the fur-ther development of POSYANDU, with ex-panded family membership and increased number of services. POSDAYA gives sup-port to empowering families with children under 15 years, families with pregnant mothers, families with children under 25 years, and even families with adult chil-dren. POSDAYA can also be established with the support of the elderly, both as forum for silaturahmi or to offer the oppor-tunity for the elderly to assist the younger families.
In order to have empowerment done ap-propriately, family enumeration and map-ping are done thoroughly. Based on the data priority target groups are determined, with special emphasis on poor families with children under 15 years.
In the realm of health empowerment be-gins with health education , especially on nutrition, immunization, family planning, with emphasis on pregnant and post-partum mothers, lactating mothers, in or-der to prevent infant and child mortality, and the prevention of communicable dis-eases, such as malaria, avian influenza, dengue fever, or HIV/AIDS and drug abuse.
In the field of education, data are gathered to identify and encourage school-age chil-dren to school. Efforts are made to institu-tionalize early-child-development to stimu-late healthy growth. Likewise, are efforts to stimulate conducive personality and so-cial sensitivity to detect mental disorders and handicap.
POSDAYA endeavors to stimulate and en-courage working families towards gainful economic ventures, entrepreneurship and cooperatives through linkages towards progress and self-reliance. POSDAYA also facilitate access to funding and enhanced markets.
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