The Fair Future Foundation in East Indonesia combats social and medical injustice and aims to ensure everyone has access to healthcare, clean water, and education. Join us in making a difference.
Focusing on prevention through education, outreach, and resources to stop disease before it starts.
As part of our medical prevention and healthy living programs, we are launching four new campaigns: smoking dangers, environmental preservation education, STD awareness, and the risks of alcohol consumption. These will involve specific training and new posters distributed in ultra-rural villages, schools, and medical centers in East Sumba.
Discover how the East Sumba Malaria Prevention Initiative we are presently executing is combatting this destructive ailment. By implementing preventive measures like distributing mosquito nets treated with insecticides and raising awareness on eliminating mosquito breeding sites, this initiative strives to diminish the occurrence of malaria in…
Beyond Borders: Fighting Malaria Together in Eastern Indonesia. This new "Picture of the Day" shows a young girl from Lapinu village who appears unwell. Taken in 2020, Alex examined her and used a stethoscope to listen to her heartbeat. In April 2023, we revisited the village as part of the Primary Medical Care program. Unfortunately, the girl contracted malaria and suffered from high fever, body pains, and poor overall health. However, after receiving treatment and giving advice to her mother, the little girl has shown significant improvement after just one month.
Our organisation is dedicated to promoting public health in ultra-rural regions of Indonesia (like here in East Sumba), and we're deeply concerned about the impact of malaria on vulnerable communities, as you know already. Sadly, malaria remains a leading cause of illness and death in Indonesia, particularly in East Sumba, where we are based.
Some little history: The word "malaria" originates in Italian. It comes from the expression "mal'aria", which translates as "bad air". This term was used historically to describe the belief that disease was caused by inhaling polluted or stale air in swampy areas. The Plasmodium parasite is responsible for causing malaria, and research suggests that it has been affecting humans for at least 4,000 years.
Several human behaviours contribute irreparably to the spread or persistence of malaria. Here are some of the factors that lead to an increase in malaria cases:
Failure to prevent mosquito bites, poor waste management, inadequate housing and sanitation, deterioration of hygienic conditions, deforestation, alterations to natural habitats, movement of people, drug resistance*** and misuse, limited access to health services, higher illiteracy rates among younger populations, and lack of community involvement and awareness can all lead to an increase in malaria cases… And this, among other examples!
As a result, many people, particularly children and pregnant women, continue to suffer from this preventable and treatable disease. Our program aims to tackle these issues head-on by implementing various activities to strengthen malaria control efforts in the region. It is crucial to highlight that combatting malaria demands a unified strategy encompassing preventive and therapeutic measures. It also involves initiatives to enhance the environment and living standards of communities affected by the disease.
***The problem of self-medication and the consequent development of resistance to antimalarial drugs are two interconnected challenges that significantly hinder the effective management and control of malaria.
In this "Picture of the Day" shows you three children from Kabanda Village in East Sumba (read this post here), where the PMC program is in place. In this village, very far from everything, especially health centres, malaria is very active and wreaking havoc. We are talking about 80% of children under 12 are affected. It is, therefore, essential to prevent and train families. This is what we are doing here.
The daily observations concerning the causes of malaria are multiple here. These include, in particular, the lack of access to health care, information on prevention methods, the unavailability of health centres and sanitation, and the growing resistance to antimalarial drugs for regions with access to these treatments.
A reminder for all Kawans: Malaria is transmitted by female mosquitoes of the "Genus Anopheles", throughout the East Sumba region. These mosquitoes breed in standing water, such as rainwater storage tanks and open water sources, most of the time in rural and deprived areas of East Sumba.
As Fair Future has repeatedly seen and repeated for years, the consequences of malaria are serious if nothing is done to treat it: High fever, severe headache, nausea and vomiting. If not treated quickly, the disease can progress and lead to severe complications, including kidney failure, anaemia, seizures and death.
It is essential to train families and rural communities to protect themselves from this disease to reduce its transmission. Also, by learning how to prevent and treat Malaria, rural families and communities will reduce the economic and social burden of the disease. Malaria entails high costs for families and communities, particularly medical expenses (if they can access them), school absenteeism, and reduced productivity.
As we apply it with the Primary Medical Care Program (PMC), training families and rural communities to protect themselves from malaria contributes to strengthening the resilience of these populations in the face of epidemics of infectious diseases such as HIV, Tuberculosis, Gastroenteritis, cholera etc…
Alexandre Wettstein from the Foundation’s Medico-Social Camp in East Sumba, Rumah Kambera, Lambanapu, on the 2nd of May 2023
Preventable suffering in ultra-rural villages is not destiny. Untreated wounds, fever, pain, malnutrition and unsafe water become normal only when care, prevention and health education fail to reach families. Fair Future Foundation works where these failures cost lives.
Child marriage adolescent pregnancy in rural Indonesia exposes young girls to severe medical risks including prematurity, anemia and maternal mortality. In East Sumba, lack of prevention and limited healthcare access turn early pregnancy into a daily clinical emergency.
Snake bites in rural Indonesia become life-threatening when care is delayed. Lack of antivenom, poor access to healthcare, and limited awareness turn a treatable injury into a fatal condition. Early response and community-based care are essential to save lives.
Snakebites are a significant threat in East Sumba and similar areas where access to healthcare is limited. This guide provides crucial steps to manage snakebites, prevent complications and save lives. Learn how to identify symptoms, administer first aid effectively and avoid common mistakes in this essential medical advice article.
Social media presents significant threats to children’s mental health, self-esteem, and social abilities. It interferes with their concentration, disrupts sleep patterns, and affects emotional well-being while also exposing them to cyberbullying and damaging content.
Kawan Sehat is expanding! We’re excited to introduce a new page in our children’s book promoting healthy living. This new section focuses on the dangers of smoking, especially secondhand smoke, which harms non-smokers, including children. This new page will be added to our Kawan Sehat book. Smoking is not healthy—smoking kills. Don’t smoke.
After a six-hour journey, our teams reached Kampung Madutolung to provide consultations, blood tests, malaria screening, medicines, and prevention to more than 115 villagers. It was one long day of practical medicine in a place where care remains far away.
In the ultra-rural communities where healthcare is limited and everyday life presents numerous challenges, laughter and smiling continue to serve as essential survival tools. Smiling not only alleviates stress but also boosts immunity and fosters unity among people, thus playing a vital role in maintaining health and resilience in some of the…
