ACEH — At the age of 25, Rifa Soleha has already embarked on an extraordinary journey of service. She is not only a midwife, but also part of a group of young people who have chosen to directly serve the community through Dompet Dhuafa’s Midwives for the Country (BUN) program. Since August 2023, Rifa has been assigned to Sabang City, the westernmost island of Indonesia known as a tourist destination, but which poses its own challenges in terms of community health services.
Rifa admits that serving the community has been her life’s vision since she was in college. Although she had completed her professional education and could open her own practice at home, when she heard about Dompet Dhuafa’s Midwives for the Nation Program, Rifa immediately signed up.
“I first heard about it from a friend who told me that Dompet Dhuafa was opening a Midwives for the Nation Program. I had just finished my professional education and had opened my own practice at home. When I found out that this was a community service program, I immediately signed up,” Rifa recalled.
Rifa did not expect that she would be the only participant to pass the provincial selection.
“Of the many applicants, only one person passed, and that was me. At first, I thought I would be placed in a remote area of Aceh, but it turned out to be in Sabang,” she said.
Although Sabang is known as a tourist city, that does not mean there were no challenges for Rifa’s service trip. There, she carried out various public health services covering four main indicators, namely maternal and child health, stunting, supplementary feeding (PMT), and environmental sanitation.
During her one year of service, Rifa initiated various activities to revive community participation, especially in Emile Village and Payasenara Village.
“Initially, visits to the health center were very low. So we created innovations such as shopping vouchers to encourage mothers to come back to the health center,” she said.
Not only that, she also held Weekly Healthy Exercises every Sunday morning at 7:00 a.m. local time. From initially only 20 people attending, now up to 50 people participate in the exercise activities.
“Even when we take a break from exercising, the mothers like to ask, ‘Are we exercising tomorrow, Miss? Don’t skip exercise, okay?’” said the young midwife.
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In addition to exercise, Rifa is also active in providing education about exclusive breastfeeding, complementary feeding, lactation management, and healthy cooking demonstrations for toddlers and the elderly. She also expands the reach of her education by conducting non-communicable disease (NCD) screening at various locations to make it more accessible to the community.
Being the only participant in the Midwives for the Country program in Sabang was not easy for Rifa. She ran all the programs independently, with the support of the community health center as a discussion partner.
“I am completely on my own here, not dependent on the community health center. But, thank God, the support from the community health center and the village has been extraordinary,” she said.
Rifa still remembers how the community was initially skeptical of her due to her young age.
“Many were surprised, thinking I wasn’t a real midwife. But when the village chief’s wife came for treatment for the first time, the community began to trust me,” she recalled.
Now, she has become part of the village community. Her presence is welcomed, and even missed whenever there are activities.
A graduate of the Aceh Ministry of Health Polytechnic’s D4 Midwifery program and the Semarang Ministry of Health Polytechnic’s Midwifery Profession program, she is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Public Health at Muhammadiyah University Aceh. Although she was born in Pidie Regency, distance and the sea are no obstacle for her to continue serving.
“My parents were initially worried, especially since I was stationed alone in the village. But after seeing the safe environment and friendly community, they became reassured,” she shared.
In her second year of service, Rifa hopes that the programs she has implemented can continue even after her term ends.
“I hope that activities such as Healthy Exercises and later Healthy Gardens can be continued by cadres and villages so that the benefits will continue for the community,” she said hopefully.
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For Rifa, being part of Dompet Dhuafa’s Midwives for the Country program is not just a job, but a calling.
“I want what I do to be a continuation of kindness, not only while I am here, but also afterwards,” said Rifa.
The Midwives for the Nation program is an initiative by Dompet Dhuafa that brings professional healthcare workers to serve in areas with limited access to healthcare. Through the efforts of young midwives like Rifa, Dompet Dhuafa continues to strive to ensure that every mother and child in the remotest parts of the country receives the healthcare they deserve. (Dompet Dhuafa)
Text and photos: Surnawati
Editor: Ronna