AT&T* today announced a contribution of US$25,000 (Indonesian Rupiah 219 million) to the Project HOPE Foundation to support its three-year Aceh Barat project in Indonesia. This initiative aims to reduce maternal and child morbidity and mortality by improving access to quality maternal and child health services and through the promotion of healthy behaviour at the community level.
Project HOPE, the People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc., is an independent, non-profit organization founded in 1958 and based in Millwood, Virginia. It aims to achieve sustainable advances in health care around the world by implementing health education programs and providing humanitarian assistance in areas of need. Project HOPE’s presence in Indonesia began with the first voyage of the S.S. HOPE to Indonesia in 1960. In 1999, Project HOPE returned to Indonesia to conduct a dental hygiene and health program in Bali, and since then has helped support local communities.
AT&T has been supporting Project HOPE’s Aceh Barat project in Indonesia since 2010. Access to healthcare service became even more challenging in Aceh Barat, Indonesia after the tsunami in 2004, due to the loss of healthcare staff and facilities. The project covers all villages of Kaway XVI and Pante Cermin sub-districts in Aceh Barat and helps to revitalize two health centers and six sub-health centers by providing basic medical equipment and staff training. The project directly benefits a population of about 15,017 for new-borns, children and women with children under the age of five. Thus far, the project has already enhanced medical resources in all the villages of Kaway XVI and Pante Cermin and has provided training to more than 371 community health volunteers.
“Project HOPE does fantastic work and makes a meaningful contribution in helping a large number of mothers and children in Indonesia to access better maternal and child health services,” said Leni Vigo, country manager of AT&T Indonesia. “We are very proud to be able to support their work and I hope our contribution will help Project HOPE to continue improving the quality of life of children in Indonesia.”
“AT&T has been a great supporter of our work, helping us to revitalize health facilities and resources in Indonesia. This support is more important than ever in providing increased community access to maternal child health services,” said Dr. Nasaruddin Sheldon, MD, country director, Project HOPE Indonesia.
AT&T currently offers Virtual Private Network and other value-added data services to multinational companies who have locations in Indonesia in alliance with existing locally licensed Indonesian telecom operators.