From learning to leading: Irnawati’s role in her community’s health
Irnawati, 33, is a mother and a Posyandu cadre in Kampung Baru Village, Banjar District, South Kalimantan. She has been serving her community for six years. Her motivation began when she was a young mother struggling to keep her child healthy and unsure of where to seek advice.
When the village head appointed her as a Posyandu cadre, Irnawati felt it aligned with her purpose. Each time she helped parents understand their child’s health concerns and saw them follow her advice, her tiredness turned into a sense of fulfilment. Posyandu is a community-based health centre at village level, primarily run by volunteer village women who act as community health cadres.
Irnawati was later introduced to the Keluarga SIGAP programme – a behaviour-change campaign that promotes three key habits: completing routine immunisation, handwashing with soap, and providing nutritious meals and healthy snacks. Supported by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Unilever Lifebuoy and The Power of Nutrition, the programme equipped her with new skills, including how to communicate with parents using media and gamification tools.
"I learned how to communicate effectively to encourage parents to give exclusive breastfeeding and healthy complementary foods. Not only mothers but also fathers, grandfathers and grandmothers were excited to receive the information we shared."
Raising awareness about nutrition was one of the biggest challenges in her area. Many parents were reluctant to listen and believed nutritious food was only for families in cities because it seemed expensive.
With support from SIGAP and the head of Beruntung Baru Puskesmas, cadres and nutrition staff organised education sessions and cooking demonstrations showing how affordable healthy menus could be prepared. As a result, many mothers now consult directly with cadres and the Puskesmas to learn more about preparing varied complementary foods. Now, Irnawati feels proud to see tangible changes.
Cadre – a trained community volunteer who supports local health activities. Posyandu – a village-level community health post run by local volunteers. Puskesmas – a government-run primary health centre serving communities at sub-district level.
Story and photo credits: WPP Media Indonesia, 2025
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