Consortium of Women’s Groups in Sumatra (PERMAMPU)

PERMAMPU is a consortium of eight women’s organisations from across Sumatra established in 2012 under MAMPU. It includes Flower Aceh from Aceh, Sada Ahmo Association (PESADA) from North Sumatra, Community Assessment and Empowerment Agency (LP2M) from West Sumatra, Sumatra Women’s Resource Development Center (PPSW) from Riau, Merangin Women’s Alliance (APM) from Jambi, Women’s Crisis Centre (WCC) Cahaya Perempuan from Bengkulu, WCC Palembang from South Sumatra, and DAMAR from Lampung.

PERMAMPU members advocate to strategic figures (religious and cultural leaders, health service providers, schools and local governments) to influence socio-cultural norms that hinder women’s rights to access information and services on sexual and reproductive health and nutrition.

MAMPU supports PERMAMPU in 8 provinces, 34 districts and 224 villages.

Approaches developed as MAMPU Partner:

Form women’s groups at village level and develop their knowledge on reproductive health and capacity for collective action to improve health services. Improve their economic capacity by forming credit unions and savings and loans groups.
Undertake research into the causes of unintended pregnancies (KTD) across the 8 provinces.
Advocate policy proposals directly to the Directorate of Public Health and Nutrition from BAPPENAS, and directorate for Family Health and Health Financing from the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes).
Advocate for implementation of government regulations on Minimum Service Standards (MSS) for reproductive health at community health services (puskesmas).
Developed the One Stop Service and Learning (OSSL) initiative at community health centers (Puskesmas) to provide information on reproductive health and monitor services, including assisting women survivors of violence with information, counseling and referral to other services.

Achievements through MAMPU Program:

Advocacy to Multi-Stakeholder Forums (FMS) through OSSL has contributed to new regulations and budget allocation in 29 districts/cities in Sumatra to improve health services.
Established a system for recording cases of sexual violence and referrals at the Puskesmas in Bandar Lampung.
Signed 7 MoUs between PERMAMPU and 7 Puskesmas to strengthen the integration of the OSSL model.
Established 549 savings and loans groups for women with over than 20,000 members in 218 urban villages, in 31 districts in 8 provinces in Sumatra, with the total value of shares managed around 40 billion rupiah (appr. $AUD3.9 million)
PERMAMPU Consortium Partner Women’s Crisis Center for victims of violence, WCC Palembang, in South Sumatra has been incorporated into the Information and Consultation Centre for Women with Disabilities under the Office of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection (DPPPA) in Palembang.
Based on the research by PERMAMPU in 8 provinces, unwanted pregnancies (KTD) are caused by several factors, namely contraceptive failure, poverty, media influence, child marriage, as well as negative views of society.