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Jakarta Post

Peer educators teach traders about reproductive health

Jero Sandat, a trader at Badung Market in Denpasar, has found a way to persuade her fellow female traders and laborers at Bali's largest traditional market to get tested for signs of reproductive health problems

Luh De Suriyani (The Jakarta Post)
Denpasar
Thu, May 14, 2009

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Peer educators teach traders about reproductive health

J

ero Sandat, a trader at Badung Market in Denpasar, has found a way to persuade her fellow female traders and laborers at Bali's largest traditional market to get tested for signs of reproductive health problems.

"Despite the paramount importance of reproductive health for women, reproductive health is still an alien concept for us here," she admitted.

Sandat is one of 15 peer educators who are working hard to increase the awareness of traders and laborers about reproductive health issues.

The voluntary peer educator group was established by the Rama Sesana Foundation (YSR), an NGO focusing on mitigating reproductive health problems among the city's low income population.

Founded in 2004, the YSR has also established a health clinic on the market's fourth floor. The clinic offers both affordable and free reproductive health services.

Cervical cancer is currently at the top of the peer educators' list of reproductive health problems.

"One of its symptoms is thick, whitish vaginal discharge," Sandat said.

Unfortunately, a large number of women do not pay serious attention when this symptom occurs."

Another peer educator, Siti Fatimah Sahid, nodded in agreement.

"The good thing is that many traders and laborers now understand the importance of having regular pap smear examinations to detect the cancer," Siti said.

Siti recalled how difficult it was to convince women traders and laborers to visit a health facility several years ago, let alone have their genitals examined.

"It was so difficult, despite the fact the market's clinic offered the examination for a much cheaper price than private practices," she said.

"In the market's clinic, a Pap smear costs Rp 35,000 *US$3.37*."

Siti said she loved her voluntary work with the foundation. Being a peer educator, she said, had improved her knowledge and also her network of friends in the market.

"Years ago all I knew about sexually transmitted diseases *STDs* was that they were contagious," she said. "Now, I know the means of their transmission and how to prevent them."

Leucorrhea, gonorrhea and chlamydia are also commonly detected at the market clinic.

The most important thing she has gained, Siti admitted, was an improved sense of self confidence and independence in dealing with her personal health problems.

"I used to rely on my husband *to take me to the physician*. Now I can do that by myself," she added.

YSR founder Luh Putu Upadisari M.D. said the clinic provided up to 50 free Pap smear examinations per month for traders and laborers who work at the market.

"On average, 2.5 percent of women examined in the clinic show clinical symptoms of cervical cancer," she said.

"We ask them to seek a more advance examination and provide them with the assistances they need."

In 2008, YSR's outreach workers and peer educators contacted more than 900 traders and laborers in the market.

However, the number of traders and laborers who voluntarily visited the clinic for examination was less than 30 percent of the number contacted.

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