Children's magazine makes healthy reading in Indonesia
27 January 2009
Percik
Junior is a free magazine in Indonesia for children. It was a group of children who thought
of the idea, and children write many of the articles. But there’s one big
difference from other youth magazines: the articles are all about water,
sanitation and personal hygiene.
Thirteen-year-old Maria is typical of its readers. She lives in a small village in Sikka, a remote mountainous area in the east of the country. For many people here, getting clean water for drinking and washing is still a major problem, and a lack of knowledge about hygiene means that local toilets are often badly maintained or not used properly.
Percik Junior aims to see that, in places like Maria's village, good hygiene is a habit that starts early. The development agency Plan set up the magazine with DFID support, as part of their work to improve sanitation in Indonesia.
Central to the success of the magazine is that it deals with serious subjects in a lively, engaging way and lets the readers themselves have a say. Any child can contribute an article, news, opinions or photos.
"I'm very happy to read and learn things from my friends living in other parts of the country," says Maria. "It's always interesting to 'feel' their experiences and improve my knowledge at the same time."
A magazine is born
It
was clear from preliminary discussions between Plan and local children that there was an
appetite for a sanitation-themed magazine. And after Plan took the idea to the
Indonesian government, there was high-level support for it too.
Launched in 2007, the full-colour magazine quickly won fans among children, parents and teachers in Sikka and other areas of the country. It also drew praise from district governments, charities and reading groups for its easy-to-follow, practical guidance on how to live a healthier, more sanitary life.
According to teachers, Percik Junior has had another positive effect: on top of triggering changes in personal hygiene, it has encouraged children to discover the joys of reading. School staff now regularly use reading materials from the magazine in the classroom, and the style of the articles is even inspiring their own approach to teaching. "We are challenged to deliver complex messages in simple language, as the child journalists do in the magazine," says one primary school teacher in Loke village.
Based on the positive responses of readers, Plan made the decision to double the print-run of the magazine for its second year. With its combination of eye-catching images and straight-talking tips, Percik Junior is showing that good hygiene really can be child's play.
Facts and stats
- Percik Junior is a collaborative undertaking between Plan and the Government of Indonesia’s Development Planning Agency. The project cost was US$142,355 over the three-year period 2005 to 2008.
- Support for the project came from different bilateral donors, including DFID’s Programme Partnership Agreement (PPA) with Plan.
- Plan International’s PPA with DFID is for £7.1 million over the period 2008/09-2010/2011.
- Only 26% of Sikka households have access to enough water for their daily needs. Less than 10% have access to sanitation.
- Malaria, skin diseases, diarrhoea and intestinal parasites are the most common illnesses suffered by children in the area.
- In 2002, only half (52%) of Indonesians had access to basic sanitation facilities. Between 1990 and 2002, the number of people in rural areas with access to sanitation remained unchanged.
