This was conveyed by the head of the ministry’s Villages and Disadvantaged Regions Human Resources Training Center, Dicky Yosepial, in the “Women's Empowerment in Efforts to Improve Village Communities' Health” webinar on Tuesday.
He noted that women’s participation in decision-making in villages is still low, still below 30 percent, based on data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS) in 2025.
He stated that the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection has affirmed that the involvement of women in village leadership is at the core of child and women-caring village development.
Women’s leadership is also deemed able to strengthen healthcare systems that are fairer and more easily accessible to all segments of society.
Yosepial cited the good practice implemented in Tambala Village, North Sulawesi, as an example. In that village, women are empowered to process raw materials for standardized health supplements.
“This initiative not only improves family health but also opens up economic opportunities and strengthens the independence of village women,” he remarked.
He has earlier underlined the key role of women in maintaining and improving the health of the village communities, particularly in addressing stunting, limitations in health services, and families’ low literacy on health.
“By providing equal space, access, and opportunities, women can become the main drivers in creating healthy and prosperous village communities,” he emphasized.
According to him, villages still face various health challenges, ranging from limited access to services, shortages of health personnel and facilities, to issues of nutrition and stunting.
“The national stunting prevalence in 2025 is still around 24 percent, and the figures are higher in villages compared to urban areas,” he stated.
To this end, he emphasized the importance of empowering women so that they can truly play a role in overcoming these diverse problems.
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Translator: Tri Meilani, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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