Contributor: Julie Rogers

A baby at her mother's feet during a Mercy Corps-sponsored Mother's Support Group in the neighborhood of Cengkareng Barat, Jakarta, Indonesia. Photo: Julie Rogers/Mercy Corps

When my first daughter was born, none of my closest friends had children and I was living far from my mother and grandmothers. I felt alone with my questions and concerns about sleep, diapers and breast feeding so I joined a local mother’s group. With our babies fanned out in a circle in front of us, we sat on the floor and spoke to one another about our fears and joys and most importantly, we shared experiences and information about how to feed and nurture our babies.

I was recently reminded of how empowering and comforting being part of such a group can be when I visited a Mother’s Support Group meeting in West Jakarta. The group was led by local government and community representatives with Mercy Corps staff from the current Child Survival program there to provide technical assistance on matters of nutrition and health.

Some of the babies and mothers who attended the first Mother's Support Group in Jakarta's Cengkareng Barat neighborhood. Photo: Julie Rogers/Mercy Corps

This Mother’s Support Group was the first to be held in Cengkareng Barat kelhuran (or sub-district) and was modeled on groups established by Mercy Corps’ previous Child Survival: Healthy Start program, which operated in North Jakarta. The four-year program focused on increasing community knowledge and acceptance around exclusive breastfeeding as the best way to nourish an infant, as well as establishing a replicable support model for urban communities.

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Pointing out tsunami evacuation routes on a map of Sungai Pisang, a village in disaster-prone South Padang, Indonesia. Photo: Juan Christie/Mercy Corps

I recently traveled to Indonesia to visit some of Mercy Corps’s programs there and flew from Padang, West Sumatra, through Tokyo on my return. Japan is still reeling from the devastation of a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and the resulting tsunami. Our hearts go out to the Japanese people — their suffering and the rebuilding of their lives has just begun.

The images of the catastrophe from a country so well prepared to deal with earthquakes and tsunamis are shocking. It’s a reminder that even the best construction practices and the placement of sea walls are no match for the power of nature. How then would a city like Padang and its surrounding villages, fare were an earthquake and tsunami of such magnitude to strike this region?

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