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Profiles of Women Leaders: Nafsiah Mboi, Indonesia   
Feb. 21, 2008 – With more than 17,000 far flung islands that add up to about three times the size of Texas, Indonesia’s vastness is just one hurdle that Dr. Nafsiah Mboi faces in her quest to stop the spread of HIV and AIDS in her country. As Secretary of the National AIDS Commission in Indonesia, Nafsiah faces multiple challenges. One is the stigma associated with the populations most affected by the epidemic in her country: injecting drug users, sex workers, men who have sex with men. Another is confronting the gender inequity that leads to women’s increased vulnerability to HIV. The low status of women contributes to the epidemic in Indonesia. Widespread poverty and lack of economic opportunities have driven up the number of women engaged in sex work in the country, which is fueling the epidemic. In addition, because most women have very little negotiating power in their relationships, they are unable to ask their husbands/ partners who engage in high-risk sexual behavior to wear a condom, putting themselves at risk. Today, as Secretary of Indonesia’s National AIDS Commission, Nafsiah speaks out—both nationally and internationally—on the consequences of gender inequities and women’s increased vulnerability to HIV. She traces her knowledge of gender equality to her training at CEDPA, back in 1982. Thinking back to her participation in CEDPA’s Supervision and Evaluation workshop in Washington, D.C., she remembers that “the whole concept of gender was new to us.” At the time she was a pediatrician and a governor’s wife, and in charge of the women’s organizations in Indonesia's Nusa Tenggara Timur province. She was in a position to put new gender and management approaches into practice. Later, as director of Gender and Women’s Health at the World Health Organization in the late 1990s, she catalyzed efforts to formulate a gender and health policy. As she thinks about gender challenges to slowing the spread of HIV, she has quoted the philosopher Goethe’s words: “Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do.” Now she is in the position to do just that. In her role, Nafsiah occasionally finds herself a lone voice on these issues, but she sees positive signs of change and greater understanding among the younger generations. Yet, she still believes that “We need more women leaders in the fight against HIV.” When CEDPA caught up with her in November 2007 while in Indonesia to conduct a training to strengthen advocacy for improved prevention, treatment and care among groups at high risk for HIV, Nafsiah brought up the CEDPA Web site on her computer and commented that CEDPA—through its women’s leadership and AIDS programs—is contributing to that effort around the world. Reflecting on the progress that has been made and the challenges that lie ahead, she notes, “We need more programs like that in our region.” -----CEDPA’s advocacy work in Indonesia is conducted through the USAID/Health Policy Initiative, Task Order One, which is implemented by Constella Futures, in collaboration with CEDPA, White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood (WRA), and World Conference of Religions for Peace (WCRP). |
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