The Power of a Cadre's Love
“As a human being, we can never live alone. It is really a great blessing for me that I can be useful to others in reducing malnutrition among children in the area of the Besmalak Health Post.”
Yohana Manao, 44, a mother of four in Hoi village, appreciates her volunteer duties at the Besmalak Health Post since its opening in 1985. As a mother and also a religious leader in her village, it is never easy for her to fulfill the tasks of a health volunteer. She knows that children in her community face many health challenges.
In early 2012, Yohana joined the Rapid Action on Nutrition and Agriculture project—a Mondelēz International-funded program implemented by Helen Keller International—as a beneficiary. She learned how to raise vegetables in her garden, distribute seeds to other households in the village, and provide assistance to her community. Every time Yohana learned something new from Helen Keller, she shared it with her neighbors, her group in the church, and at the health post. She shared her knowledge about nutrition using Helen Keller’s food cards as it has supporting items to make it easy to understand. From time to time, she gathers some mothers in the neighborhood to perform a cooking demonstration using recipes form the Helen Keller-produced cookbook that teachers families how to make nutritious meals using produce grown in their households.
Yohana is a great example of a community leader who is an active participant of the Rapid Action on Nutrition and Agriculture project in Indonesia.
