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Mama Mershi Benu (36) decided to opt for permanent contraception or tubectomy after giving birth to her fifth child. Previously, she utilized injectable contraception, then transitioned to pills. Ultimately, she selected a permanent contraceptive method due to an unplanned pregnancy after her fourth child. This decision transcends merely the type of contraceptive method; it reflects how a woman is empowered to choose and plan her family. <\/p>\n
Mama Mershi is a homemaker, an early childhood education teacher, and a Posyandu cadre in Bena Village, South Central Timor Regency, East Nusa Tenggara. In her daily life, she manages her five children at home and teaches children. <\/p>\n
“Since 2015, I have been a Posyandu cadre. Every month, I go to the Posyandu to weigh children, measure head and arm circumference, and record their weight,” stated Mama Mershi.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/ipasindonesiad.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_6519-scaled-2.jpg” alt=”A young girl standing alone – yellow dress – ipasindonesia” title_text=”IMG_6519″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Through activities at the Posyandu, she also frequently encourages women to maintain their reproductive health. One such effort involves motivating women to give birth at Community Health Centers (Puskesmas) and discussing contraceptive methods. <\/p>\n
“After participating in activities with the IPAS Indonesia Foundation, we began to discuss reproductive organs more openly. Previously, discussing reproduction was taboo, but after the IPAS Indonesia Foundation’s activities, it is no longer taboo; we can now discuss it publicly,” she added.<\/p>\n
For Mama Mershi, the experience of choosing contraception is very personal. “With my first child, I used quarterly injectable contraception. I then switched to pills. Four years later, I became pregnant again with my second child. For the third and fourth children, I was taking pills, but somehow, perhaps due to delayed intake, I became pregnant,” she recalled. <\/p>\n
She revealed that when her contraceptive method failed, her husband was pleased because it meant more children. “Coincidentally, the first child is a girl, the second and third are boys, and this fifth one is a girl,” she emphasized. <\/p>\n
That experience motivated her to choose tubectomy (permanent contraception). She then discussed the decision with her husband. “My husband and I agreed that this fifth child would be our last, so I should be sterilized. He agreed because we both work, and I happen to be an early childhood education teacher, so managing the children is complicated; thus, he agreed,” she stated. <\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/ipasindonesiad.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_6889-scaled-1.jpg” alt=”Immunization room outdoor view – ipas” title_text=”IMG_6889″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
She added that she learned about various contraceptive methods, including tubectomy, from the activities of the IPAS Indonesia Foundation. One such activity was a thematic discussion organized by the IPAS Indonesia Foundation’s partner, the CIS Timor Foundation. <\/p>\n
“When I was pregnant, I participated in IPAS activities at the Village Hall office, where there were explanations about various types of family planning, which is why I chose to be sterilized,” she recalled.<\/p>\n
She then communicated her choice when giving birth at a maternal and child hospital in Kupang in March 2024. “Coincidentally, I requested a C-section, so I was sterilized immediately. The costs were covered by BPJS,” she stated. <\/p>\n
The IPAS Indonesia Foundation, as a Partner for Reproductive Justice, wishes to see more women like Mama Mershi. Women who are knowledgeable and capable of making reproductive health choices according to their needs and desires. Furthermore, their decisions are supported, and their rights are accessible. <\/p>\n
In East Nusa Tenggara, the IPAS Indonesia Foundation collaborates with the government, local partners, and communities to realize Reproductive Justice through the TAKENUSA Project (Joint Determination for Women’s Health in Nusa Tenggara). The TAKENUSA Project aims to reduce the Maternal Mortality Rate and increase access to family planning. <\/p>\n
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Mama Mershi Benu (36) decided to opt for permanent contraception or tubectomy after giving birth to her fifth child. Previously, she utilized injectable contraception, then transitioned to pills. Ultimately, she selected a permanent contraceptive method due to an unplanned pregnancy after her fourth child. This decision transcends merely the type of contraceptive method; it reflects how a woman is empowered to choose and plan her family. Mama Mershi is a homemaker, an early childhood education teacher, and a Posyandu cadre in Bena Village, South Central Timor Regency, East Nusa Tenggara. In her daily life, she manages her five children at home and teaches children. “Since 2015, I have been a Posyandu cadre. Every month, I go to the Posyandu to weigh children, measure head and arm circumference, and record their weight,” stated Mama Mershi.Through activities at the Posyandu, she also frequently encourages women to maintain their reproductive health. One such effort involves motivating women to give birth at Community Health Centers (Puskesmas) and discussing contraceptive methods. “After participating in activities with the IPAS Indonesia Foundation, we began to discuss reproductive organs more openly. Previously, discussing reproduction was taboo, but after the IPAS Indonesia Foundation’s activities, it is no longer taboo; […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3067,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[167],"tags":[158,157,174,175],"topic":[],"class_list":["post-3061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-contraception","tag-family-planning","tag-ntt","tag-takenusa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipasindonesia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipasindonesia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipasindonesia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipasindonesia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipasindonesia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3061"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ipasindonesia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3061\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipasindonesia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipasindonesia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipasindonesia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipasindonesia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3061"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipasindonesia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=3061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}