Community engagement in maternal and newborn health in Eastern Indonesia

In Indonesia, high rates of maternal and child mortality can be attributed, in part at least, to a lack of access to medical facilities, especially in rural communities. In response, the Indonesian government developed a health program to address the high rate of home births. A key element of the program involved drawing upon the contribution of community members to assist with facility-based births of pregnant women in their community. The success of the program was attributed to active participation from many groups, including: community members, government officials, and healthcare workers who collaborated successfully to achieve a reduction in the maternal and infant mortality rates.
Building on the conceptual and theoretical aspects of leadership developed in previous research, this chapter examines the importance of leadership in improving maternal and newborn health. More specifically, it investigates the concept of shared
leadership among stakeholders in community engagement programs to improve maternal and newborn health in the Eastern province of Indonesia, Nusa Tenggara Timur. The case study illustrates how a shared leadership model increased the level
of community engagement, a key facet in the success of the program. The lessons learned can be used in various contexts in which the programs may involve a culture of collaboration within the community.