PSBB Response in Makassar, "Toddopuli" Children's Center Held Social Service

MAKASSAR (April 30th, 2020) – Following the order of the Director General of Social Rehabilitation, Harry Hikmat, at the COVID-19 impacts discussion meeting via video conference, every Technical Implementation Unit (UPT) of the Ministry of Social Affairs will be present among the people in the COVID-19 pandemic situation. Especially with the implementation of PSBB (Large Scale Social Restriction) in Makassar City since April 24th, the Makassar “Toddopuli” Children’s Center (BATM) responded to this by conducting social services in two sub-districts in Makassar City which were severely affected by COVID-19.

This social service was carried out in various forms of activities such as brief door-to-door counseling on preventing the spread of COVID-19, spraying disinfectants at residents’ homes, distributing BATM masks and hand sanitizer with the label “Ministry of Social Affairs”, and providing multivitamin packages for children affected by COVID-19 in Kecamatan Biringkanaya and Kecamatan Rappocini.

Head of Kelurahan Untia, Kecamatan Biringkanaya, AJ. Setiawan, stated that “this social service helps people in preventing the spread of COVID-19. It is hard to do physical distancing in an overpopulated area. The distribution of masks and hand sanitizers really helps us,”

In its implementation, the Head of the Makassar “Toddopuli” Children’s Center, Christiana Junus, did not forget to remind the safety and health of the officers, by instructing obedience to health protocols, namely by wearing masks, wearing complete PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), maintaining physical distancing, and washing hands before and after activities.

Specifically for the BATM masks, which are the collaborative work of rehabilitation workers and beneficiaries, Christina Junus added “we want to teach the children listed as beneficiaries of the rehabilitation program the meaning of empathy and participate in reducing the burden of other people with their abilities, which is applying sewing and screen printing skills.”