The Work We Support:
Health In Harmony is partnering with INI RADEF (Indonesian International Rural Agricultural Environmenal Foundation), a community development project in Indonesia that shares HIH's comprehensive vision. This project is developing health care facilities in West Kalimantan, Indonesia (see maps). The health care work is tightly linked with conservation efforts to preserve Gunung Palung National Park --one of the last places where orangutans still live. Together, the health and environmental components make up a project called Alam Sehat Lestari (Environment and Health Everlasting). This project is working with the local government to develop ecologically sustainable community development programs. We believe that through multi-faceted innovative approaches, we can work towards truly healthy communities. For example, the project is developing a system where people can "pay" for their health care by working on environmentally sensitive income-generating projects, such as organic gardening, or reforestation. Guided by a model that recognizes the intersection of human and environmental health, together we are working to provide a long-term, sustainable solution to a crisis of human disease and environmental destruction. The leaders of this team are listed below.
Kinari Webb, MD: Dr. Webb first developed the vision for this work when studying orangutans in 1993 at Gunung Palung National Park. There she encountered not only a beautiful and threatened natural environment but also the dire health needs of the people surrounding the National Park. In parts of West Kalimantan 25% of children die before age five, mothers often die in childbirth, and even "simple" injuries like a cut on the hand can lead to death without access to tetanus shots or antibiotics. After her experience in Indonesia, Kinari decided to become a physician and return to Indonesia to work together with local communities to improve both their health and preserve the natural environment. Dr. Webb graduated from Yale University School of Medicine with honors and then completed her residency in Family Medicine at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center in Martinez, California. Dr. Webb has traveled to Indonesia numerous times since 1993 to study orangutans, do research on child mortality and malnutrition, and work as a physician. She responded soon after the tsunami in Aceh and was one of the few foreign physicians there who spoke Indonesian. Kinari is married to Cam Webb, who she met in Indonesia and who specializes in Bornean rain forest trees and now works with Harvard University and the Center for Tropical Forest Studies in Indonesia. Cam Webb is an integral part of this work through his support and technical expertise.
Medical Team
Hotlin Ompusunggu, Docter of Dentistry, CeHE : Program Manager and Dentist. Dr. Hotlin comes originally from Sumatra. She has four years expeierence working for the Indonesian government in a rural part of Sumatra, she coordinated medical and dental teams after the Tsunami in Aceh, and lived in England for one year doing a Diploma in community development and higher education. Before working with us she was the director of a mobile clinic on a boat in Southern Sumatra for two years as well as working as a dentist on this boat. She feels that her role in life should be to assist the poor and is excited to be part of a project where she is doing community development as well as practicing dentistry.
Romi Beginta, M.D.: General Practice Physician. Dr. Romi received his medical degree at the University of Indonesia, which is the highest ranked medical school in Indonesia. He completed his six months of government service on the remote island of Sumba in Eastern Indonesia and assisted in Aceh after the Tsunami. He is committed to working with those in need and excited to be part of this innovative project.
Frans Pasaribu, M.D.: General Practice Physician. Dr. Frans attended the University of Norther Sumatera in Medan and worked at a remote government health clinic on the Island of Halmahera in Eastern Indonesia for one and a half years. He has been involved in many programs to assist poor communities and frequently traveled to Aceh throughout the first year after the Tsunami to do medical work there. He is also excited to be part of this program with its focus on helping those in need.
Conservation Team
Antonia Gorog, PhD: Conservation Director: Dr. Gorog is an ecologist and conservationist with a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. She worked for two years as the Scientific Advisor and Species Conservation Coordinator for the Wildlife Conservation Society in Indonesia, where she coordinated programs for the conservation of Sumatran tigers, Sumatran elephants, and the maleo bird. Dr. Gorog has done extensive research at Gunung Palung National Park on mammals, has lived and worked as a biologist in Indonesia periodically since 1998, and speaks bahasa Indonesia fluently.
Farizal: Community Environmental Coordinator. Farizal is from a village on the border of Gunung Palung National Park. He worked for several years as a research assistant in the park. He then completed an undergraduate degree in Social Science; his thesis examined social problems concerning a conservation effort at Gunung Merapi National Park. Farizal has wanted to return to the Gunung Palung area to live and work on social issues related to conservation and we are very lucky to have him as part of the team
We work together a total of 15 wonderful staff members including three nurses, a pharmacy assistant, an administrative assistant, and organic fram mangaer. Please see the photo at right of all our staff. INI RADEF also has a committed staff at the central office in Bali that are assisting with legal issues, visas, accounting, general advice, and facilitation.
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Health In Harmony
