Projects

A partnership between Pure Earth and the Ministries of Health in Colombia, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Maharashtra, India, and Peru to strengthen each country’s national healthcare system to prevent, identify, and treat lead poisoning.

An estimated 292 million lead-poisoned children live in Colombia, India, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Maharashtra (India), and Peru. Over the next 5 years, the ministries of health in these 5 countries and states will design and implement new national programs to identify, monitor and reduce lead exposure. By enhancing clinical education and guidelines, strengthening health surveillance technology, and educating teachers and parents on the dangers of lead, countries will be able to better protect children and future generations from lead poisoning.

• Objective 1: Build capacity in selected countries to monitor exposure of children to lead.
• Objective 2: Improve environmental health data collection by establishing a national system of monitoring exposure of children to lead
• Objective 3: Increase knowledge about sources and pathways of exposure of children to lead.
• Objective 4: Strengthen the ability of healthcare professionals to early identify, treat, and prevent lead poisoning, and educate communities and children about lead poisoning and ways to avoid/mitigate risks.

Project Updates:

2023

In 2023, Yayasan Pure Earth Indonesia organized the national launch of the program, solidifying collaboration with the Ministry of Health by signing a partnership – witnessed by representatives from multiple government bodies, WHO, UNICEF, and other key stakeholders. In collaboration with its strategic partner, Vital Strategies, Yayasan Pure Earth Indonesia developed questionnaires to assess national laboratory capacity and the results will be used as reference for inventory and capacity improvement to monitor lead exposure, especially in children.

2024

The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia, Yayasan Pure Earth Indonesia, and Vital Strategies held a multi-stakeholders meeting in April 2024. One of the meeting’s results was the formation of the Blood Lead Surveillance (BLS) Working Group. Led by the Directorate of Environmental Health, the Working Group has held a series of meetings and received extensive input to develop the BLS piloting work plans. These plans encompass study design, location selection, methodology, laboratory partnerships, and communication strategies. As the initiative progressed, the Working Group expanded. In early December 2024, the Research Center for Public Health and Nutrition (PRKesmaszi) of BRIN officially joined as the Principal Investigator for the BLS piloting.

2025

The first phase of BLS piloting in Indonesia was officially kicked off in December 2024. It will take place throughout 2025 in twelve selected districts/cities across six provinces: East Java, Central Java, South Sumatra, Lampung, Bali, and West Nusa Tenggara, as well as a pre-survey location in Tangerang Regency.

Visit the Indonesia project website to learn more.