Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Lidya is 12 years old but unlike most girls her age, she only weighs 9 kilograms, suffers from leprosy and spends most of her time in bed.

Since she fell off her bicycle and broke her right ankle six months ago, her condition has worsened. Lidya has been diagnosed with malnutrition and has had to leave school due to her poor health.

Conny, a medical staff member at East Kroya community health center, which is located half a kilometer from Lidya's home, said the girl now had to consume vitamins and milk provided monthly by the center.

"But her condition is unstable. If she feels motivated and well enough to fetch the vitamins and milk from the center, she can walk. If not, she can only lie in bed." Lidya's parents, Bertha Mamtiamti and Thobias Eway, were only poor farmers who could not afford to buy milk and nutritious food for their daughter.

Eway abandoned his wife and five children, leaving Bertha to fend for her family alone. Lidya's younger brother, nine-year-old Doni, has also dropped out of school.

"It's not because the school [dismissed him], it's because it's long distance. It costs Rp 2,000 [20 US cents] to get there by public van. It's 7 kilometers away, quite far to reach on foot," Conny said.

Doni now lives with Conny and he will return to school next year. "I'll pay for his transport. It's a pity [Doni] has to drop out of school just because he doesn't have money for transportation," Conny said.

Lidya and Doni are not the only Papuan children who have to face the hard reality that comes with poverty.

Nine-month-old Marie, daughter of Yosina Dude and the late Benny Yongky, could not even sit up. Marie could only lie down with her head turned to the left. "She's never been immunized," Conny said.

The health worker added distance from the center was not the problem, as the family only lived 100 meters away.

Instead, Conny blamed the situation on the lack of awareness on the need to visit integrated health posts or posyandu, which provide healthcare assistance for babies and mothers.

She said this meant children like Marie did not benefit from health programs or immunization drives. The health post, Conny said, was organized every month and attended by doctor and nurses.

"Since the health counseling is focused at posyandu, how can she be aware of the need to vaccinate her baby if she never visits the posyandu?"

Evangelist Budi Priyono from the Kalam Kudus Christian Church, which parish includes East Kroya where Lidya, Doni and Maria live, said facilities alone were not enough to lift Papuans out of poverty.

Despite the presence of facilities like schools and health centers, Budi said Papuans still did not understand how to take advantage of the facilities for their benefits.

Many poor Papuans are also faced with problems like simply putting food on the table, let alone going to school or health centers, which would mean they have to spend money for transport.

"We don't know when they will be aware of the need to visit health centers on their own," Budi said. "We wish that we owned a car so the children could be taken to school. They may not attend school if they are left on their own."

Budi said thousands of Papuans whose conditions were similar to Lidya, Doni and Maria should be provided with counseling to help them escape poverty.

"Efforts to improve the lives of Papuans would be in vain without door-to-door counseling," he said. "There should be continued intervention from the outside [to stimulate the change] to realize this until they can be left on their own."