Background

Positive Deviance is one of the approaches to combating nutrition is through The Hearth Nutritional Model using the Positive Deviant (PD) Approach which began in the 1960’s (in Haiti) and recently has received more global attention as an effective approach.

It is called “deviant” because these are practices which deviate from the norm of malnutrition within a family and community. While the reason it is caked “positive” is because we are looking at what is working, what people are doing right and making use of the resources available.

The main activity of PD approach is family and community empowerment to improve practices in nutrition and health among those live in the area where health and nutrition problems are commonly found. The approach is based on the enhancement and replication of the existing positive practices in the community.

Positive Deviance (PD) approach was introduced in Indonesia since 2002. It’s has been adopted by several national and international NGOs in about 31 Districts in Indonesia. The approach was mainly used in to solve nutritional problems in the area. Currently PD approach is not only applied in nutrition but also in other fields as well, such as maternal and newborn health, breastfeeding, communicable diseases, etc.
 
To strengthen their program using the approach, and to share lessons that can be learnt by each implementer, a PD network has been established.  The network members consist of Ministry of health, district health offices national and international NGOs, and other interest parties or individual. 

It is considered important to have a center that will provide some coordinating role as well as the center for resources in Positive Deviance. Faculty of Public Health University of Indonesia then became the PDRC. PDRC was established in November 2006, supported by Save the Children with funding from USAID until September 2008.

The Vision

“The vision of this institution is to become Center of Excellence of PD Approach in The Region.”

The Mission
In achieving the stated vision three missions will be strengthened namely;

1. Education and training
2. Research
3. Community service
4. Information Dissemination

The Objectives

The three objectives of the PDRC are as follows:

1. To bring support and resources to many efforts to improve behavior especially of women and children.     
2. To promote research capacity of faculty members and students in implementation of the PD approach,
3. To provide support of the PD approach to strengthen health services.
   

Plan of Activities

A. Short term plan

1. Develop stategic plan
2. Further capacity strengthening of PD implementer from broader areas in Indonesia, through training technical assistances etc
3. Mainitining and expanding PD networking nationally and internationally
4. Field visit to various PD field sites

B. Medium term plan

        To develop PDRC as centre of excellent in Positive Deviance for the Region.