Women Empowerment through Training of Face Shield Making from Unused Materials as COVID-19 Prevention Effort

Abstract

COVID-19 is a viral infectious disease with relatively high death rate, especially in Indonesia. The government program, the large-scale social restrictions impacts on all aspects of human life, including the economy, due to which, people’s purchasing power decreases. This condition forces people to think creatively to protect themselves against COVID-19. This study aimed to describe the role of women’s groups in the prevention effort of COVID-19 through training of face shields making, utilizing unused materials. This is an interventional study, describing a training programme for a group of women in Indonesia (n=15 women). Participants of the women empowerment program were women in Ngingas Village, Waru District, Sidoarjo. The programme  took place from July to August 2020 for four weeks, and included evaluating knowledge levels, health education about COVID-19, and training of making face shields. The results showed that the participants’ knowledge of COVID-19 significantly improved after training, in which the pre-test score was 57.67 ± 13.07, and the post-test score was 72 ± 7.97. Although the participants appreciated this training, they were less enthusiastic about production management and marketing. The participants cared for their families and community health. In addition, they were able to think creatively to make face shields from unused materials to protect themselves and their families. Thus, women could be role models for their families and communities to maintain health protocols in the new adaptation era of the COVID-19.