There are many problems unnoticed in the rural Indonesian community, which where citizens like Baby Aditya come in hand. While Baby supports herself through dressmaking and selling jewelry, she also spends time, on the side, spreading awareness of AIDS and other STDs to local prisons and other people in her community.

Born and raised in Jakarta, Baby graduated from high school and moved on to take non-degree courses in subjects such as gender and health, and attended many international conferences for training. She speaks very good English and is up-to-date on all current events. In the 1980’s she began working in her community to educate and counsel locals about safe sex, AIDS, and STDs.

Now, at the age of 43, Baby focuses on the sanitation of local prisons and their high rates of AIDS cases. Prisons have the highest number of AIDS cases due to needle-sharing and other unsanitary conditions. A lot of Baby’s income is used to donate supplies such as soap, toothpaste, and condoms to seven prisons across Jakarta. Outside of the prisons she distributes flyers in public areas raising awareness of AIDS and contraception. She also offers counseling for those who have contracted AIDS or those who just want to learn more. She is even currently writing a book about single-partner wives that have contracted AIDS.

According to Baby, “Diseases are related to behavior. Here, in Indonesia, that is a big problem. Most are hypocrites or just not very smart.” She also says her community service involves a lot of challenges. Many locals go into denial, and think AIDS couldn’t possibly affect them. They all try to ignore what a big problem the disease has become.

Baby Jim is one of the few local Indonesians that understand why AIDS should be of a much bigger concern. Thanks to her counseling and spreading of awareness throughout her community, more citizens now know how to make smarter and safer decisions in their lives.