NSVI at WVD 2015

by Doug Stein

NSVI President Ramon Suarez, NSVI VP Nenita Suarez, Development Director Doug Stein (myself), all from the USA, and NSVI Philippines Mission Veteran Robert Kulik from Poland all traveled to Bali, Indonesia to take part in World Vasectomy Day 2015. The location was the site of the International Conference on Family Planning sponsored by the Gates Institute. NSVI and WVD were to give men a voice in a conference previously devoted exclusively to female options for family planning. (Click on any image to enlarge it.)
IndonesiaBali is one of the smaller Indonesian Islands (a little smaller than Delaware, and just east of Java) but it has a population of 4.3 M people and what seemed like almost as many motorbikes. The Family Planning Conference was to take place at the International Conference Center in Nusa Dua on the smaller southern projection of Bali. There, WVD would have a booth and provide presentations about the success of WVD over the past two years, while networking with 3600 representatives of other family planning organizations around the world. WVD was scheduled for Nov 13, the day after the conference was to end, in a beautiful temple-like community center in Gianyar, close to the famous artsy town of Ubud.
Bali01Just to Bali’s east is the island of Lombok, home to Mount Rinjani, a volcano that chose to misbehave during the days leading up to the conference. Many flights into Bali were cancelled because of the ash cloud. As a result, the Family Planning Conference was cancelled 2 days before its planned commencement. Most of the WVD staff, as well as Drs. Ramon and Nenita Suarez had arrived a week before the conference to prepare, and the cancellation was devastating. My arrival from Singapore was delayed two days. Nevertheless, World Vasectomy Day took place and was a big success in its own right.

The WVD staff met my wife and me at the airport. Dina Purito Antonio-Jufri (far left), a Filipina filmmaker (actually a protege and friend of Jonathan) living in Jakarta, is a detail-oriented event producer with a clear vision of the mission of WVD. Elisabet Widyastuti is the Executive Director of PKBI (Indonesian Family Planning Association) Central Java. The American WVD Staff are introduced HERE.2015-11-06-12-06-11_9From the airport Dr. Suarez and I were whisked directly to a nursing school in Denpasar …2015-11-06-13-57-24_9… where a large audience was waiting to learn all about vasectomy. I spoke first with Dina translating to Bahasa …2015-11-06-15-42-53_9… and Dr. Suarez followed with a talk on the social benefits of family planning through vasectomy.2015-11-06-15-53-02_9 The audience seemed to be almost as pleased with our talks … as with the photo ops that followed.2015-11-06-16-53-54_9Off to Ubud for two days, we enjoyed restaurants with delightful servers …2015-11-07-14-54-00c_9… walks on the wild side,
2015-11-08-11-16-18c_92015-11-08-11-19-51_9and a few spectacular beaches:
2015-11-09-15-29-47_9Then it was time to meet our hosts. Dr. Asri came all the way from Jakarta to showcase the mobile vasectomy van that he had helped develop. With Robert observing and Elisabet translating, we shared technique videos …
2015-11-08-20-41-21_9and he proudly presented one of his mobile vasectomy vans.
2015-11-10-14-41-48_9which also serves as a platform for delivering other forms of contraception to remote towns. The expression on the bus means, “Come join Keluarga Berencana (family planning)”.
2015-11-10-14-53-50_9We then met Urologist and Chief Trainer for vasectomy in Bali, Dr. Gede Wirya Kusuma Duarsa. Known by his initials, Dr. GWK is often called “Dr. GaWiKa”. Here we present him and Dr. Asri with thermal cautery units donated to WVD by Bovie Medical Corporation.2015-11-10-09-26-48c_9Another person who helped make WVD 2016 a big success was Pak (“Mr.”) Katut Sukatana the Executive Director of the Bali branch of the National Family Planning Association (PKKB) who agreed to have his own vasectomy performed on World Vasectomy Day. In a radio interview, he discusses his decision with interviewers …
2015-11-10-10-38-26_9… following which he (seated left beside Dr. Suarez) joined Jonathan Stack in discussing the medical and social benefits of vasectomy …2015-11-10-13-43-18_9at a large press conference:2015-11-10-13-38-20_9Three days before WVD, the WVD Team was scheduled to bring an actual live vasectomy to the conference via the internet from the office of Dr. John Mc Cormick in Dublin. The Conference Center was empty due to the Conference cancellation …
2015-11-10-16-12-02_9but Conference officials permitted the WVD Team to use the designated room …
2015-11-10-20-04-53_9cand the show went on as planned.
2015-11-10-18-17-44_9Word about NSVI’s presentation to the nursing school in Denpasar reached another nursing school on the far north shore of Bali in Buleleng. So the next day we negotiated heavy traffic and periodic rain to reach a large crowd of very receptive students
2015-11-11-14-00-43c_9… who studied the NSVI Vasectomy brochures written in Bahasa …
2015-11-11-13-59-53_9… while we installed our PowerPoints into their computers/projectors. Ramon and I started with the basics of vasectomy …
2015-11-11-14-19-28_9and the roles of NSVI and WVD in providing and promoting vasectomy services worldwide
2015-11-11-14-28-14_92015-11-11-15-10-35_9Dania translated
2015-11-11-14-29-51_9while Ramon provided a technical description of vasectomy and answered excellent questions
2015-11-11-15-12-09_9from a very smart and attentive audience.
2015-11-11-15-45-23The MadaJet is always a big hit and provides a memorable hands-on experience.
2015-11-11-14-53-46As a gynecologist, Robert explained how vasectomy is truly an Act of Love in his own practice among couples who don’t do well with female contraceptives.
2015-11-11-15-19-21_9This really struck a cord with the ladies.
2015-11-11-15-25-29_9The School Headmaster was so pleased to receive his WVD plaque.
2015-11-11-15-58-47_9He gave us all a sarong …
2015-11-11-16-00-14_9… and individualized certificates2015-11-11-16-09-47_9Finally, Dania led cheers for vasectomy, NSVI, and World Vasectomy Day.2015-11-11-16-04-55We drove all the way back to southern Bali past some very pretty scenery
2015-11-11-17-58-19cbut we still were not done for the day, as Pak Katut had invited is to do another presentation at a community center in Denpasar. The audience was smaller but composed of many fathers
2015-11-12-19-47-18_9These community centers / temples are a great source of local news and information for Balinese neighborhoods, and NSVI provided some of that education
2015-11-12-20-30-58_9Dr. Suarez had the audience captivated and laughing once again about a subject not often addressed in public places, and we tried to inspire some men to make the trip to Gianyar for the WVD celebration the next day.
2015-11-12-20-42-10_9The WVD staff traveled from their accommodations in Nuda Dua to Gianyar at 4 AM on the Big Day to get set up. By the time Ramon and Nenita and I arrived, the venue was full and Jonathan and Dania were in their comfort zones as Masters of Ceremony.
2015-11-13-09-10-07_9It was fantastically decorated …
2015-11-13-09-23-10_9… for a flowery presentation of traditional Balinese dancing and music.
2015-11-13-09-30-47_92015-11-13-09-36-00_9The WVD Technical Staff and local media aficionados captured the action with 6 cameras, mixed it with 5 computers, and live-streamed the event around the world.
2015-11-13-09-28-03_9Meanwhile, in 3 mobile vasectomy vans just outside the venue, vasectomies were performed by local vasectomy providers (most trained by Dr. GWK) and by Drs. Asri, GWK, Suarez, and myself. No-needle anesthesia and thermal cautery were used for the first time in Indonesia, and Drs. GWK and Asri were VERY pleased.
2015-11-13-11-27-16_9NSVI presented Dr. GWK with a MadaJet for his own use
2015-11-13-13-27-06c_9and is committed to providing the same for Dr. Asri during future meetings.

Please go to the World Vasectomy Day Website to see still and video images of the events leading up to WVD and the live-streamed celebration itself. It is easy to scan the recording to pick out interviews with vasectomy supporters around the world, video clips from the 3-year history of World Vasectomy Day, and highlights of the actual Bali event.

NSVI is also inviting Drs. Asri and GWK to come to the Philippines during its February 2016 Mission to share even more with another 8 of the world’s most skilled and enthusiastic vasectomy providers. Given that the island of Java has 140 million people living in an area the size of Louisiana, we are hoping that further collaboration with these champions of vasectomy might lead to an invitation to NSVI to return to Indonesia so that NSVI can help Indonesia meet its own population challenge.