18 October 2023

Riza Priandhita’s Journey from Fighting Against Depression to Battling the COVID-19 Pandemic

Riza Sovia Nur Priandhita proves that a person with a mental health condition can still achieve impressive achievements and contribute significantly to society.

Working as a Development Planner in Badan Perencanaan Pembangunan Daerah (Bappeda) Banjarbaru, she decided to apply for a Masters scholarship in 2017 at the Australian National University (ANU). Riza’s studies in ANU faced unexpected adversity which made her go in and out of the hospital. In the middle of her studies, Riza was diagnosed with depression.

You’ll Never Walk Alone

Riza is very conscious of how mental health issues in her hometown are often looked down upon. While studying at ANU, Riza saw how people in Australia view mental health conditions. She received strong support from her Student Contact Officer, lecturer, supervisor and faculty members. Their support meant she didn’t feel discouraged about having mental health issues and was not afraid to seek medical help.

“My student contact officer always told me that mental health is important and I don’t need to be ashamed or feel frail when seeking counseling service or other medical help,” said Riza.

With support from campus and her family, Riza routinely accessed counseling services from ANU Counseling and in June 2019 was diagnosed with depression.

Involved in Research and NGO

Despite her challenges, Riza showed remarkable results in her studies. She still keeps in touch with her thesis supervisor, Professor Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt. Collaborating with Professor Kuntala, Riza conducted research titled “The power of blood: myths and practices surrounding menstruation in Indonesian diamond mining”. This research, focused on women in the Muslim Banjar ethnic community, was published at South East Asia Research.

Friendships built up through studies at ANU led her to work as a research consultant in an international NGO named Love Frankie based in Bangkok, Thailand. Projects she has worked on include increasing people’s digital literacy related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and a de-incarceration campaign for refugees and asylum seekers in Indonesia and Malaysia.

Joining Covid Task Force

Riza returned to work in early 2020 coinciding with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. With a Masters degree from Australia, Riza was entrusted by her superior at Bappeda Banjarbaru to take part in the COVID-19 Task Force. She was given planning and reporting duties of the Task Force. One of Riza’s main tasks was analyzing budget policies related to COVID and Banjarbaru City Government program priorities related to COVID-19 spread countermeasures.

“My Masters study helped me easily adapt to an everchanging situation, including learning policies from foreign countries,” said Riza who is eager to further continue her study, hopefully back at ANU.

Raising Inclusivity Awareness

Riza has tried to raise inclusivity awareness in her workplace from gender issues to hearing aspirations from the minority. Riza recommended her institution to hold a regular informal forum to collect aspirations and voices from minority groups without being intimidated by the majority.

“My study experience when taking subjects related to gender made me aware of how high the gap gender is in my institution. I learned many things about how a decision concerning development is often decided without taking into consideration the voice of women and minority communities even though they also got affected by the decision,” Riza concluded.

“Because I want to live comfortably in this city, I am trying as hard as I can to contribute to this city,” she answered when asked about what motivates her to do extra effort regarding the inclusivity issue.

Share this article on: