People's Institutions and Livelihoods Assistance Response Program, Indonesia
Farming in Indonesia. Photo: CWS |
Church World Service has a long history of work in Indonesia. CWS Indonesia (CWSINDO) began in the late sixties, and continued until 1996. After a two-year absence, CWS returned in 1998 to provide further assistance to the people of Indonesia. Currently CWS Indonesia has offices in eight locations: Jakarta, Makassar, Kupang, Palu, Manado, Buton, Tentena, and Poso. The main objective of CWS presence in Indonesia has always been to help meet the needs of the most vulnerable people in Indonesia and support their efforts to develop socially, economically, and environmentally and achieve a higher quality of life. In collaboration with the Ministry of Social Welfare as well as the different government bodies at the local level, CWS Indonesia is implementing various programs focusing on social and economic development, emergency response, the building of strong partnership with local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and assisting in the development of a democratic civil society. CWS Indonesia has always implemented its program through different national NGOs.
The majority of Indonesia's 210 million people live in poverty and many of the poor are never reached by any government or NGO intervention. Instead, they rely on informal safety nets – family and neighbors, the local food stall to borrow money, the mosque or church in their community, or on informal savings groups. These local coping mechanisms and informal safety nets came under increasing strain as a result of the protracted socio-economic and political crisis in Indonesia since 1998 and have frequently broken down. This crisis created new problems and exacerbated existing ones, particularly internal displacement and urban poverty. Local organizations have been identified as potential groups to support the poor communities. However, the majority of local NGOs in Indonesia are still weak and need to be supported.
The People’s Institutions and Livelihoods Assistance Response (PILAR) project supports other projects from local NGOs involving HIV/AIDS prevention, supplementary feeding, agriculture, income generation, livestock management, health care, educational opportunities, waste management, and fishing. The project targets the most vulnerable communities in Indonesia, especially in the urban areas in Bali, Central Java, Kupang, and Sulawesi and will directly benefit some 1,921 people.
During PILAR program implementation, local partners submit their monthly programmatic and finance report to CWS. CWS staff, using the standard format that has been developed specifically for this monitoring purpose, will review these reports. At the completion of the program, local partners have to submit evaluation and final reports. CWSINDO also uses a simple but effective monitoring tool called "most significant change." The basis for the scheme is a simple two-part process. The first part is descriptive: the program officers outline what changes have occurred in the administration or program division, who was involved, and where changes happened. The second part is explanatory: the staff members explain what they think was the most significant change that occurred and why they think it was important. Using these criteria, CWSINDO and its partners are able to monitor the progress and quality of the assistance, as well as learn valuable lessons from regular evaluation.
As the program runs, local Indonesian NGOs will gain the experience, skills, and knowledge needed to be able to be independent. When they reach this stage, they can be on their own and would in the long run not need assistance from CWS anymore.
Support for Church World Service helps make this program possible.
Updated 10/08/04
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