Earlier this month, Hivos received a grant agreement from the European Union (“Team EU”) for a new program called ACTION – Active Citizens Building Solidarity and Resilience in Response to Covid-19. It will support vulnerable populations affected by the Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia for the coming two years.
Hivos and partners will target marginalized and high-risk populations in rural and urban areas in two phases. Phase one focuses on rapid response, such as health care, and water and sanitation systems. Phase two addresses the social and economic recovery phase. For example, providing these communities with job and skills training in the face of massive unemployment caused by the Covid-19 crisis.
Overall, the program will support essential health care, mental health services, water and sanitation systems, farming initiatives, employment and skills training, fundraising assistance, financial assistance assessment, as well as relevant public awareness campaigns.
The program will also help government at all levels to tackle the impacts of the pandemic and respond to emergency needs. Using a multi-sectoral approach, many parties will be involved, such as civil society, community organizations, government, and the private sector in fields ranging from health and social welfare, to governance, livelihoods, and food security.
Amongst the beneficiaries are people with disability, the elderly, women, children, youth, sexual and gender minorities, farmers, landless laborers, and micro and small-scale producers.
ACTION and our values
ACTION fully embodies Hivos’ mission and vision: valuing and supporting marginalized and vulnerable groups, upholding the principles of gender equality and inclusivity regardless of sex, sexuality, gender identity, disability, race, ethnicity, religion, age, or economic status.
In addition, ACTION is fully in line with the Sustainable Development Goals: the call to end poverty in Goal 1 and hunger in Goal 2; ensuring health and wellbeing in Goal 3; respecting gender equality in Goal 5; guaranteeing clean water and sanitation in Goal 6, and reducing inequality in Goal 10.
Empowering local partners committed for development
In implementing the program, Hivos will collaborate with these local partners:
- Perkumpulan Pamflet Generasi
- Perkumpulan Untuk Peningkatan Usaha Kecil (PUPUK)
- Center for Indonesia’s Strategic Development Initiatives (CISDI)
- Yayasan Sentra Advokasi Perempuan Difabel dan Anak (SAPDA)
- Perkumpulan Lingkaran Pendidikan Alternatif untuk Perempuan (KAPAL Perempuan)
Each partner will work within its main focus areas, but they all have a long-term commitment to help community development amongst vulnerable and marginal groups. They will implement the program in fives provinces: DKI Jakarta, West Java, Yogyakarta, West Nusa Tenggara, and South Sulawesi. Hivos works with them not only because of our shared goals, but also to empower local organizations – a particular goal of Hivos.
Two other European-based organizations, Stichting World Vision Nederland and Association Federation Handicap International, also received “Team EU” grants. They will implement programs to help tackle Covid-19 and its socio-economic consequences in other provinces of Indonesia.
