Indonesia
Save the Children's presence in Indonesia spans some three decades – dating back to 1976 – and today is our largest country program. Our work in the provinces of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, North Sumatra, Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, East Java, Jogjakarta, West Kalimantan and South Sulawesi includes programs that improve the health of children and women, address child exploitation and trafficking issues, enhance food security and nutrition, increase the relevancy of junior secondary education and prepare families and communities for emergencies.
Challenges for Children
Indonesia has 76 million children, the fourth-largest child population in the world. As a result of the development problems faced by the country, children's health and education are at risk - more than two million children under age 5 are malnourished and nearly one-third between the ages of 5 and 9 are not in school. Girls and boys also face other dangers, such as child trafficking and child labor. Children under age 18 comprise 30 percent of all sex workers in Indonesia.
Numbers at a Glance
- The average life expectancy is 68.
- The mortality rate of children under 5 is 36 in 1,000 births.
- Over their lifetimes, women have a one in 150 chance of dying during complications from pregnancy or childbirth.
- On average, girls will benefit from 12 years of formal schooling.
Our Response
Save the Children's programs address critical issues to improve the lives of children and their families. We provide immediate assistance as well as longer-term protection, empowering communities and families to safeguard their children's rights and ensure their futures. Because we work at the local level, Save the Children has strong ties to both the government and communities – relationships which greatly enhance our ability to carry out development initiatives and to respond quickly when disasters strike.
Education
Save the Children's improves the quality of learning environments for children and youth. Our focus also is on expanding our Early Childhood Development (ECD) and primary school initiatives and helping adolescents and out-of-school youth develop life skills. In Aceh, our focus is on pre-vocational education and life skills for youth, teacher training, strengthening local School Management Committees, educational support to children, raising awareness of inclusive education - which enables all children to learn and effectively participate in school with a specific focus on those who are vulnerable to marginalization or exclusion - and rebuilding schools damaged by the tsunami. Indonesia is also one of the countries where Save the Children's global Rewrite the Future program is improving access to and the quality of education for conflict-affected children.
Child Protection
Save the Children's protection programs reach some of the country's most vulnerable children. One of our largest initiatives helps communities to combat child trafficking through prevention initiatives for at-risk girls and boys as well as the return and reintegration of child victims into community life. The program, which operates in Java, is also seeking to prevent exploitive child labor in Aceh. In Aceh, Save the Children's focus is shifting to longer-term initiatives, such as advocating for and improving the quality of care for children in institutions, increasing the knowledge of and access to protection support systems, strengthening children's access to legal aid in guardianship cases, improving social policies and the child protection environment and providing children and youth with a voice in decisions that affect them.
Health
In recent years, our Saving Newborn Lives initiative has been one of Save the Children's most important health programs in Indonesia. This program, now in its second phase, has successfully demonstrated on a small scale that low-cost interventions can have a significant impact on neonatal mortality. Our staff is working to incorporate these into a training package and advocate for its adoption by health authorities. In addition, we continue to work with the Ministry of Health on strategic areas and, with Save the Children's support, government officials are better prepared to face critical issues ranging from newborn asphyxia to the integrated management of childhood illnesses. In Aceh, Save the Children is committed to helping build the capacity of local health providers, revitalizing village health posts and working to control diseases such as malaria and polio.
Food Security
Save the Children's food security and nutrition program in Medan is helping to improve the nutritional status of children under 5 by promoting key health and nutrition practices of families whose children thrive while children of other families do not, and increasing the use and quality of basic health services. The program has attracted growing interest of the Ministry of Health. In Aceh, we are continuing our long-term food and nutrition initiatives for families affected by both the tsunami and conflict. This includes increasing the demand for locally grown food by providing families and individuals with food vouchers redeemable at local shops, as well as agricultural initiatives.
Economic Opportunities
Nearly two-thirds of Indonesians live on less than two dollars a day. In Aceh, we are helping to improve the use of financial service by child caregivers. In Nias, a small island located off the coast of Sumatra which was impacted by a severe earthquake in March 2006, we have identified a local partner for our livelihoods programs which will support agribusiness management and training for farmers.
Emergency Response
Indonesians are at great risk when disasters strike and have suffered devastating losses over the past several years. In response, Save the Children initiated a Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) program, which is currently operational on Nias and in Aceh. The program is strengthening the government's disaster preparedness and response; training children to conduct hazard mapping of communities, facilitating contingency planning, simulating disasters in schools and villages as well as ensuring inclusion of disaster preparedness and risk reduction in schools and local educational awareness campaigns.
Tsunami in Southern Asia - December 2004 (Updated)
Plans for the Future: Looking Forward for Children
Save the Children has served the children and families of Indonesia for three decades and today implements a full range of development and post-disaster initiatives. The breadth and depth of our current programming, coupled with our strong working relationship with the Government of Indonesia at the national, provincial and district levels and our extensive network of national organizations, provides an excellent base to grow our programs for children and to provide them with a brighter, more secure future.
