Program Details: Indonesia

A tsunami survivor in Meulaboh is determined to rebuild her community. Photo: Cassandra Nelson/Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps' goal in Indonesia is to help alleviate hardship, reduce poverty and build resilience and capacity among vulnerable populations through local partnerships. Mercy Corps is in Indonesia to address the root causes of poverty, thereby improving the quality of life for disaster and conflict affected, urban, and coastal communities.

Around 200 national and international Mercy Corps staff coordinates projects in partnership with more than 200 local non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Mercy Corps programs target people in low income urban areas and areas affected by conflict, helping more than 1,000,000 Indonesians - as well as approximately 423,000 survivors of the Indian Ocean Tsunami.

The team seeks innovative ways to forge links between government, communities and business in its pursuit of peaceful positive change.

Programs in Focus

Aceh Tsunami Recovery Program
Mercy Corps focuses on supporting return efforts, economic recovery and community coping. This is achieved by implementing comprehensive village-based return programs, informal income-generation activities, microfinance and business redevelopment projects and psychosocial support programs for those affected by the earthquake and tsunami that hit the areas of Aceh and North Sumatra provinces at the end of 2004. Mercy Corps emphasizes working through partnerships formed with local NGOs, utilizing existing current resources, supporting local initiative and maximizing impact.

Development Activities Program in Jakarta
This program aims to reduce the food insecurity of the most vulnerable people in Jakarta and promote recovery through combined interventions in maternal and child health, nutrition, water and sanitation. The program focuses on sustainable behavior change and long-term impact using food to mobilize participants and promote health practices.

Economic Opportunities Project
Mercy Corps provides financial and technical assistance to over 350 local organizations to support improved food security in their communities through economic development, health and emergency relief activities. Mercy Corps also provides technical assistance to local NGOs and encourages networking and sharing of experience among the project stakeholders. Since 1999, these grants have benefited over 800,000 people.

Maluku Quick Impact Grants Project
In partnership with around 120 local organizations, this project supports recovery and economic empowerment of internally displaced and conflict affected people. This is acheived through grants to local organizations for shelter and infrastructure repair, water and sanitation, non-food item distribution, microcredit and agriculture and fisheries projects. Capacity building, peace building and conflict management efforts are integrated into our work.

Central Sulawesi Quick Impact Grants Project
Similar to the Maluku Project, this project also aims to provide assistance to conflict affected people to promote recovery and support reconciliation and capacity building activities in partnership with local entities. With more than 43,000 people served, the project provides training to strengthen participating partners and funds local organizations to promote economic development, educational support and infrastructure improvement.

Sumatra Healthy Schools Program
Ethos Water is sponsoring the Sumatra Healthy Schools Program, an integrated program that is assisting 230,000 elementary school children in across four impoverished provinces. The program is helping ensure access to clean, drinkable water in 40 schools, as well as constructing or rehabilitating water and sanitation facilities in more than 500 schools. Through monetization and barter of non-fat dried milk from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Mercy Corps supplies a protein-rich alternative to non-nutritious "snack food" and increases training of children, parents and teachers in health, nutrition and hygiene. The substitution of soymilk for non-nutritious foods improves the nutrition status of children and increases demand for and utilization of soymilk, while training increases access and utilization of nutritious foods and reduces the prevalence of parasitic infection.