Inclusive Development for Disadvantaged Groups

Thank you so much for your donation to IDRAP work on Inclusive Rural Development for Vulnerable Groups in South East Province in eastern part of Indonesia. Your generosity means everything to us and to the community we serve. We know you have a lot of choices when it comes to donating, and we are so grateful that you chose to donate to our cause. We promise to be responsible stewards of both your donation and your trust.

In this first four-month period, the activities carried out by IDRAP focused on advocating for village development policies to provide equal space to vulnerable groups such as people with disabilities, poor families, women, children and minority groups. Apart from limited group discussions, activities are also carried out through workshops and dissemination of information related to the rights of vulnerable groups. This activity, which was carried out for 1 day, attended by 40 participants who were representatives from 10 villages, consisting of village heads, heads of village consultative bodies and representatives of vulnerable groups from each village. On this occasion, the Director of IDRAP explained several regulations that must be implemented by village governments regarding fulfilling the rights of vulnerable groups, even including criminal threats as in the Law on Disability.

This series of advocacy activities, both carried out through limited discussions and through workshops, has resulted in several recommendations for follow-up by the participating villages in the form of awareness to include the issue of the right to development for vulnerable groups into development planning. One of the resulting policies is the rehabilitation of uninhabitable houses intended for poor families with the main priority being widows who live alone, elderly couples who have the burden of children, and families whose members are people with disabilities. Interestingly, two of these villages have included this activity as a priority to be brought up at village deliberation as the highest decision-making forum so that it becomes an agenda for development activities in 2025.

“I am very happy that my village government has opened itself to provide opportunities for disadvantaged groups like me to be able to enjoy the results of development on an equal basis with other members of society. So far, we have never been involved in development planning, let alone benefiting from the development itself. Today is a happy moment for me and all vulnerable groups in my village where we will receive livable housing assistance from the village government." Mrs. Selo, one of the participants representing vulnerable groups.

Thank you all for your support. We are all fighting for the rights of vulnerable groups to be treated equally in social life, to have the same rights to participate in planning, implementing, supervising and enjoying the results of development, to get out of the discriminatory situation they have been experiencing.