Indonesia
History
The foundation's Indonesia office in Jakarta opened in 1953, initially focusing on education, teacher training and developing expertise in the fields of economics and agriculture. Following a change of government in the 1960s, new programs at the national level provided support for family planning, rice research and rural development. Those themes continued through the 1970s, when Indonesia achieved rice self-sufficiency.
During the 1980s, responding to the needs and involvement of rural populations, the foundation shifted support to community-based land and water resources, increasing productivity for Indonesia's agro-ecosystems and women's micro-enterprise development. Another signature of that period was support for emerging civil society organizations struggling to operate outside the framework of government to promote concern for legal and human rights, the environment, consumer interest and gender equity. Equally important was deepening support for work in cultural preservation and vitality, which sought to study, document and sustain Indonesia's diverse and vibrant living traditions.
Democratic Transition
By the 1990s, it became clear that a fractured yet emerging opposition was rising from many sectors of society and that Indonesia's economic disparities, official corruption and lack of openness were growing problems. Increasingly, foundation grantees began promoting social justice concerns by recognizing minority cultural groups and their "right to be different," with women calling for improved reproductive health and livelihoods, through citizens and journalists advancing freedom of expression, and by local communities seeking recognition of their rights to forest resources. The democratic transformation that has taken place within Indonesia since 1998 has offered important opportunities, as well as challenges, as the nation moves forward in a just and inclusive manner.
Responding to Current Needs
To preserve the important democratic, economic and social gains that have been achieved to date, further support is needed to promote the institutionalization of democracy in the world's largest Muslim-majority nation. By supporting Indonesia's ongoing process of decentralization and reformasi, the foundation is working with partners to generate new economic opportunities for the poor and marginalized, improve implementation of the administrative decentralization policy, and offer more Indonesians a true stake in stability and democracy. This work focuses on three core constituencies: women, the socially disadvantaged and the poor.
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