In commemoration of World Water Day, on March 22, 2024, under the theme “Water for Peace,” the world’s attention is focused on the urgency to ensure that every individual has equal and adequate access to clean water, aligning with Sustainable Development Goal 6.

Through the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Access program, Habitat for Humanity Indonesia is committed to addressing this clean water crisis by constructing clean water access facilities in various areas such as Tangerang Regency, Bogor, Karawang, and Gresik, thereby assisting thousands of residents in gaining equal access to clean water.

In addressing the challenge of this clean water crisis, Habitat Indonesia not only constructs infrastructure but also organizes a series of activities to commemorate World Water Day. On March 2, 2024, Habitat Indonesia held the “Gerakan 100 Biopori” in Kadumanggu Village, Babakan Madang District, Bogor Regency. This event was attended by various stakeholders, including representatives from Habitat Indonesia, IUWASH Tangguh, village and district governments, as well as local residents. This movement is not just about raising awareness but also seeking innovative solutions. Through biopores, the soil can more effectively absorb rainwater, reduce waterlogging, and ultimately help reduce the risk of water resource conflicts, which are key to achieving peace within communities.

Meanwhile, on March 23, 2024, Habitat Indonesia continued its action by organizing a tree planting program in Karang Tengah Village, Babakan Madang District, Bogor Regency. The event was attended by 150 residents who participated in planting avocado tree seedlings at 100 points scattered in forest areas and residential environments. More than just planting avocado tree seedlings, this action aims to preserve water availability by improving soil quality and reducing erosion. Additionally, tree planting also has a positive impact on creating a healthy and comfortable environment for the community.

Through the continuity between infrastructure programs and educational and environmental activities, Habitat Indonesia not only improves access to clean water but also builds awareness of the importance of environmental conservation for peace. Thus, every small step taken in preserving water resources can have a significant impact on promoting peace in society and for future generations.

Living in a village far from the city, Lukman (41) and his family are experiencing this year’s Ramadan with a different atmosphere. As a farm laborer, Lukman works with an income that does not exceed Rp60,000 per day. Meanwhile, his wife, Yanti (39), is a housewife who takes care of their three children. Two of them are still in elementary school, and one is still a toddler.

Their lives have become increasingly difficult due to the poor condition of their kitchen and toilet. The walls are made of bamboo panels, without flooring, and the roof is made of old wooden frames. Their kitchen is not only a place for cooking but also an unsafe space with frequent visits from rats and snakes, as well as leaks during rainfall.

Fortunately, the blessings of Ramadan came to Lukman and his family through a renovation program by Habitat for Humanity Indonesia. Just one day before Ramadan, their kitchen and toilet had been successfully renovated.

“Alhamdulillah,” said Lukman with a voice full of gratitude, “This Ramadan is very special for us. Now, we have a brand new kitchen and toilet, and we can comfortably have our pre-dawn meal (sahur) in the kitchen.” Lukman added.

Thanks to the renovation, not only Lukman and Yanti feel relieved, but also their children. The new kitchen has become a safer and more comfortable place for them to spend time together, play, and learn.

With a better home condition, Lukman’s burden of life has slightly decreased. He can now focus more on providing for his children’s education.

“Haturnuhun (thank you) to the donors and Habitat for helping my family,” Lukman said. “This Ramadan has truly brought blessings to me and my family. May Allah bless everyone who has helped improve my life with this kindness,” Lukman added.

Lukman and his family have experienced the miracle of assistance from fellow humans. You too can play a role in helping millions of other families achieve strength and independence in this holy month and in the future. Donate your best charity here: www.habitatindonesia.org/donate

In Indonesia, we realize that post-Covid-19 pandemic, many citizens are experiencing significant impacts, especially economically. The lack of understanding about entrepreneurship and financing, as well as the need for safety nets such as insurance, further complicates this situation. Coupled with inadequate housing conditions, insufficient sanitation facilities, and limited understanding of clean and healthy living behaviors, there is growing concern about insufficient access to healthcare.

PT Prudential Life Assurance, as a company operating in life, health insurance, and asset management, acknowledges these issues. By partnering with Habitat for Humanity Indonesia, it seeks to establish the “Desa Maju Prudential” (DMP) as a step towards post-Covid-19 recovery for suburban residents in the Gunung Putri District, Bogor Regency.

Since August 2023, Prudential has gradually built 15 new decent houses, renovated 10 houses, improved 10 MSMEs, built 38 new toilets, and provided equipment for Posyandu, in an effort to realize the tangible impact of the DMP program. Various training sessions such as Clean and Healthy Living Behavior (CHLB), entrepreneurship training, and vocational training are facilitated by Prudential for 400 local residents.

Prudential, represented by its directors and employees in Indonesia, not only provides financial support but also actively participates in volunteer activities by helping to build houses and toilets, starting from laying foundations, constructing walls, to painting.

Habitat Indonesia expresses its utmost gratitude for Prudential’s extraordinary contribution. With this cooperation, we together realize the dream of low-income families to have decent housing, clean toilets, and knowledge from various training sessions that can bring about better economic changes for families.

Let’s continue to build not only houses but also hope and a brighter future!

National Waste Awareness Day (HPSN) has become an annual agenda commemorated every February 21st. This commemoration aims to remember the events that occurred at the Leuwigajah Landfill in Cimahi, West Java, on February 21, 2005.

Quoted from the Kendal District Environmental Service website, the garbage mountain at the Leuwigajah Landfill claimed 157 lives. The incident occurred due to heavy rainfall and a methane gas explosion in the garbage pile. As a result of this event, two villages (Cilumus and Pojok) disappeared from the map due to being engulfed by landslides of garbage originating from the Leuwigajah Landfill. This tragedy led to the birth of National Waste Awareness Day (HPSN), commemorated precisely on the date of the incident.

Based on Circular Letter No. 2 of 2024 from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, this year’s theme is “Atasi Sampah Plastik Dengan Cara Produktif“. The chosen theme is motivated by the ongoing serious issue of plastic waste both nationally and internationally. Plastic pollution has become a global issue due to its transnational and cross-border nature. According to data from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the amount of plastic waste entering aquatic ecosystems could nearly triple by 2040 if no efforts are made to prevent plastic pollution, which in 2016 amounted to 9 – 14 million tons, potentially reaching 23 – 27 million tons per year by 2040. Most of the plastic ending up in water bodies or oceans is generated from land-based sources that require comprehensive legal and institutional frameworks in waste management processes.

The year 2024 is a crucial moment to prioritize the issue of plastic pollution resolution. Habitat for Humanity Indonesia invites all parties to continue taking various steps and efforts to promote conducive sustainable living by collecting and sorting plastic waste.

Currently, Habitat Indonesia, in collaboration with Rebricks as a plastic waste processing company, has been using environmentally friendly building materials such as paving blocks, hollow blocks, and rosters to build houses. The types of plastic waste used for building materials include plastic bags, multi-layered plastics (sachets), bubble wrap, soft plastics, and others. Each building material produced contains 2 kg/m2 of plastic waste, and with 11 environmentally friendly houses built by Habitat, 2,790 kg of plastic waste has been reduced.

Through the commemoration of National Waste Awareness Day, Habitat for Humanity Indonesia invites the public and communities to donate to build environmentally friendly, decent homes for low-income families in Indonesia. You can donate monthly at the following link: https://form.jotform.com/80521506673454 or visit the website: https://oldweb.habitatindonesia.org/donate

Saint-Gobain Indonesia, together with Habitat for Humanity Indonesia, held a volunteering activity titled “Act to Build: Making The World a Better Home” in Marga Mulya Village, Mauk District, Tangerang Regency, Banten, on Saturday, February 17, 2024.

The active participation of Saint-Gobain Indonesia in building decent homes for low-income families was attended by 80 volunteers, including members of the management team such as Ivana Ijaya as Country CEO, Dona Rivai as Country HR Director, Ivan Haloho as Country EHS Director, and Apsara Herman as Marketing Director, as well as dozens of employees.

This volunteering activity is part of the first phase of support for building 10 houses out of a total of 20 houses in the ongoing project of Saint-Gobain Indonesia together with Habitat.

Interestingly, the activities, starting from laying the foundation, building house walls, to plastering, use products from Saint-Gobain’s Main Mortar, with its flagship product being environmentally friendly instant cement. In addition, the construction of these houses also uses eco-bricks made from a mixture of plastic waste as part of the “Climate Smart Housing” program.

Hopefully, this activity can be a positive milestone for the company in demonstrating its commitment to sustainable CSR programs, to realize the well-being of low-income communities and a form of concern for the environment.

“This activity is the output of a shared vision and values between Saint-Gobain and Habitat Indonesia in supporting life and sustainable construction. Our hope is that after the construction of these houses, the homeowners can live happier and more comfortably in their new homes,” said Ivana Ijaya, Country CEO of Saint-Gobain Indonesia.

The enthusiasm of the volunteers in the event has been a valuable experience, inspiring them to continue actively contributing to society and bringing positive changes to the lives of the residents of Marga Mulya Village.

About Saint-Gobain Indonesia

Saint-Gobain Indonesia is part of the Saint-Gobain Group, the world’s largest building materials company and one of the top 100 industrial groups in the world. Established since 1992, Saint-Gobain Indonesia provides innovative solutions for architects, contractors, developers, and homeowners through its leading brands such as Mortar Utama (MU) Weber for mortar solutions, Gyproc for gypsum, Norton for abrasive materials, and Adfors for reinforcement materials.

Habitat for Humanity Indonesia, in collaboration with AWS inCommunities, held the Inauguration of AWS Clean Water Project & Kick-off Stunting Prevention Program as part of their commitment to sustainable community development in Karawang on February 26, 2024. The event was attended by the head of BAPPEDA Karawang, Dindin Rachmadhy, local government representatives including Kevin Miller, Vice President Global Data Centers AWS, as well as other AWS executives, Habitat Indonesia, Human Initiative, Alkademi, and beneficiaries from the community.

Since 2022, the community development program initiated by AWS and Habitat has encompassed over 14 villages in Karawang Regency, serving more than 15,000 residents to date. Additionally, AWS and Habitat have collaborated with Alkademi in providing the Clean Water ATM system for residents in Karawang Regency.

The innovative Clean Water ATM named ARSAKA (Clean Water for Karawang Society) is one of Alkademi’s digital projects being developed in partnership with AWS. Through this modern and easily applicable system, it is hoped that residents can access clean water more quickly and conveniently. Kevin Miller stated, “For the first time, this facility has installed water kiosks to help people get water easily, just with a pin code. Clean water is crucial for health and development, so this initiative is very important.” He added.

The symbolic handover of the clean water facility was marked by ribbon cutting and the presentation of a mock-up by Kevin Miller to Dindin Rachmadhy, the head of BAPPEDA Karawang, at the inauguration event held in Margamulya Village on February 26, 2024.

Recognizing water as a fundamental human need, AWS is committed to continually improving the lives of communities at each of its operational locations by providing clean water facilities. As of 2022, Karawang is still noted as an area with a high stunting rate. This is due to the lack of clean water sources and contaminated water from rivers. In this Stunting prevention program, AWS partnered with Human Initiative to raise collective awareness of efforts to improve child health programs in Karawang through the Stunting Management Program, given that Stunting remains a challenge in the country. Romi Ardiansyah, Vice President Operations of Human Initiative, explained, “One of our targets is to provide Supplementary Feeding Program (SFP) to 140 children supported by education for mothers and children on good and balanced nutrition.” He stated.

Rene Indiarto Widjaja, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Habitat for Humanity Indonesia, stated, “To date, AWS has helped build 6 clean water point facilities, 3 public toilet units, 9 school facilities, 4 integrated health posts, and 1 community health center in Karawang. They have also provided 5 types of training related to youth leadership, vocational training, hygiene promotion and healthy lifestyles, micro-enterprise digitalization, and disaster risk management to more than 550 participants.” He added.

The inauguration of the AWS clean water facility and the kick-off of the Stunting prevention program were enlivened by a welcome dance performance by students from SDN 01 Margakaya. In addition to the handover ceremony at the inauguration, AWS leadership and staff also engaged in the construction of a four-door school toilet and the repainting of classrooms at SDN 01 Margakaya.

“The presence of Habitat Indonesia, Alkademi, and also Human Initiative, Alhamdulillah, the benefits are truly felt by us. We, as government representatives, thank them for helping us facilitate access to clean water and contribute to addressing stunting in our village. We, as recipients, must be able to maintain what Habitat and AWS have provided.” Said Dindin Rachmadhy, Head of BAPPEDA Karawang.

For almost 27 years, Habitat for Humanity Indonesia has been a beacon of hope for low-income families. During this time, we have served 200,000 families in Indonesia to achieve strength, stability, and self-reliance.

On February 2, 2024, Habitat Indonesia provided support to its 200,000th partner family, Mr. Wastur, who had suffered from a fire accident. Mr. Wastur sustained burns covering 70% of his body, requiring serious treatment for 17 days in the ICU.

The tragedy experienced by Mr. Wastur was also caused by the deplorable condition of his house. The wooden roof frame had become extremely fragile, and the roof tiles, serving as shelter, were riddled with holes, leading to leaks and electrical short circuits.

This event prompted Habitat for Humanity Indonesia, alongside donors and volunteers, to rebuild Mr. Wastur’s house, which now stands tall with sturdy red walls. With great joy, Mr. Susanto, the National Director of Habitat Indonesia, personally presented the symbolic key to Mr. Wastur’s family, represented by his children, Witri and Dewi.

The sorrow of Mr. Wastur’s family slowly faded, replaced by renewed hope. Now, they can rebuild a safer, more comfortable, and prosperous life.

We, Habitat for Humanity Indonesia, continue to stride forward with the same vision to ensure that low-income families have decent homes. We believe that with the support of donors and volunteers, we can make meaningful changes in their lives.

Without hard work and collective commitment, significant achievements like serving 200,000 families would not be possible. Therefore, we invite you to join us in this humanitarian mission. Together, let us continue this journey towards a better future for families in need.