Habitat for Humanity Indonesia

Dear Habitat family,

First of all, I would like to congratulate the 77th Independence Day of the Republic of Indonesia. May the spirit of independence continue to ignite in our hearts, for we can recover faster and rise stronger.

Filling the spirit of Independence Day this month, I had an opportunity to attend the closing ceremony of the second Samsung #Village 9 program in Cilamaya on August 4th. The program that succeeded in providing more than ten decent homes, communal water stations with pipes and restrooms, and education facilities renovation has fulfilled the lives of more than one thousand families there. I am delighted to continue collaborating with Samsung as a form of support to realize inclusive, sustainable development to ensure that no one region is left behind, including Cilamaya.

Besides attending the Samsung Village #9 closing ceremony, I was also very enthusiastic about being able to participate in the CEO Build event in Banyuwangi on August 12-13. CEO Build is an activity to build the home that Habitat previously held regularly. This current CEO Build became the first event since being stopped for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. CEOs from various companies attended the event. One of them was Edwin Soeryadjaya, the pioneer or inspirator. Edwin Soeryadjaya became a role model to the other CEOs. He said that the CEOs are not only leaders in the middle of companies or offices but also must be leaders in community development. CEOs have a significant role in supporting the acceleration of equitable development for the community in need of justice and prosperity.

May the collaboration and the spirit of hand in hand like this be implemented regularly. We invite all parties to be able to #TogetherBuildIndonesia through Habitat’s mission to make Indonesia a decent place for everyone to live.

Regard,

Susanto 

April 2021, a tropical cyclone storm hit East Nusa Tenggara. Habitat Indonesia immediately took emergency response measures by going down to NTT, Adonara, and Lembata by distributing housing construction tools or materials to 121 families. In addition to Adonara and Lembata, Habitat did the assement in Kupang to think about what program to do next.

In July 2021, Habitat got donors willing to work together for the NTT disaster response program. Working closely with the Human Initiative, Habitat began rebuilding Lembata and Wahana Visi Indonesia to rebuild Kupang.

During the one-year program, Habitat with the Human Initiative finally managed to provide 73 temporary shelters, 27 rainwater reservoirs, and 15 toilets in Lembata. While working with Wahana Visi Indonesia, Habitat managed to build 85 new homes, repair 25 houses, and build 1 revitalization of clean water in Kupang, namely Naibonad and Oesao Villages.

In addition to building houses and toilets, Habitat also provides construction training to local communities both technically and non-technically to create communities, especially the strong builders and understanding of construction tongues to develop sturdy and resilient buildings. More than 176 families can enjoy the training. In addition to construction training, waste management training is also provided to more than 100 families to create families who care about environmental hygiene and health.

Ending the disaster response program at NTT in June 2022, Wahana Visi Indonesia surveyed the community to find out how important the program was given to them. The survey results highlighted some essential things until a workshop was born in July 2022. Habitat with WVI finally held a workshop which discussed several matters regarding good construction practices, planning management, and other related issues. The workshop was attended by local governments, communities, and other elements of society. In the seminar, Habitat and WVI hope that understanding is shared as a provision in future planning programs, especially for regional leaders, so they can move and implement it well in the community. The culmination of the closure of the disaster response program will be carried out in October 2022 after Habitat has completed the construction of 36 houses and the division of light-up tools into the NTT community. 

Habitat for Humanity Indonesia

#SahabatHabitat

The fiscal year 2022 has been completed. We have done various programs, including procurement and repair of 3,690 livable homes, 25 public facilities, different training for 2,188 people, and market development and economic improvement for 10,731 people. The program has successfully touched communities in various regions of Indonesia, including Jakarta, Batam, Yogyakarta, and Surabaya. At the time of the disaster, Palu, Semeru, Mamuju, and NTT. I thank all those who have supported it until the whole program can go well. 

At present, we are entering the fiscal year 2023. Not an easy situation. The recent war has affected the food and energy crisis. This causes material prices and needs to rise. They low-income families are the most vulnerable.

As brothers of the water demons, it is fitting for us to close ranks to help one another so we can get together through this difficult time. Hopefully, we can immediately work on various programs that can support the lives of those vulnerable to staying under challenging times.

Starting this fiscal year 2023, I had the opportunity to be a judge in the BISRA event (Business Indonesia Corporate Social Responsibility Awards) 2022. Through this event, I hope Habitat Indonesia can establish closeness to more companies to create opportunities for cooperation in implementing their CSR into Habitat programs and missions because more companies are supporting more programs that can be done for more families helped.

In closing, I invite all of us to support this series of Habitat Indonesia’s 25th-anniversary BUILD programs, which will be held until December 2022. This activity is one strategy to invite more companies and volunteers to support the Habitat program, building a prosperous Indonesia.

End of the word, I say thank you and stay excited. Let’s continue the mission of building a house, building a life!

Regards,

Susanto

A mining company, Mind ID, has a volunteer program that involves employees called the Senyawa. The program is carried out three times a year, and this time they are collaborating together with Habitat Indonesia, through a series of Senyawa 1 KM 1 Kindness programs, where they are holding volunteering activities.

Employee Volunteering is a forum for Mind ID employees to participate in social activities. Senyawa Volunteers became a forum for the Mind ID community to carry out volunteering activities. In this community, they have collected donations whose results will be realized through the construction of clean water facilities, sanitation, and the construction of 4 habitable houses for low-income families in Babakan Madang Village – Sentul, Bogor. Mind ID hopes that people can have decent, clean, and healthy housing.

On Tuesday, 19 July 2022, Habitat Indonesia, along with Mind ID, conducted one of the Senyawa Programs, which involved 40 employees as volunteers in painting 4 houses and also held a Clean and Healthy Life Training (PHBS) for local elementary school students. Located in Sentul, the activity ran smoothly, as seen from the enthusiasm of the local residents and volunteers.

Hopefully, with this PHBS (Clean and Healthy Life Training) training, students can make changes in implementing a cleaner and healthier life in their daily lives.

The Pandemic has underlined the importance of a home because it is the main protection to minimise exposure to the COVID-19 virus. However, living in a decent home is still merely a wish that is tough to achieve for over 2 million families in Indonesia.

Senen (60 years old) and his family, residents of Kulon Progo, Yogyakarta, were forced to live in a hut in a field for 2 years after he sold his house due to his debts. In the hut, they had to survive in the absence of electricity. The difficulty of accessing clean water gave Senen and his family no other choice than to utilize rainwater to meet their daily needs. An accident that resulted in Senen suffering from a leg injury and his old age left him unable to work as much as he did before. With his conditions, he was only able to work as a farmer, with an income that made it incredibly unlikely for him to finance the construction of a decent home. Through the help of Habitat Indonesia, along with the help of volunteers from Habitat Japan, Senen and his family now live in a comfortable home and are able to protect themselves from exposure to the COVID-19 virus. They are also able to enjoy their retirement days in a decent and healthy home.

During the 25 years that Habitat Indonesia has been established in Indonesia, it has helped as many as 180,284 families to obtain a decent place to live. Due to the many needs that have yet to be met, Habitat for Humanity Indonesia welcomes you to participate in building decent housing for 50,000 families. By donating starting from Rp. 50,000, -, you will have helped to contribute to resolving the problem of providing decent housing and achieving a prosperous Indonesia.

Let’s continue to support Habitat Indonesia so that we can build more decent houses for low-income families through our cooperation program with Akuberbagi.com a digital platform that allows those who register to have heritage benefits, and the value of the benefits formed will be channeled to Habitat Indonesia. For program information and registration, please click

https://akuberbagi.com/purchase-program/Donasi/step-1/6/-

You can also distribute help directly to those in need without having to come face-to-face by visiting the website:https://dukunghabitat.org/

With the theme: Social Responsibility to Accelerate Stronger Recover, BISRA 2022 gives appreciation to companies that are committed to contributing to vulnerable communities and low-income communities (Masyarakat Berpenghasilan Rendah=MBR), especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.

President Commissioner of Bisnis Indonesia Group, Hariyadi Budi Santoso Sukamdani, said that CSR is an important program that is mandated in Law No. 40/2007 concerning the responsibility of limited liability companies in implementing CSR programs. According to Hariyadi, CSR programs have proven to have a positive impact on economic and environmental improvements. Currently, only Indonesia and India have made CSR a mandatory program that companies must implement. “This becomes our reason to help strengthen the implementation of CSR programs through the 2022 BISRA award,” said Hariyadi at the opening of the 2022 BISRA Award event in Jakarta, Wednesday (29/6/2022).

Meanwhile, Susanto Samsudin, National Director of Habitat for Humanity Indonesia who is also one of the judges for BISRA 2022, said that the number of registered institutions is growing. This is reflected in the increase in participants which is 34% higher compared to last year. “This shows that the CSR program is getting attention as well as becomes commitment for companies doing business in the country,” he said.

In BISRA 2022, there are 58 awards given, which are divided into 4 categories, namely State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN), national private companies, foreign private companies, and start-up companies. Meanwhile, the BISRA 2022 award categories are divided into three types, community empowerment, disaster management, and social and volunteerism.

The full results of the 2022 BISRA award recipients can be viewed listed on the below:

The Habitat Indonesia Office was visited by Global Jaya school students on Thursday, June 14, 2022. The purpose of this young generation’s arrival is to take action to raise funds which is one of the activities for the “Battle for Change” event. In the “Battle for Change” event, Ardeliana Abida invites friends to raise funds as a form of support for Habitat Indonesia. This action by Global Jaya students aims to build houses for low-income families in Mauk – Tangerang.

Several symbolic activities were carried out with signatures represented by Ardeliana, a student from Global Jaya School together with the National Director of Habitat Indonesia, Mr. Susanto. This symbolic event was closed with the expression of hope and the handing over of funds amounting to Rp. 32,300,000 for low-income families in Mauk. It is hoped that the funds that have been given can be used to realize the dreams of low-income families to have decent houses. With the construction of livable houses, Habitat and Global Jaya School hope to give birth to a better future generation for the nation’s future.Hopefully this caring action can be an inspiration for other young generations to be a good role model for other younger generations to emulate. Thank you Global Jaya School, a decent house for a better future generation of the nation.

Commemorating National Awakening Day as well as its 25th anniversary, Habitat for Humanity Indonesia (Habitat Indonesia) is finally holding volunteers build again after being suspended for the past two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The volunteer build with the theme “Awake! Together We Build Indonesia” was conducted by painting the houses of low-income families in three regions simultaneously in Indonesia, namely Tangerang, Surabaya and Yogyakarta.

The volunteers build which was held on Saturday (11/6/2022) is part of a series of Build event to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Habitat which will be held until December 2022. “Volunteer build is one of the main pillars of Habitat’s humanitarian mission. Before the pandemic hit, volunteers build events were always held annually by inviting and uniting the spirit of volunteers to highlight the importance of proper housing and contribute to its provision,” said Susanto as National Director of Habitat for Humanity Indonesia in a press release.

“Volunteer build which was stopped because of the pandemic, has given a life back to Habitat as we stand here today, and I feel so happy and proud,” he added. He said that the volunteer build activities usually include foundation construction, painting, and walling. This volunteer build is arranged for house painting. In Tangerang alone, there are about 30 houses and 1 school that will be painted with around 150 volunteers.

They come from various walk of life and backgrounds, such as company employees, university students, artists, entrepreneurs. Five public figures also participated in enlivening the house painting activity. They are Hans Chandra (model/artist), Josh Kunze (singer), Matthew Gilbert (model), Okky Alparessi (model), and Nadia Tjoa, Miss Face of Humanity 2022. In Surabaya and Yogyakarta alone, the volunteers build was attended by dozens of volunteers.

The painting in the three areas was carried out to create a beautiful village which is expected to make the environment neater, brighter and able to encourage people to keep their homes clean and not look slum anymore. The hope is, not only to beautify the house, but this painting to become a symbol of standing back up and changes that will make life better in the near future, especially after the pandemic.

Head of Sub-district, Mauk Arif Rahman, was grateful to Habitat, donors, and volunteers for the assistance provided. “For about 10 years, Habitat has been present here in Mauk District and has built around 800-900 housing units. In addition to providing houses, Habitat has also carried out various community empowerment programs such as training to improve the economy by forming MSME groups, providing business capital, and providing a new netizen‘s business sector that has started running in one of our villages in Margamulya Village,” explained Arif.

Arif hopes that the community empowerment program will continue to be carried out for the citizens, especially farmers, fishermen, and other public sectors, be it individually or in groups, to create a more empowered and prosperous Mauk community. “In the near future, together with the government and Habitat, we plan to turn the village into a tourist spot,” he concluded.

Subsequently, Habitat also launched its newest program, namely the construction of Rebricks houses where each brick consists of 30% non-recyclable plastic waste. The launch was marked by the construction of one house using the bricks. Development with an environmentally friendly concept is expected to be able to suppress the climate change crisis that often hits Indonesia as a tropical country.

“We hope that the construction with the concept of building houses made from recycled plastic bricks can be applied in various Habitat projects and in wider areas in Indonesia in the future,” said Susanto.

(Senin, 13 Juni 2022 | 14:16 WIB |Beritasatu.com)

Sharing and donating or any form of gifts given sincerely and voluntarily will give a sense of joy as well as the token of love for others.

There are many benefits of donating, not only for the person who receives it but also for the person who does it. This is a very noble act, but not a few are still hesitant to do it. Donations are gifts made by oneself for the benefit of others without expecting anything in return and without coercion.

There are some people who think that they themselves do not need to give donation because they are not well-off enough thus to make ends meet is a priority. There are some who are stingy and ignorant to their surroundings. However, donating or giving your hands to others can be beneficial for yourself and others. What are the benefits?

1. Benefits for yourself

• Donation is a positive activity. According to various studies, doing positive activities will increase the body’s immune system.

• Helping others will make you happier. Many people do not know that giving help to others will bring happiness to those who receive and give. Have we experienced it?

• Give life satisfaction. There is a German study that people who give more to others, will receive greater life satisfaction than people who do not give.

• Reducing stress levels. Research conducted by Johns Hopkins University and the University of Tennessee in America found that people who regularly distribute free food as a charity activity experience lower stress levels and lower blood pressure compared to those who do not give.

• Benefits for others

• Lift the burden off those who receive assistance.

• Provide motivation and enthusiasm for a better life.

• Helping to improve the immune system of the recipients.

• In a large scale, the community will grow a sense of solidarity and tendency to help one another so that social inequality can be reduced or even eliminated.

To share kindness and donate is very easy to do now because of the emergence of online registration and websites. This is one of the easiest ways to donate for any causes. Habitat for Humanity Indonesia has an easy way to donate regularly, namely by becoming a Habitat Crew. This is a donation via credit card, debit, or bank transfer. Habitat Crew participants will have the opportunity to participate in volunteer activities to build houses in the Habitat service area every year. To register, go to . You can also channel aid to those in need without having to come and face to face by visiting the website: https://dukunghabitat.org/

After understanding the benefits of donations, it would be good if you are touched to donate to those in need. Distribute your donation now by registering and or visit the website above.

Prudential Indonesia continues the Desa Maju program phase II specifically for low-income families. In this program, Prudential builds houses and public facilities in remote areas that are still underdeveloped.

President Director of Prudential Indonesia, Michellina L. Triwardhany (Dhany) said that Prudential Indonesia will build an area in Tanjung Anom Village, Mauk District, Tangerang Regency, Banten Province by collaborating with Habitat for Humanity Indonesia.

In the program, Prudential Indonesia plans to build fifty houses, two clean water access, twenty-five household toilets and gives WASH (Wash, Sanitation, and Hygiene) training. In addition, Prudential Indonesia will also build educational facilities in two schools, including a computer laboratory, school toilets, a library, and an early childhood education (PAUD) building.

“This Desa Maju Prudential program has a direct impact on improving the welfare of the community. We have distributed almost ten billion”, said Michellina in the press conference Friday (June, 10th 2022).

Desa Maju Prudential program started two years ago and collected a total donation of two billion rupiahs through community participation in PRURide Indonesia 2021 Virtual Ride.

Susanto, National Director of Habitat for Humanity Indonesia said that this program is expected to improve the quality of life of the local community, which can also increase their income.

“We hope that this initiative can build and improve the lives of low-income families in the area that is in need, through providing the decent houses, clean water access, and proper sanitation”, said Susanto.