USAID/Indonesia Efforts in Promoting an Interfaith Dialogue

USAID remains engaged with local leaders and organizations to support their efforts in promoting messages consistent with local cultural and religious values in Indonesia. While Indonesia remains culturally and linguistically quite diverse, its religious composition is 86 percent Muslim. As such, USAID keenly understands the importance of remaining sensitive to the values, norms and traditions of Indonesia’s Muslim communities. It is fair to say that these cultural aspects are consciously considered whenever USAID/Indonesia undertakes the design of a new development program, and remain at the forefront during project implementation. In this way, all of our programs promote dialogue with the Muslim communities to address their needs and work with them to help improve their lives. Beyond that, the Jakarta Mission has undertaken efforts within all five of our strategic objectives specifically aimed at promoting interfaith dialogue. Among those activities are:

DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE

Youth Jamboree for Peace:

YKPM is developing a youth camp where young people of different faiths in Banggai District, Central Sulawesi, can come together to participate in sports, the arts, cultural activities and more. Banggai District is recovering from years of conflict and faces challenges in many areas -- economic development, dramatic demographic changes, increased cultural, and religious and ethnic mistrust -- all of which could lead to new conflicts. Demographically, the district is very young and YKPM intends to increase communication and interaction among youth groups in the area as the key to establishing and sustaining the roots of a peaceful future.

Pamona Idol: Integration of IDP youth into their new community:

Lembata Cultural Center is reaching out to the nearly 854 Christian and Muslim youth living in Pamona and Poso. The Center has organized an informal talent show, “Pamona Idol” (based on the popular American Idol television series) in which Christian and Muslim young people pair up to perform song and dance routines. During and after the Poso conflict, Pamona sub-district received more internally displaced people (IDP) than any other sub-district. Although the conflict occured nearly 10 years ago, IDP families still have not fully integrated into the community, and it has been especially difficult for youth and young adults who were children during this relocation process.

Youth Exchange Home Stay:

Sixty youth (20 in each district) will participate in a cross community exchanges in the form of "home stays". Participants from the Muslim community will stay in the home of Christian participant and vice versa. The main goal of this activity is to establish channels of communication between two communities (specifically the youth) who have been involved in or affected by the Poso discord and previously had little communication with one another, and/or may have viewed one another with fear or contempt. Through this activity, the participants are expected to breakdown prejudice and misconceptions that come from ignorance of another community’s faith or culture.

Conflict Management Training:

This community-based program in Bener Meriah (Aceh) supports the establishment of multi-ethnic working groups to meditate communal conflict and facilitate community education forums. KontraS Aceh will conduct a three-day conflict management training for thirty-five (35) women participating in the multiethnic working groups. KontraS Aceh will use a tailored training specific to the conflict dynamics of Bener Meriah that draw on conflict experiences unique to the area.

EDUCATION

Madrassahs and Pesentrans:

The most innovative education reforms in Indonesia are those being carried out by Islamic institutions. Almost 90% of Islamic schools are privately funded and enjoy strong community support. Girls make up a large portion of the student body because parents often send their sons to state schools and daughters to Islamic ones for security and financial reasons. Gender roles result in women having an important role in religious education of children and thus are given more extensive Islamic teaching. Madrassas and pesantrans are affordable and in an increasingly globalized world, parents wish to reinforce traditional values, similar to American parents who chose private over public schools. Madrassas have few resources, weak capacity, and need assistance. USAID provides technical support to teachers and helps them improve their teaching performance. Interactive classrooms, lesson planning, and assessments lead to improved student achievement in math, science, and language arts. Also, school committees help administrators implement curriculum development standards and school budget plans that lead to better funded and supported schools.

Children With Disabilities:

Technical support is also provided to improve the quality of education for children with disabilities (CWD). The HKI program has sensitized teachers, students, and the community of the need to provide instruction and services to CWD. As of to date, USAID project has helped 4,000 children with disabilities and provide training to 2,200 teachers in implementing inclusive education practices.

HEALTH

HIV Prevention and Stigma Reduction:

During the 2009/10 school year, students attending Islamic middle schools in East Java Province will begin learning about HIV prevention and stigma reduction. By the end of November 2009, about 260 religious-based middle schools of the Muhammadiyah Islamic organization integrated HIV curricula into three Grade 7 subjects. To support this effort, more than 750 teachers received training to use the curricula. Indonesia’s largest religious organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, is expected to incorporate an HIV curriculum into its 535 high schools in East Java next year. USAID and PEPFAR funded Health Policy Initiative helped to develop the curricula in partnership with the two prominent Islamic organizations. In the high-HIV prevalence province of East Java, Islamic leaders have committed to conducting jihad—faith-based struggle—against the virus itself rather than those affected by HIV. This commitment goes beyond simply speaking out against HIV and stigma. By incorporating HIV curricula into Islamic schools, religious leaders have taken active steps to educate young people about HIV prevention and encourage compassion toward those living with HIV, which will have a long-term impact on community attitudes and behaviors.

Muhammadiyah Partnership in Controlling Avian Invluenza:

The USAID-funded Community-Based Avian Influenza Control Project (CBAIC) formed a partnership with Muhammadiyah in mid-2006 to respond to the threat of deadly H5N1 avian influenza (AI) in the country. Muhammadiyah is the second largest Islamic organization in Indonesia, with 29 million members. This faith-based organization supports and implements a diversity of social and educational initiatives across the country, including protecting and improving public health. CBAIC-trained Muhammadiyah master trainers have helped develop a community-based network of volunteer AI coordinators numbering more than 12,400 across seven provinces. Community empowerment facilitators (CEF) have helped mobilize more than 150 communities in West Java province to reduce the risk of AI transmission to people and animals. Muhammadiyah has also taken the initiative and developed and implemented other AI control activities including a hand washing with soap campaign and a mass vaccination of backyard poultry against H5N1.