HFH Indonesia’s Partnerships With Standard Chartered And DINARI Foundation To Help Low-Income Families

Habitat Marks First-Time Presence In Bali With Collaboration With Microfinance Institution DINARI; Stanchart To Provide Funding And Volunteers In Bekasi

JAKARTA, 12th February 2009: Partnerships are the order of the day for Habitat for Humanity Indonesia as it expands the organization’s reach to help more people in need of decent housing.

Tri Budiardjo (left), national director of HFH Indonesia and Simon Morris, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Indonesia, demonstrating partnership in action.

I Nyoman Wibawa (left), executive director of DINARI Foundation, and Jusuf Arbianto, former chairman of HFH Indonesia’s board, at the groundbreaking ceremony in Bali.

The Habitat build presented an opportunity for volunteers from Kalbe Nutritionals to be physically involved in the communities.

HFH Indonesia recently inked a memorandum of understanding with Standard Chartered Bank Indonesia in Jakarta to serve 10 low-income families with solid and affordable houses. Standard Chartered will fund 200 million rupiah (US17,180) as well as send its staff on volunteer builds with HFH Indonesia in Sukakarya, Bekasi, east of the capital Jakarta. Construction on the first house is to begin soon.

Of the partnership, Simon Morris, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Indonesia, said: “Now is the right time to give help because the need of the community is extremely felt.” Citing the direct involvement of volunteers as the trait of Habitat’s program, Tri Budiardjo, national director of HFH Indonesia, said: “We hope this collaboration could develop in the upcoming years.”

In addition, HFH Indonesia has made its first foray into the holiday island of Bali through a partnership with microfinance institution Dian Bhuana Lestari (DINARI) Foundation. A pilot initiative was launched in Desa Pangkungbuluh village in the western district of Jembrana. The partnership involves the construction or renovation of 15 homes as well as the building of a community meeting place.

Despite Bali’s reputation as an international tourist destination, pockets of poverty still exist. Bali-based DINARI was established in 1992 to address the social imbalance and environmental degradation resulting from development of the island. It has more than 9,000 clients with 75 percent of its loans being made to women.

A memorandum of understanding was signed between I Nyoman Wibawa, executive director of DINARI Foundation and HFH Indonesia’s Tri. The next day, a groundbreaking ceremony was held in Desa Pangkungbuluh village.

There are plans for HFH Indonesia to host local volunteers and Global Village teams later in 2009. Jusuf Arbianto, former chairman of HFH Indonesia’s board, is hopeful of attracting volunteers from Australia, Japan, Korea and other countries because of Bali’s appeal. In a show of support, Jusuf has donated his US10,000 Nehemiah Award to the Bali project. The HFH Indonesia board chairman was among the recipients of the Nehemiah Award given by Habitat for Humanity International’s board of directors for outstanding volunteer service.

While volunteer builds are planned for Bali, Habitat’s program in Yogyakarta was recently boosted by the voluntary efforts of Indonesian health food company Kalbe Nutritionals. More than 200 volunteers from Kalbe worked in two communities in Pakem and Kalasan subdistricts, building retaining walls and making roads compact.

Before their Habitat build, Kalbe held workshops on nutrition for babies and offered free health screening for Habitat families in Pakem.

The company’s president-director, Irawati Setiady, said: “This is one of the ways for us to exercise our core values which is touching lives. Touching lives is not only through our products consumed by the public but through physical involvement. Because we rarely experience this situation, I hope it will be an unforgettable moment for all of us.”

In response, Tri Budiardjo, national director of Habitat for Humanity Indonesia, said: “Last year, we hosted more than 1,500 volunteers and this year, we will try to reach 2,500. Your participation is significant for our volunteer program. I hope this experience will be amazing for all of you.”

In the midst of the bustle, about 100 staff and board representatives from the HFH Indonesia’s national office and affiliates took time off to bond outside of work. They spent three days in a mountain retreat outside the capital of Jakarta and engaged in creative thinking and team-building exercises, among other activities.

While at the retreat, HFH Indonesia’s national director also unveiled a more ambitious target for the future — to serve 100,000 families in five years. Under its Love Indonesia Programs, or LIPS, Tri said HFH Indonesia had set its sights on reaching 25,000 families in three years by providing solid and secure housing.