A Week of Reflection, Connection, and Purpose

IofC Indonesia Weekly Update #5

Hello and good morning from Indonesia. In this fifth edition of the Update from Indonesia, I am writing in a serene and hopeful Ramadan atmosphere.

The world has not changed much; it remains chaotic and is even getting more chaotic. There is always surprising news, from the Epstein File to the plunging price of gold. It does not really affect daily life, but the news, which is almost entirely bad news, is quite disturbing.

That is okay, it is all part of life's journey, which of course happens by God's will. We all certainly must learn from all this chaos not to join in being chaotic and destroying the world. Precisely in the midst of this world's chaos, we need to promote the absolute IofC values even harder as a high standard for our lives so that our personal quality continues to improve. Nothing is absolute in this world, but remembering it as a process of idealism in the middle of a chaotic world is very important.

Learning every day, continuously trying to be better every day, and little by little continuing to take change initiatives from small things to big things. Starting from simple initial steps, then that hope will always be there.

After the Circle of Peace in Bandung was completed, part of the team continued their journey to Yogyakarta to hold the next Circle of Peace. The team started to feel exhausted, and one of them had to really rest. The team made adjustments, and thankfully everything continued to run smoothly. The participants, who were mainly academics and parents, still left an extraordinary impression and atmosphere. All the stories shared were always inspiring.

Before the Circle of Peace began, the team visited the Yogyakarta Palace to see and experience Indonesian traditions and culture, especifically Central Java, which is different from Bandung in West Java. Indonesia is culturally very rich; a distance of just six hours from Bandung by train already provides a vastly different atmosphere.

While the team was conducting activities in Yogyakarta, I received guests including a student from the Reconciliation School who lives in Bali. She visited Rumah Damai with her partner from England. We discussed and played cards, which led to their decision to buy our cards and make a donation in our eye-catching donation box. Thank you for visiting and donating; all of this means a lot to us.

Not long after that, my WhatsApp notification rang. I received a message from the Head of HR at Jodamo who wanted to discuss training plans for all their staff. They wanted to have a more intensive discussion at Rumah Damai while breaking their fast. It seems Rumah Damai will be a place for them to gather in a more meaningful way.

After the Circle of Peace in Yogyakarta finished, the team continued their journey to Jakarta.  The team from Bandung, also set off for Jakarta. We gathered there to hold a Saturday Gathering with the beneficiaries of IofC and some of them shared the impact of participating in IofC programs on their lives.

(IofC Indonesia alumni sharing their program impact at the Saturday Gathering : Alifa, Athaya, Anggie, Dhuha, Meir)

Alifa, who has been involved with IofC since the Asia Pacific Youth Conference in 2016 and helped as an executive team member in 2019-2020, consistently participates in IofC programs every year, such as the Family Camp. Finally, this February, she participated in the CoP program. She shared how the CoP session made her realize the importance of maintaining the relationship between a daughter and her mother.

Then, there was a participant from the Trustbuilding program who shared that after participating in TBP, she felt that every human being in this world has the right to live and support their life.

There is also Anggy, who has been participating in the School of Reconciliation program for eight years. This year, she felt that the SR has accompanied almost all phases of her life, even during the toughest phase last year when she had to undergo dangerous heart surgery and successfully made it through. SR not only helped her make peace with herself and her family but also helped her become a more functional parent and she learnt to be a better person every day. Anggy is also committed to continuing the SR classes in the future.

In addition to the SR participants, there was also Dhuha, who initiated the Men Talk program, which is a special program for men to learn and serve as a safe space to share their feelings and roles in the family and society. This is important because one of the problems in Indonesia is the lack of healthy spaces for men to learn about healthy masculinity and discuss their anxieties more deeply. According to Dhuha's research, although many women have intentions to end their lives, the suicide rate among men is actually higher. We invite every man who is of age to join and build a healthy support system.

Lastly, there was Meir who presented a new IofC program, Teacher for Changes. We have a one-day training formula for teachers and school staff regarding the importance of experiencing diversity in the school environment and knowledge about unconscious pedagogy. This is a collaborative program between Trustbuilding and the Reconciliation School. In 2025, we successfully held this program in three schools, and we hope that in 2026 we will be able to visit even more schools, including At Tahririyah School in Madura, East Java.

The entire series of the Saturday Gathering ended with a dinner together at a restaurant that has been a gathering place for IofC people since the 2000s. It really brought back nostalgia!

The next day, we held a National Consultation Meeting. Board members and the IofC Indonesia executive team gathered to develop strategies and a comprehensive understanding of the strengths, needs, goals, and outcomes that IofC Indonesia wants to achieve over the next 15 years.

(Rinni Meir leading the sustainability strategy discussion at the National Consultation Meeting)

This discussion was not just about the rent for Rumah Damai, but also about the sustainability of two important things: the organization and the organism. Organizationally, we need the right system. Meanwhile, as an organism, we need a strong and committed team so that a massive impact can be achieved soon for this increasingly dying country. Thus, the life expectancy and inner well-being of Indonesian citizens can continue to be improved.

For all IofC friends who want to help IofC Indonesia, there are three things that need support:

  1. Rumah Damai. As the center, headquarters, and source of strength so that the foundation of the institution can stand tall, our voices are heard, and we make an impact.

  2. Full-timers and Volunteers. Similar to social workers in non-profit organizations who do extraordinary work with massive impacts, full-timers live very simple lives. Their well-being needs attention and adequate compensation so that programs and their management can be run as well as possible.

  3. Program Participation. All programs organized by IofC Indonesia are very affordable and must be accessible to all groups. We never take financial profit from program fees. In fact, the committee often dips into their own pockets because our priority is making a real impact.

Therefore, if any of you want to be part of this movement and want this movement to continue, support us in these three areas. Support can be in the form of monetary donations, goods, or energy and time to help run the programs.

After the strategic meeting ended, we continued with a farewell event with the CoPEx Australia team. The atmosphere was very emotional and highly memorable. Zohra, Rozita, Judy, and Kush shared their experiences during their time in Indonesia. Not to forget, they also made the atmosphere livelier with various fundraising ideas for us, starting from buying up IofC products, the super-fast t-shirt making process that left them amazed, to auctioning off a knitted bag made by Kush.

(CoP Australia Team sharing their Indonesia experience and auctioning Kush’s hand-knitted bag)

(Rozita contributing to the fundraising initiative by coordinating CoP t-shirt sales and assisting supporters from Australia)

As of the writing of this text, the total funds collected for the Rumah Damai rent are:

  •  2,586,000 Rupiah

  •  700 Australian Dollars

  •  100 Singapore Dollars

  •  100 Indian Rupees

  •  50,000 Vietnamese Dong

  •  50 Philippine Pesos

  •  250 Thai Baht

We are just a group of young people who want their country to keep improving from the trauma of colonialism, corruption, and injustice. Indonesia is a Muslim-majority country with a democratic system that has many good things, but also many flaws and problems.

This year is very special because Valentine's Day, Chinese New Year, and the month of Ramadan occur close together. Hopefully, all these celebrations of love can give us a little optimism in living life.

We cannot walk alone, our spirit and efforts need support from various parties, so become a part of this movement and support us wholeheartedly. 

Let us continue to pray and try! Believe me, God will always be with those of us who are always on His path.

That is all for the Update from Indonesia. Thank you for your attention and willingness to read all the news from us!

Writer : Nenden Prawira

Editor and Translator : Ari Budi S

Proofreading : Peter Heyes