From Penang to Bandung: A Shared Commitment by IofC Indonesia and AKASHA 

Skolah Rekonsiliasi (SR) again joined a biennial gathering of "Life-Centered" practitioners. in Penang from 14 to 16 August 2026, hosted by the AKASHA Learning Companionship Association. The event, titled “The 3rd National Life-Centered Accompaniment Consultation Programme (NCP)”, took place in Penang, Malaysia from 14 - 16 August 2026, bringing together volunteers from Malaysia and Indonesia to reflect, share insights, stories, and life experiences, and to do strategic planning for the future. 

(Group photo with participants of the 3rd National Life-Centered Accompaniment Consultation Programme (NCP))

SR grew out of AKASHA's inspiration in 2014 and has become one of IofC Indonesia's flagship programmes. It is the only IofC Indonesia programme that is stable, financially independent, and has many beneficiaries in multiple cities across the country. AKASHA's mentorship reached further than SR alone. Through it, IofC Indonesia obtained legal status as an organisation, began building board members, and improved how it manages volunteers.

The NCP is an important space for listening to one another and for mutual encouragement. The most important outcome of the meeting was a commitment that whatever shape the relationship between AKASHA and IofC International takes now, SR will carry on with its work. The work is a vocation answering human needs and it does not depend on any administrative relationship between organisations.

(Sharing Session)

The Indonesian volunteers at NCP were Huda, Nenden, and Hayati. They shared what has been done in Indonesia and how they are continuing "Life-Centered" work in the Indonesian context, with everything that context involves. The visit left the Indonesian team with a clearer sense of what serious institutional management, team development, and long-term sustainability actually require.

Coming out of NCP, the Indonesian team will take the building of a healthier organisation more seriously, introduce a membership system, and prepare for two International Conferences in collaboration with AKASHA: one in Penang in 2027 and the second in 2029 which will be hosted by IofC Indonesia.

Writer : Hayati Syafii 

Editor : Ari Budi S

Proofreader : Mike Lowe