Indonesia

World Vision is committed to partnering with the people of Indonesia to improve their lives today and to help enact sustainable solutions for the future of their children, families, and communities. World Vision’s child sponsorship program plays a vital role in this partnership, with donors from the United States sponsoring more than 16,300 girls and boys. In addition to sponsorship, World Vision operates other programs that benefit communities in Indonesia. Highlights include:

• Responding to natural disasters and assisting communities with rebuilding homes.
• Improving health and nutrition in communities.
• Raising HIV and AIDS awareness and working with at-risk youths to reduce infection rates.

World Vision assistance in Indonesia dates back to 1957.  Child sponsorship began in 1961. Since then, some major accomplishments include:

• Providing food to reduce malnutrition and assisting the survivors of the Bali volcanic eruption with food, clothing, and medical supplies during the 1960s.
• Constructing schools for literacy programs and improving health care and agricultural development during the 1970s.
• Offering education and vocational training in sewing, carpentry, and typing, as well as opening health clinics in the 1980s.
• Addressing the needs of the urban poor, as well as providing food, health education, food-for-work opportunities, schooling, and training for entrepreneurs since the 1990s.
• Helping survivors of the 2004 tsunami and other recent disasters with food, clothing, medical supplies, access to clean water, and other necessities.

Geography and people

With 17,000 islands and islets in Southeast Asia, Indonesia is the biggest archipelago in the world. The largest islands include Sumatra, Java (the most populous), and Bali.

Indonesia has 100 active volcanoes, as well as interior mountains, lush forests, and numerous rivers. The lava’s residual ash contributes to soil fertility and plant growth. Natural resources include petroleum, tin, natural gas, nickel, timber, bauxite, copper, coal, gold, silver, and fertile soil.

Nearly half of the country’s workforce is engaged in agriculture and fishing. Products include rice, cassava, peanuts, rubber, cocoa, and coffee.

Indonesia’s national motto is “unity in diversity.” The people are proud that despite hundreds of ethnic groups, they are united as one nation. Javanese, Sundanese, and Madurese represent majority ethnic groups. Although the official language is Bahasa Indonesia, Indonesians speak more than 580 other languages and dialects.

Indonesia’s many different cultures have their own customs; however, most rural people do not celebrate birthdays. Also, many children have arranged marriages. The minimum legal age to marry is 18 for girls and 21 for boys; women in rural areas usually marry by age 20.

History

The Dutch began to colonize Indonesia in the early 17th century. From 1942 to the end of World War II, Japan occupied the country. Indonesia declared its independence from the Dutch in 1945, but did not gain autonomy until 1949 after four years of negotiation with the Netherlands.

After decades under an oppressive government, Indonesia held free elections in 1999. The country is the third-largest democracy in the world today.

On December 26, 2004, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake centered off Sumatra’s west coast caused a powerful tsunami in the Indian Ocean that affected 12 countries. In Indonesia, hundreds of thousands of people died and more than 500,000 were displaced.

In 2005, the government reached a peace agreement with separatists in Aceh, an area on the northern edge of Sumatra. Today, another group of separatists—the Free Papua Movement—continue to resist the government’s control.

Two massive earthquakes in 2009 killed about 100 people in West Java and 1,000 in Western Sumatra. Another earthquake and tsunami killed over 100 people in October of 2010, and a volcanic eruption that same month killed nearly 150 people and displaced over 107,000 people.

Please pray for:

Political peace and stability in the country.

The many children who live in a challenging environment with limited access to healthcare and education.