Celebrating long-years partnership between NLR Indonesia and Liliane Foundation

The partnership intends to create an environment where children with disabilities know their rights and develop their potentials. NLR Indonesia manages projects funded by Liliane Foundation which are implemented on the ground by local partner organisations.

NLR Indonesia has managed several projects, like PADI (Indonesian Children With Disability Priority Project), My Body Is Mine (MBIM) project and Down Syndrome Project. For each project there are three levels of target intervention.

First, the projects have been addressing the needs and the rights of children especially those with disabilities. At knowledge level, the children beneficiaries have learnt how to protect their bodies both at schools and in their neighborhood. Their peers respect and provide support for children with disabilities when needed. Here, they learn about sexual reproductive health, parts of the body worth protecting, and mutual respect. Some children with disabilities have even been able to voice out their rights to education and better living in major events.

At target schools, sexual reproductive health education has been inserted into their curriculum. Selected teachers have been equipped with proper knowledge on sexual reproductive health issues. They joined sessions on teaching children with disabilities. This has ensured sustainability.

Secondly, the projects have improved the knowledge and capacities among the local partner organisations. As front-liners on the ground, these organisations have been equipped with proper project management skills which support the project implementation. They are also made knowledgeable to bringing up issues of children with disabilities to parents, teachers and policy makers.

Lastly, the projects advocate a change in the society that is friendly to children with disabilities. Some guidelines and policies have been developed to accommodate the needs and rights of children with disabilities. Public elementary and junior high schools in the projects’ areas start to accept children with disabilities. Community health centers (puskesmas) support the sexual reproductive health education. Issues on the needs and the rights of children with disabilities have been disseminated through researches, workshop and webinars that involved policy makers, universities, private sectors and media. Affirmative actions on internship by young people with down syndrome are taken in order to develop practical guidelines for wider use.

The NLR Indonesia – LF partnership has yielded promising results for children beneficiaries and partner organisations. However, the needs are still huge with around 3 million children with disabilities (0-18 years old) across the nation (based on Susenas data, 2018).

The new partnership between NLR Indonesia and Liliane Foundation will hopefully multiply the strategic results for the best interest of children with disabilities.