Susila Dharma International - News & Resources

What's New - March 2006 archived stories

ACEH, INDONESIA PRESCHOOL REOPENS (March 2006)
From Marmitasari Prawoto

It is with great pleasure I inform you all that the preschool rebuilt after the tsunami is ready!
They extend their gratitude although it took several months to finish it due to unfriendly weather and problems in getting the materials needed . This is really an achievement because I hear from some far bigger NGOs that they are having difficulty building anything in Aceh due to lack of material and manpower.
It will be officially opened in June with a little ceremony according to the local custom. Thanks to Subud Crestone, CO for funding this preschool.

BORNEO INTERNATIONAL NEWS (March 2006)
Borneo International has enlarged their partnerships under the new name of “Gunung Mas Sumber Sejahtera” (GMSS). Their March newsletter introduces the team, and outlines the project’s vision. GMSS has been appointed to the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil in Indonesia for their work with the smallholders who own 40% of the plantations, and for their programs to address multicropping and awareness of social issues in the Kalimantan agricultural community.
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ANISHA'S RURAL PROJECT IN INDIA (March 2006)
From Valli Krishnaswamy, Director

Anisha recently began work on a new project in the rural setting of Kollegala Taluk, Chamarajnagar District in the South of Karnataka. The problems there are similar in many ways to our work in the slums of Bangalore, but are specific to the different conditions found in this poverty-stricken agricultural area. Most people live by farming on small plots of land three months of the year. These farms are almost entirely dependent upon rainfall, and most farmers actually earn less than they spend on these plots. As a result, they have to work on other farms the rest of the year, displacing other laborers who migrate to the cities. The challenge is to enhance agricultural productivity in rain fed regions and ensure food security.
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SUSILA DHARMA INDONESIA BENEFIT CONCERT (March 2006)
A concert by soprano Cherie Valaray and pianist Ary Sutedja was held in Goethe Institute, Jakarta. The Sydney International Cultural Centre produced this event to benefit the social welfare projects of Susila Dharma Indonesia. The concert was attended by the Hungarian ambassador and Ibu Rahayu and family. Journalists from newspapers, magazines and television covered this event.
Although this event was prepared in a short time, it was very successful! Thank you to Cherie, Ary and of course The Sydney International Cultural Centre and their team, the McKingley family.

Front left to right: Ariana Susanti, Chair of SD Indonesia, Cherie Valaray and Olvia Reksodipoetro, Chair of Yayasan Usaha Mulia.

IRDN TO BECOME A DIVISION OF YUM (March 2006)
From Olvia Reksodipoetro, Chairperson, YUM

The Foundation for Noble Work (Yayasan Usaha Mulia or “YUM”) and the Indonesia Relief and Development Network (IRDN) have announced their intention to merge. IRDN will become a division of YUM and the merge will be mutually beneficial and cost efficient. Due to its reputable and trustworthy history, IRDN will retain its name (as a division of YUM), its identity, and its own bank account. YUM has four projects in Java, and IRDN has three projects in Kalimantan and one in Aceh.

Why merge?
Following the new laws on foundations, many small NGOs in Indonesia will have to merge or change their legal status. In these new laws, foundations are treated almost like companies: they have to pay taxes, have audited accounts published in a newspaper, send a yearly report and audit to the minister of justice, and other such corporate requirements. These new laws have been put into effect because of the misuse of foundations during the Soeharto era. IRDN’s projects are too small to support any additional administration costs since IRDN only retains 15% for its overhead expenses from its projects' budgets.

By combining forces, both YUM and IRDN can meet the laws' requirements more easily as the 15% overhead from all combined projects (YUM + IRDN) will provide just enough funds to pay for full-time staff (Executive Director, accountant, and secretary), professionally able to handle their tasks.

Dr. Sinto remains as the Project Coordinator for IRDN but wishes to reduce the number of hours committed to the projects. Thus, the Executive Director of YUM will assist in handling all administrative functions while Dr. Sinto concentrates on the substance of projects, liaising with the health ministry, etc.

The two foundations already have a track record of working well together, as proven by the successful collaboration on YUM’s Aceh Community Center.

A CHILD’S GARDEN OF PEACE FILM ON NATIONAL TELEVISION (March 2006)
A film on the children’s environmental project “A Child’s Garden of Peace” will be shown as part of “Natural Heroes.” This is the first national television series of independent films on the environment, developed by GreenTreks Network and KRCB Public Television. The film documents Brazilian children creating a community garden. For information on ordering a DVD of this program, go here.

SUBUD PORTLAND, OREGON RAISES FUNDS FOR SCHOOL GENERATOR (March 2006)
Members of the Subud group in Portland, Oregon have made a commitment to raising funds for Susila Dharma Projects. $2600 is being sent to Lemba Imbu School in Dem. Republic Congo to purchase a generator which will both provide electricity to school rooms and power the first Internet connectivity in the enclave! A folk music concert is being planned for future project funding. For more information on Lemba Imbu School, go here.

WELCOME TWO NEW SDI ASSOCIATE MEMBERS! (March 2006)
Susila Dharma International welcomes two projects to our network, both located in Kalimantan, Indonesia:

Bina Cita Utama: The name “Bina Cita Utama” means to nurture ideals, hopes and ambitions which are of the highest standing. The vision of the school is to develop a high quality learning environment and address the need in Central Kalimantan for education. In so doing the school will be a model for future schools in the province. BCU’s target populations are students from Palangkaraya city and villages around Rungan Sari. BCU School is the only National Plus School in the province. These schools use bilingual (English and Indonesian) and multicultural curriculum.

Borneo International: Members of Borneo International have been assisting smallholders in Kalimantan with technical, engineering and financial advice over the past three years. The original co-operative involves 27 community members and their families but their network of community and family connections is much more extensive. Borneo International assists small farmers to develop sustainable practices in oil palm cultivation, multi-cropping, value added palm oil products, biodiesel refining technologies, essential oil distillation and marketing. This is aimed at supporting smallholders in developing sustainable livelihoods. January newsletter available here.