“Village authorities are often perceived as incompetent and corrupt because their relationships with ordinary citizens are weak.” — Suara Kita
73,000
Villages in Indonesia
10,289
Citizens living in Tunjungtirto, the project's pilot village
October 2015 End date
August 2016
Issue
Indonesia transitioned to a democracy in 1998, and has since demonstrated strong commitment to the values openness and transparency, most notably in 2011 signing on as one of the founding countries of the Open Government Partnership.
However corruption remains rife, and last year Indonesia ranked 107 out of 175 countries according to Transparency International's index measuring how corrupt countries’ public sectors are perceived to be.
Participation of ordinary citizens in decision-making processes is low, and women's voices remain largely absent from public forums.
The country's new village law, passed in 2014, provides new opportunities for citizens to engage in local governance issues and for local leaders to govern in a more open, transparent and responsive way.
Project
“Suara Kita” (Our Voice) empowers ordinary women to play a role in the shaping of policies and programmes and promotes transparent and accountable relations between village leaders and ordinary citizens.
The project focusses on Tunjungtirto Village and through SMS surveys, and consultative meetings, aims to increase the participation of women in Tunjungtirto Village's annual planning meeting known as "MosDes."
Through aggregating and reporting on this feedback, the project will provide leaders with greater insight into the issues and concerns of women within the village, and new ideas on how to address these.
Partner
The Women and Youth Development Institute of Indonesia (WYDII) is aimed at empowering women and youth to value their individuality, and to facilitate their active membership in society.
Since 2009, WYDII has given training – in civic education, environmental awareness, participatory leadership, media engagement, and election campaigning – to more than 800 women and young people.