CIAO DATE: 11/2010
October 2010
Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies
Avian influenza, or ‘bird flu’, has been detected in Indonesia since 2003 but it was not until 2005 that the first human cases were discovered. It is estimated that economic losses caused by this virus in Indonesia have reached US$470 million, and disrupted the livelihoods of over 10 million people dependent on the poultry industry. The Government of Indonesia has coordinated government and non-government programmes in efforts to control avian influenza in Indonesia. However, it has encountered certain constraints which resulted in a gap between policy and implementation. This allowed non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to play significant roles in terms of providing financial resources and social capital. This paper explores the role adopted by Muhammadiyah (a faith-based NGO) at the government and grassroots level. It studies Muhammadiyah’s effectiveness in transferring information to the community and in advocacy to the government during the avian influenza crisis. It also describes the experiences of Muhammadiyah and its approach to programme implementation through two of its projects, in Bantul, Central Java, and in Tangerang, Banten.
Resource link: The Role of NGOs in Combating Avian Influenza in Indonesia: A Muhammadiyah Case Study [PDF] - 510K