USAID Madani: Strengthening Civil Society Organizations

In a dynamic democracy, the three cornerstones of democratic society—government, the private sector, and civil society—should be equally strong and vibrant. The United States and Indonesia partner to build capacity among civil society organizations (CSOs) and support their sustainability.

Since 1998, Indonesia has made significant progress to promote democratic systems and has improved public service delivery and civic participation. CSOs represent citizen interests, particularly at the local level. However, many would benefit from improved organizational management, technical expertise, internal governance, financial sustainability, and financial management. The United States is committed to supporting a strong and vibrant civil society to safeguard democracy.

USAID Madani

The USAID Madani Civil Society Support Initiative helps improve government accountability and promote community tolerance in Indonesia. USAID Madani strengthens local CSOs by improving their organizational capacity, expanding their reach and relevance, and building up sustainable means of mobilizing financial resources. The activity facilitates better collaboration between local governments, CSOs, and other partners by promoting the relationships, networks, and systems that make collaborative and engaged governance possible. USAID Madani works in 32 districts across the provinces of Banten, Central Java, East Java, South Sulawesi, West Java, and West Kalimantan.

Results

After four years, USAID Madani has:

Worked in 32 districts to improve the organizational capacity of local CSOs, contributing to the development of a vibrant, reputable, and self-reliant sub-national civil society. All but one of the 32 CSOs have mobilized new funding;
Established 32 multi-stakeholder “Learning Forums” that have engaged with 396 local CSOs that actively provide input into local governments’ policy discussions and organized community consultations to create local solutions for public service delivery issues;
Assisted local CSO partners to submit 180 policy recommendations on public service delivery, village government, natural resource management, and tolerance promotion, resulting in 102 recommendations adopted by local governments;
Encouraged 32 local governments to issue 52 local decrees to enable greater civic participation;
Supported CSO partners in securing 80 agreements with local governments, private companies, and philanthropic institutions valued at more than $700,000 to advance local priorities and support the learning forums;
Promoted communal tolerance and diversity at the grassroots level by introducing tools to combat misinformation and hate speech and to maintain an appreciation of diversity, including advancing religious tolerance through community-based interfaith dialogues;
Noted more than 80 percent of local government officials queried reported increased trust in and benefit from collaboration with CSOs; and
Provided accurate information on the COVID-19 pandemic through the AtmaGo.com social media platform, which has received 3.9 million views of 6,800 COVID-19 posts.