In Indonesia, CRS helps thousands of people by providing supplies such as food and temporary shelter following disasters. Combining its expertise in multiple areas and working with its partners, CRS is helping communities identify potential risks, prepare for emergencies, and better cope with situations when they occur.

Through innovative peace building programs such as the annual Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute in The Philippines, CRS is addressing the cultural and religious divisions that prohibit growth and destabilize lives.

CRS focus on creating government-licensed, formal Microfinance Institutions ensures that poor entrepreneurs, most of whom are women, have access to much needed small loans for many years to come.

CRS health programs target children under five and women of reproductive age with activities in water and sanitation, supplemental feeding, and health education.

NEAR’s goal is to enhance community resilience throughout Indonesia. Achieving this goal will change the face of emergency programming as local communities will be better prepared to assess and address their own problems with reduced assistance from outside sources.

Local organizations throughout Indonesia, including Yayasan IDEP Foundation, have joined with CRS to increase our collective capacity to respond to crises. Through workshops and other activities developed by CRS, these organizations are learning how to identify their community’s unique vulnerabilities and local crisis indicators.

At the community level, activities such as awareness campaigns, community meetings, and the distribution of literature on early warning systems are helping to build individual capacity to respond to crisis and ensure that safety measures are well understood by everyone.