Millard Fuller in Indonesia to launch “1,000-house Campaign” & “Pengembangan Desa Swadaya”, a program to eliminate poverty housing from one community.

9th March 2004
Founder and president of Habitat for Humanity International Millard Fuller launched two bold initiatives designed to provide hundreds of low-income Indonesia families with safe, secure, affordable housing.

The launch of the “1,000 House Campaign” and “Pengembangan Desa Swadaya” were among the highlights of a three-day visit to Indonesia by Fuller, who is on a six-stop Asian tour that started in Hong Kong and takes him to East Timor, Singapore, the Philippines and Thailand.

The “1,000 House Campaign” is an ambitious program challenging corporate leaders, executives, officials, students and others to volunteer to raise funds and help build 1,000 homes for low-income families in Jakarta, Bandung, Yogya, Surabaya, Manado and Bataam by 2007.

Several corporations are set to support the effort with donations, offers of gifts in kind and by sending volunteer teams of staff to help low-income families as they build their homes. The campaign is chaired by John Jaskula, General Manager, JW Marriott Hotel Jakarta, one of Habitat’s established corporate sponsors in Indonesia.

At the same time, Habitat For Humanity Indonesia is also launching “Pengembangan Desa Swadaya”, a bold initiative to build or renovate hundreds of homes over the next few years in order to eradicate poverty housing from Sukakarya, a village community in Bekasi, east of Jakarta.

“Pengembangan Desa Swadaya” follows on flood relief work in 2002. Working in partnership with Yayasan Mitra Mandiri, an affiliate of United Way International, Yayasan Bina Masyarakat Sejahtera (a Muslim Foundation), General Motors, Exxon Mobil, Citibank, Habitat for Humanity New Zealand, the New Zealand Embassy and other partners, Habitat For Humanity Indonesia repaired and built 50 houses which were damaged by the February floods of that year. This new initiative is designed to help nearly 900 of the other households in the community in four years.

Habitat for Humanity Indonesia was founded in 1997. It carries out its work though affiliates -- independent, locally-run, non-profit, community-level groups. Each affiliate co-ordinates all aspects of Habitat home building in its area: fund raising; site selection; partner family selection and support; house construction; and mortgage servicing. There are six affiliates in Indonesia: Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Manado and Batam. New affiliates are being formed in Medan, Makassar, Bali and Kupang.

To date, Habitat has built 230 homes in Indonesia. Families are chosen to be homeowners based on their level of need. Neither race nor religion is a factor in choosing the families to become Habitat homeowners
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Among other supporters of Habitat’s work in Indonesia are: actor Ari Wibowo, PT Mattel Indonesia, Motorola, Unocal Oil Foundation, Singapore’s Alexandra Hospital, JP Morgan Chase, Zuellig Pharma, General Electric, CIGNA and American Women’s Association.

Habitat’s Fuller founded the organization in 1976 because of his belief that everyone in the world should have an affordable, safe and secure home. To date, the organization has built more than 150,000 homes, more than 22,000 in the Asia-Pacific region.

During his visit to Indonesia, Fuller made a series of speeches and held discussions with supporters and potential supporters. The purpose was to thank them for past efforts, explain the mission of Habitat, and encourage future support and participation.

He dedicated a completed house in Sukakarya and formally launched the “Pengembangan Desa Swadaya” campaign in the village on Monday, March 8.

Fuller is accompanied on his Asian tour by his wife Linda and Judy O’Bannon, the wife of the late Governor of Indiana.