{"id":135,"date":"2016-09-13T00:02:22","date_gmt":"2016-09-13T00:02:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/devpolicy.org\/aidprofiles\/?p=135"},"modified":"2016-09-13T00:14:59","modified_gmt":"2016-09-13T00:14:59","slug":"aisyiyah-99-years-of-womens-empowerment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/devpolicy.org\/aidprofiles\/2016\/09\/13\/aisyiyah-99-years-of-womens-empowerment\/","title":{"rendered":"Aisyiyah: 99 years of women\u2019s empowerment"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Laura Jean McKay<\/em><\/p>\n

Ninety-nine years ago, Aisyiyah<\/strong> became\u00a0Indonesia’s first women’s organisation, and since then it has supported the economic and social empowerment of women in a large variety of ways. In recent years it has formed a strong partnership with Australia to deliver programs aimed at reducing poverty. However, the bond between Aisyiyah and Australia runs even deeper – the organisation also provided support to the survivors of the 2004 bombing at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta.<\/p>\n

Keep reading to find out more about Aisyiyah’s work on empowering women, or jump ahead to Part 2<\/a> to learn\u00a0how Aisyiyah and the embassy worked together to support survivors after the bombing.<\/p>\n

\n

\u2018This is the first time I\u2019ve held a piece of paper with information about me,\u2019 a woman tells Tri Hastuti Nur Rochimah during a village meeting in East Java, Indonesia. \u2018In my daily life I just go to the field with the paddy, with the sugar cane. So this is the first time for me.\u2019<\/p>\n

Tri is the Program Coordinator of a partnership between Aisyiyah, the most well-established women\u2019s organisation in Indonesia, and an Indonesian and Australian Government funded program, Empowering Indonesian Women for Poverty Reduction<\/a> (MAMPU). Women often tell Tri that they have had profound new educational experiences through Aisyiyah. \u2018They say, \u201cMeeting with Aisyiyah was the first time I\u2019ve had access to information on women\u2019s health\u201d,\u2019 Tri says.<\/p>\n

\"4.
Women join a reproductive health training session led by Aisyiyah. Photo: MAMPU<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n

Aisyiyah is an organisation built on firsts. It was the first women\u2019s organisation in Indonesia, acting as a conduit between people in need and governments and large organisations since 1917. It is the first port of call for many women and families needing access to education, economic and health resources, as well as the first contact point for national and local government agencies wanting to find and share information.<\/p>\n

Aisyiyah\u2019s staff and volunteers are often the first to try new information formats in order to reach more people \u2013 most recently, using social media to communicate with new audiences. Aisyiyah\u2019s programming is innovative, but their ideas are built on age-old Muslim foundations of generosity and equality.<\/p>\n

\u2018The first principle of Aisyiyah is an equal relationship,\u2019 explains Tri. \u2018We look at how to communicate with women in poverty. When we conduct training, we deconstruct our perspective of poverty and we sit together with the participants \u2013 we are the same.\u2019 Through Aisyiyah\u2019s grassroots, empathetic attitude, women in poverty are getting their voices heard by local, national and international bodies.<\/p>\n

Tri works closely with Siti Noordjanah Djohantini, a renowned women\u2019s activist and economist who has been the Chairperson of the Central Executive of Aisyiyah for the past ten years. From their offices in Jakarta, both Tri and Noordjanah wear spectacles and expressions of patience as they explain Aisyiyah\u2019s model \u2013 grassroots, all-encompassing and built on a vision of care for the people they work with.<\/p>\n

\u2018Aisyiyah was the first organisation in Indonesia to work in women\u2019s empowerment,\u2019 Noordjana says. \u2018We are a social justice organisation with a national structure. We work in provinces at district, sub-district and village levels, with women in every position: in economic social protection, education, health and women\u2019s literacy. The founders of Aisyiyah had very good ideas and perspectives about women. This is why Aisyiyah is very important.\u2019<\/p>\n\n

A long history<\/h1>\n

In 2017, Aisyiyah will celebrate its one hundredth anniversary. The organisation was formed by Nyai Ahmad Dahlan and her husband, Ahmad Dahlan, the founder of the progressive Indonesian Islamic organisation, Muhammadiyah. In an attempt to counteract the destabilising effects of Dutch colonisation on Indonesian culture, the couple conducted readings of the Quran, eventually concentrating on sections of the text that focused on women and women\u2019s issues. In 1917 they established Aisyiyah as the women\u2019s arm of Muhammadiyah, and the organisation now works in 33 provinces and over 7500 villages across Indonesia. \u2018Aisyiyah\u2019 is named for Aisha, one of the wives of the prophet Muhammad. Aisha was renowned for promoting learning and knowledge.<\/p>\n

Today, among some fifteen million members, these traditional ideas prevail in modern form. Aisyiyah staff and volunteers work to make sure that women have access to information and facilities in a swiftly changing society. Initially raising money through its members to establish small community health clinics, Aisyiyah eventually garnered support from local and national ministries. The organisation now works with national and international donors, and has established thousands of schools, including early childhood, primary and secondary schools and universities. Aisyiyah also supports health facilities including maternal and community hospitals, health centres and healthcare posts all through Indonesia \u2013 for which Aisyiyah provides funds, research and sometimes operational assistance. Over 1000 family business ventures, such as cooperatives for women\u2019s economic empowerment, also receive funding and facilitation through Aisyiyah.<\/p>\n[aesop_audio title=”Audio: Acha talks to Laura about Aisyiyah and its work” src=”http:\/\/devpolicy.org\/aidprofiles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Acha-talks-to-Laura-auphonic.mp3″ loop=”off” viewstart=”off” viewend=”on” hidden=”off”]\n\n\n

\"Acha
Acha (left) catches up with Ema, an Aisyiyah volunteer.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Coordinator of the Social Management Division of Aisyiyah, Wa Ode Asmawati, known as \u2018Acha\u2019, describes Aisyiyah as a \u2018social movement\u2019 of progressive Islam, rather than merely an organisation. According to Acha, Aisyiyah seeks to embrace modern principles and practices, including respect for women\u2019s rights, while maintaining Islamic values through community and religion.<\/p>\n

\u2018We talk about humanity, how to help others, how to care about injustice,\u2019 Acha says. \u2018I believe in these things. We have the same soul. Muhammadiyah founded Aisyiyah to care for social problems. That\u2019s the goal of Muhammadiyah, long-term. Our religion says, if you care for people, you have the faith, but if you don\u2019t care for people you are not included in the community.\u2019<\/p>\n

Despite a mandate of women\u2019s empowerment, it is unlikely that the word \u2018feminism\u2019 will come up in descriptions of Aisyiyah\u2019s work. The women\u2019s movement in Indonesia sometimes avoids the term, and in some circles the idea of feminism is met with horror, because it is associated with Western ideas. However, the suggestion that Indonesian women might not be empowered is equally rejected by Aisyiyah. Both Noordjana and Tri are passionate about the status of women\u2019s rights in their country.<\/p>\n

\u2018Are woman in Indonesia already empowered? Yes, this is in progress,\u2019 Tri explains. \u2018Since Aisyiyah was established, many women\u2019s organisations have started up, from Papua to Aceh. This is a sign that women\u2019s organisations are strong in civil society, and that women in Indonesia are empowered. But some women need assistance to get that power, and this needs to be explained to the local leaders.\u2019<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A village midwife explains how a test for cervical cancer works. Photo: Ng Swan Ti for MAMPU<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Big dreams, big future<\/h1>\n

The economic and social empowerment of women is one of the most pressing concerns in Indonesia today. Despite a high rate of literacy and increasing levels of education, the rate of maternal mortality among Indonesian women is one of the highest in the region, with 228 women per 100,00 dying of complications related to childbearing (double the South-East Asian average of 110 women per 100,000), often because they lack access to resources and information about reproductive health. In some areas, like Papua (which shares a border with Papua New Guinea), the rate is closer to 1000 women per 100,000. Indonesia has increasingly effective health systems in place, but many women living in poverty either can\u2019t access these services, or don\u2019t know how to. Limited access to information and resources like doctors and clinics is one problem. The decentralisation of government in Indonesia is another \u2013 local governments are responsible for social services that they are often not resourced to deliver or capable of delivering. Added to this is the social stigma around discussing women\u2019s reproductive health \u2013 something that is difficult to overcome. For women living in rural areas, often in cramped conditions and small communities, open conversations about childbirth, HIV and cervical and breast cancer often aren\u2019t an option.<\/p>\n

\u2018When people think of reproductive rights, we want them to think of Aisyiyah,\u2019 says Noordjana. \u2018Our dream is for Aisyiyah is to be a strong centre of reference to discuss health rights. Women are important people in the family, in the community, and nationally, so it\u2019s very important to provide information about reproductive health. But in Indonesia, most women don\u2019t have the proper information. If they had that, they would have the power to act. The problem is that sometimes local governments don\u2019t know that there are problems in the community.\u2019<\/p>\n

Aisyiyah promotes reproductive rights through many aspects of its work \u2013 including, in recent years, partnerships with international programs. Among the most successful of these partnerships is MAMPU<\/a>, a project funded by the Indonesian and Australian Governments that seeks to empower women living in poverty that was launched in 2012. Aisyiyah is one of eleven MAMPU partners throughout Indonesia whose work spans social protection, employment, migrant worker protection, reducing gender-based violence, and maternal and reproductive health. With its national connections, grassroots approach, and long history of working with women, Aisyiyah was an obvious partner for the project, specialising in maternal and reproductive health.<\/p>\n

MAMPU<\/a> is the second time that Aisyiyah has partnered<\/a>\u00a0with Australia and the aid program — the first time was during the aftermath of the 2004 Australian embassy bombing, when Aisyiyah ran the Victim Assistance Program with the embassy (you can read more on this collaboration in Part 2<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\"Women <\/a>
Women get free health checks with Aisyiyah in Central Java. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"A <\/a>
A test for cervical cancer in one of Aisyiyah\u2019s clinics, supported by the MAMPU project. <\/div> <\/div>
\"Women <\/a>
Women join Aisyiyah\u2019s leadership training. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Women <\/a>
Women join one of Aisyiyah\u2019s reproductive health training sessions. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Marie \u2018Astrid\u2019 Wijaya is the Partner Engagement Officer at MAMPU. She works closely with Aisyiyah staff and volunteers. Astrid explains that the MAMPU model encourages capable program partners like Aisyiyah to take responsibility for design and decision-making, with guidance, monitoring and technical assistance, rather than direction, from MAMPU.<\/p>\n

\u2018MAMPU is different from other programs,\u2019 Astrid explains. \u2018The relationship between donor and partners is not that of a client, where the donor has a blueprint that the client follows. [Instead,] our relations are equal. Aisyiyah likes this method of work very much because they have space for creation.\u2019<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

MAMPU, which draws on the strength of well-established community organisations like Aisyiyah and also engages the authority and financial resources of the Indonesian and Australian Governments, is already making a big difference. In the last few years, Noordjana has noted real changes in the communities that Aisyiyah works in.<\/p>\n

\u2018Since the MAMPU program began, there has been a change in perspective about reproductive health,\u2019 Noordjana says. \u2018Local leaders, families and men now know about equal relations and women\u2019s health.\u2019<\/p>\n

As part of the MAMPU program, Aisyiyah encourages women to breastfeed, access health facilities and use contraceptives, and to get regular pap smears and breast cancer checks. In order to get information out, Aisyiyah works directly with women, their families and local and national leaders. They produce books, pamphlets, web content and social media messages. They work in diverse areas, from tiny villages to the bustling city of Banda Aceh, where the spread of fundamentalist Islamic beliefs and practices poses new challenges for the progressive organisation. They draw from their existing foundations and contacts through their alignment with Muhammadiyah. Along with this, Aisyiyah and other MAMPU partners navigate the often rewarding, sometimes difficult terrain of cross-cultural relationships with big international donors, such as the Australian Government, as well as local and national arms of the Indonesian Government. Despite these challenges, Aisyiyah has reached 8580 women through the MAMPU program, and trained over 1000 local leaders.<\/p>\n

Managing communication on so many levels and with so many people must be exhausting, but when asked, Tri exclaims with great energy:<\/p>\n

\u2018We should be tired, but we\u2019re strong! Because in our strategy we have big dreams to collaborate with everyone. We have many resources from a national level through to villages, so we share the burden. We have a dream that, through progressive Islam, woman and men will be equal. When we work with women in our program, we say: \u201cPoverty is our problem \u2013 not just your problem but our problem\u201d.\u2019<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As Aisyiyah looks to the future, it draws from structural lessons learned through collaborations such as the MAMPU program, and explores ways to make its successes sustainable. It won\u2019t be easy, but Aisyiyah has already weathered a tumultuous century, through colonisation, changing governments and shifting societal norms.<\/p>\n

\u2018As long as humans are alive, they will have problems,\u2019 Acha reflects. \u2018So, Aisyiyah should provide services, focus on empowerment, and provide assistance. We should make sure it will be sustained for the future. Not just one century but for two or even four.\u2019<\/p>\n

Aisyiyah has a lot to celebrate, with 99 years of women\u2019s empowerment behind it, and a bright future ahead.<\/p>\n

Keep reading to hear how Aisyiyah and Australia worked together to support those injured in the 2004 bombing of the Australian embassy in Jakarta.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

<\/i>Part 2 – Aisyiyah and the Kuningan bombing<\/a>\n

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