Water for Women - Indonesia

Embedding equity in integrated water management and community-based total sanitation for climate resilience

From 2023 to 2024 Water for Women partnered Yayasan Plan International Indonesia, Plan International Australia and partners to deliver CERIA — Climate-Resilient and Inclusive WASH in Indonesia to reach 23,216* people living in provinces of Nusa Tenggara Timur and Nusa Tenggara Barat. This project was an extension of WASH and Beyond – Transforming Lives in Eastern Indonesia (2018 to 2022) which reached 929,111* people. This Water for Women project finished delivery in December 2024.

Partner: Plan International Australia and Yayasan Plan International Indonesia

Locations: Manggarai and Sumbawa, Indonesia

Focus areas: Inclusive community-led development, multistakeholder partnerships and capacity-building, integrated water management, and improved sanitation

Plan International contributed significantly to shaping policies in Indonesia that support climate-resilient and inclusive WASH at local and national levels. A major achievement supported by Plan International’s Water for Women team was the realisation of open defecation free status in both Manggarrai and Sumbawa during their Phase 1 project (2018-22).

Throughout the Extension Phase (2023-24), the Climate-Resilient and Inclusive WASH (CERIA) project focused on building sustainability by ensuring that climate-resilient and inclusive WASH solutions were integrated into local governance development priorities, including budget commitments for support beyond the project. There were also notable improvements in WASH systems and services as a result.

Gender equality, disability, and social inclusion (GEDSI) was integrated into community-based total sanitation (STBM) policies at the village and district levels and considered in the revision of the Ministry of Health regulation, which includes menstrual health and hygiene (MHH). GEDSI is now a key factor in the development of WASH policies and the five-year STBM strategy (SSK), including GEDSI transformative monitoring and planning. MHH is part of the WASH in Schools curriculum, with a dedicated module endorsed by the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education and Culture, and the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

WASH and development planning at the village and district levels involved diverse community representation, including women’s organisations and organisations for people with disabilities (OPDs). Active engagement of diverse representatives contributed to more inclusive WASH strategies and strengthened climate resilience. This is reflected in the SSK, Regional Action Plan for Climate Change Adaptation (RAD API), waste management plans, climate-resilient WASH action plans of villages, schools, and healthcare centres, and the continued work of the Integrated Water Management Forums (IWM Forum) that were established with support from the project.

Mangrove planting in an effort to mitigate and adapt to climate change together with communities of people with disabilities (Yayasan Plan International Indonesia/Anton Susilo)

In total, 952,327 people were reached over the seven years of Plan International’s project. During the final two year Extension Phase, this included 23,216* gaining improved access to climate-resilient inclusive WASH. 

An additional 480, 581 people have indirectly benefitted.

The project also supported increased inclusive climate-resilience capacities of:

• 304 organisations
• 96 village/subdistricts
• 20 schools
• 20 public health centres (puskesmas) 4 Kupang City waste banks – 11.5 tonnes processed

• • Bappenas and the Ministry of Environment and Forestry for integration in Indonesia’s National Action Plan (RAN-API/NAP)
  • Kupang City Environmental District Agency and Climate Resilient and Inclusive Cities for integration in the Regional Action Plan for Climate Change Adaptation (RAD-API)
    
    

Collaborating and partnering for inclusive resilience building

Plan International’s engagement with government agencies, community leaders, women's organisations, and organisations for people with disabilities (OPSs) fostered stronger partnerships, which improved advocacy for inclusive WASH decision-making, policies and programs. New collaborations with rights holder organisations (RHOs) during Phase 1, and with climate change-focused networks during the Extension Phase expanded the project's reach. The project fostered stronger collaboration with and between government agencies, local communities, RHOs, and the private sector. This engagement created more comprehensive solutions and broader buy-in for climate-resilient, inclusive WASH policies and practices and led to more sustainable WASH solutions, including budget commitments.

Watch: Integrating climate change considerations in drinking water safety planning 

In 2018, when the project team commenced under Phase 1 of Water for Women, there were few actively engaged village community-based total sanitation (STBM)  teams. Sanitarians expressed that they felt they were often working alone to achieve the STBM declaration. The project team encouraged district governments to commit to supporting STBM achievements and promoted broader cross-sectoral involvement through the WASH Working Group, including securing funding commitments. By the end of Phase 1, the private sector, BAZNAS (the national zakat agency), and RHOs were actively participating in the WASH Working Group. During the Extension Phase, the CERIA project built on this progress by engaging with climate-focused stakeholders to strengthen climate resilience outcomes.

To improve the management of water resources in an integrated and sustainable way, together with the Manggarai and Sumbawa local governments, the project initiated the formation of the inclusive Integrated Water Management (IWM) Forum  (PSDAT), consisting of representatives from local government, academia, the private sector, customary leaders, religious leaders, women's groups, youth, children, and people with disabilities. Plan International facilitated various activities of the IWM Forum in Sumbawa and Manggarrai, such as capacity-building, training workshops, and research, and supported the preparation of work programs.

The IWM Forum’s action plan addressed climate risks and vulnerabilities through disaster education, irrigation improvements, dam construction, water testing, conflict mediation, reforestation, and spring conservation. The IWM Forum planted 159,499 trees and mangroves in 22 protected areas, in collaboration with youth groups, sector stakeholders, and local leaders.

School students proudly show off their work promoting climate-resilient, inclusive WASH in their school (Plan Indonesia/Abdul Rohman)

Empowering meaningful and sustainable change

In addition to engagement with key stakeholders and organisations, the CERIA project supported capacity building related to climate-resilient WASH with women’s organisations (PKK) and OPDs. These groups were also engaged in participatory action research (PAR) in Manggarai Regency and Kupang City to develop context-specific, disability-inclusive and equitable WASH action plans. In the context of waste management and climate-resilient STBM, PAR plays an important role in empowering women and people with disabilities as agents of change.

Watch: Participatory action research in Kupang City

Supported by the CERIA project, three PKK groups and four DPOs (Persani, PERTUNI, Manggarai Disability Consortium, and Sarea Disability Forum) also integrated climate-resilient water and sanitation issues into their own organisational work plans.

Further, as a result of the application of the Climate Change Response for Inclusive WASH tool, a total of 1,648 women, 53 girls, and 89 people with disabilities from marginalised groups participated in mapping of climate hazards in their communities and developing climate-resilient WASH action plans. The MoH committed to integrating climate resilience in the Desa Sehat Iklim (the Climate Healthy Village) national program and including the project villages in the program database for monitoring. This means that the MoH will support the continuation of the climate-resilient  WASH action plans in the villages through regular monitoring.

There remains strong government commitment and policy frameworks to support climate-resilient inclusive WASH at the district, sub-district, and village level, as evidenced by regularly updated SSK documents, which serve as references for water and sanitation management. Local government budgets have also been allocated to support inclusive sanitation, clean water infrastructure, and climate change mitigation.

"It is hoped that this assistance will empower people with disabilities to become more independent, reducing their reliance on family members for basic needs such as using the toilet. Accessible, safe, and comfortable latrines that can be used in all weather conditions are essential for meeting their needs and ensuring their dignity."

Adrianus Sadu, Tengku Lese Village Head, Manggarai

Investing in sustainable solutions for lasting impact

With the project’s support, Sumbawa and Manggarai districts integrated climate-resilient and GEDSI components in their STBM policies. Kupang City integrated GEDSI and climate resilience into their Environmental Health Risk Assessment study, which is expected to be incorporated into the District Sanitation Strategy (SSK) in 2025.

The two district governments also increased investment in safely managed sanitation services. The Manggarai District allocated a budget for the construction of a faecal sludge treatment plant (IPLT) in the 2025 budget and developed Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for desludging and emptying septic tanks. Sumbawa district constructed IPLT, and established an Integrated Domestic Wastewater Management Unit (UPT PAL D) equipped with a septic tank desludging truck. Additionally, a MoU was put in place with villages for regular desludging services and supportive policies for Safely Management Sanitation Systems (SMSS).

The City Water Utility (PDAM) in Kupang developed a water safety plan (WSP) that integrates climate resilience aspects. Additionally, four urban villages in Kupang implemented waste management systems, with waste banks serving 198 households and reducing landfill waste by 15,892 kg as of November 2024.

"...in Nefonaek, people with disabilities are very actively involved. They feel proud, because before this programme, they were only at home. But once they became administrators of the waste bank unit and educated the community, their confidence grew. You can see that the number of customers has started to increase quite sharply."

Meilsi Mansula, Director of Mutiara Timor Waste Bank

Ms Sri Yanti is the bookkeeper at the Nefonaek Waste Bank in Kupang City, Indonesia. She believed that if she showed her community that she can sort her waste despite living with a disability, others would follow her example (Yayasan Plan International Indonesia / Weynand W. Pello) 

View photo updates from all of our work in Indonesia

Lessons learnt

Building sustainability into programs is important to ensure long-term benefit

Encouraging sustainability and government ownership empowers communities to benefit from project outcomes after the initial support ends. From the beginning of Water for Women (2018), the project worked with local stakeholders (Village STBM Team and District WASH Working Groups) to implement capacity building and support policy and inclusive planning processes for climate-resilient and gender-equitable WASH and social inclusion. The project supported the development of the District Sanitation Strategy, Kupang City Water Safety Planning, IWM Forum, Regional Action Plan for Climate Change Adaptation (RAD API), and integration of WASH issues into PKK Work Programs and partnerships with DPOs.

Working together in forums and consortia facilitates coordination and wider impact

As a convening actor, CSOs play important roles in integrating the efforts of water governance to benefit all users in communities, especially people with disabilities, traditional owners of land and water, and low-income populations. The active involvement of RHOs ensures inclusive and sustainable implementation of IWRM and climate-resilient WASH, as does the involvement of other diverse community representatives and sector stakeholders. Working together in forums allows for collaboration, exchange of ideas, and learning between parties with similar interests or goals. It strengthens coordination, increasing efficiency and reducing duplication of efforts, and enables collective advocacy. The opportunity exists for the national government to incorporate the inclusive IWRM approach demonstrated by the project into national water resource management policies.

Involving everyone ensures we Leave No One Behind

The project demonstrated the criticality of inclusivity and equity in climate-resilient WASH programs. Inclusive programming generates more equitable and effective solutions, as diverse perspectives and experiences are considered in planning and implementation. This extends to ensuring the availability of disaggregated data, including data on people with disabilities, and facilitating representation of vulnerable groups. This also increases community participation, leadership and ownership, which contributes to the success and sustainability of impacts.  

A sanitarian from Puskesmas facilitates WASH training for people with disabilities in Manggarai, enabling participants to identify WASH needs in the community and climate hazards that can affect WASH practices (Yayasan Plan International Indonesia)

Looking ahead

Solid waste management remains a significant issue in Indonesia, which has cascaded into groundwater infiltration, microplastic contamination, and respiratory problems for communities exposed to open burning at landfills. It is also accelerating and worsening the impacts of climate change. Better management of solid waste can build the country’s resilience to climate risks while reducing contributions to greenhouse gas emissions. To improve the situation, it is important to engage communities, including the poor, people with disabilities, and women, who are most often involved in household solid waste management. With many competing development programs and priorities in Sumbawa, Manggarai, and Kupang, which heavily rely on central government funding due to limited budgets at the district level, it is challenging for local governments to independently implement and sustain development initiatives, including climate-resilient WASH. Innovative and inclusive funding models, such as the waste bank revenue model, can complement central government grants and district health office allocations. Revenues received by waste banks during the project enabled them to continue operating and supported the efforts of Kupang City to manage household waste.

The Government of Indonesia has set ambitious targets to improve household access to basic drinking water (100%) and to safely managed sanitation (70%) by 2045. Yet, the current rates are 93% and 7% respectively (and only 19%for safely managed drinking water). Coastal and remote areas face significant barriers, including inaccessible terrain for building sanitation facilities. Increased investment in rural safely managed drinking water and sanitation are critical. Progressing both safely managed drinking water and sanitation provide opportunities to build climate-resilient WASH services, such as through climate-resilient water safety planning, which will in turn improve adaptation and the ability to withstand climate events. Safely managed sanitation systems can contribute to reducing greenhouse gasses and more.

From upstream to downstream, water is fragmented among various actors, often resulting in water insecurity, over exploitation, competing interests, mismanagement, conflict, and so on. In the face of climate change, these problems are exacerbated. At the national level, climate resilience is a new topic with minimum regulation. The development of comprehensive national regulations on climate-resilient WASH requires extensive research, policy alignment, stakeholder engagement, and institutional capacity-building. The opportunity exists for the national government to draw on the inclusive IWRM approach demonstrated by the project for national water resource management policies. While the  MoH has recognised the importance of climate-resilient WASH in building climate resilience in Indonesia, considerable work remains to ensure other relevant ministries make this a country-wide priority.

*Phase 1 beneficiaries were calculated from those who achieved WASH access. Extension Phase beneficiaries were calculated from those who achieved WASH access as well as climate change outcomes. Totals were determined based on outcomes reported by individual projects. See Our Impact. 

Feature photo: Students view WASH behaviour change messaging at their school (Plan Indonesia)