MADANI Civil Society Support Initiative

STRENGTHENING CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS

The United States Government is committed to supporting a strong and vibrant civil society in Indonesia. MADANI believes that the three cornerstones of a thriving democratic society—government, the private sector, and civil society—must be equally strong and vibrant. Since 1998, Indonesia has made significant progress to promote democratic systems, improving the delivery of public services and civic participation. Indonesian CSOs have both contributed to and benefitted from key democratic achievements, and there remains strong support for democracy and regional autonomy in Indonesia. However, during the past few years, a stagnation and decline in democracy has occurred, with reduced scores in several key indexes. such as the Economist’s Intelligent Unit, Freedom House, the Corruption Perception Index and the CSO Sustainability Index. Indonesia might not have decline as rapidly as many other countries around the world, but neither is the country immune to authoritarian tendencies..

CSOs represent citizen interests, particularly at the local level. yet many lack key administrative and technical capacities to work effectively. MADANI therefore aims to build the capacity and supporting the sustainability of local CSOs, empowering them to become leaders in their districts, as well as build partnerships with local governments and the private sector to address key development challenges. MADANI advances these objectives by strengthening local CSOs in the following areas:
• Organizational management and accountability
• Financial management practices
• Technical expertise
• Sustainable resource mobilization models
• Stakeholder reach and relevance

Through financial support and technical assistance, MADANI empowers Lead Partner CSOs, improving operational systems, expanding stakeholder reach and relevance, and building sustainable means of resource mobilization. In addition, MADANI facilitates effective relationships between CSOs, local governments, and other partners by promoting the benefit of collaboration, as well as cultivating the connections, networks, and systems necessary to make partnerships possible. CSOs lead multi-stakeholder “Learning Forums” that collaborate with a diverse array of actors to improve frontline service delivery, enhance citizen participation in government consultations with their communities, and combat the spread of disinformation and hate speech.

MADANI’s vision is to leave Indonesia a better functioning, more tolerant, and more resilient democracy, as demonstrated by strengthened local democratic practices, improved district and village government performance and responsiveness, increased accountability of frontline service delivery, and more effective and inclusive mechanisms for community-level participation and transparency. As USAID Administrator Samantha Power remarked in November 2021, “If we truly want to make aid inclusive, local voices need to be at the center of everything we do.” MADANI truly embodies the sentiment behind these words, emphasizing the importance of local CSOs and communities.

The MADANI Approach and Building Blocks: