About

In spite of being rich in natural resources, West Papua has the lowest Human Development Index score and highest poverty rates in the whole of Indonesia (2021). Many of the jobs that derive from the exploitation and extraction of natural resources are given to transmigrant communities, and investment in healthcare and education has been extremely limited. Furthermore, the few health and education programmes that the state does run are often characterised by the presence of the Indonesian military which, given the history of the conflict and the intergenerational trauma that it has caused, does little to foster a productive learning atmosphere.

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We work with our partners to overcome these barriers through mobilising communities to set up their own healthcare and education services – including equipping rural clinics, training and supporting community health workers, providing emergency health assistance by air evacuation, and running parallel schools and literacy groups in the rural highlands. We also provide training in alternative livelihood development, working with communities to co-create solutions to the problems they are facing, including through the development of small businesses and co-operative savings groups.

The conflict in West Papua has been characterised by horrendous human rights abuses and disappearances at the hands of the Indonesian state, which have gone under-reported and unpunished for far too long. We regularly receive reports of the torture, abuse and extra judicial killings of innocent West Papuan civilians by members of the Indonesian Military, often in response to unfounded accusations regarding their links to the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPN-PB) – the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement (OPM). The public and private lives of Indigenous West Papuans are extremely restricted, militarised and characterised by fear, with the smallest ‘indiscretions’ – such as travelling to forest gardens to collect food – ending in accusations of collaborations with the TPN-PB.

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In response, we are working with local partners and youth networks to train activists to safely and accurately document and report these human rights abuses, so that we can build an evidence base to present the facts about the conflict to the outside world, including to United Nations mechanisms.  As freedom of press and movement in the region is still severely limited, we believe it is critical that we work to raise awareness about this horrendous conflict, the impact it is having on Indigenous West Papuans, and on the lands that they have stewarded for thousands of years.

Indigenous Papuans are thought to have inhabited the island of Papua for over 40,000 years. However, through decades of conflict, displacement and state-imposed restrictions, Indigenous peoples have repeatedly been side-lined from economic activities, and their ways of life have come under threat. This has been exacerbated by a state-led transmigration programme that has encouraged an influx of non-Melanesian Papuans to West Papua, who are given disproportionate access to housing and jobs. 

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In response, we work to build the capacity of Indigenous West Papuans to lead local, long-lasting change. This includes equipping Indigenous leaders, churches and organisations with the knowledge, skills and networks to mobilise change, advocate for a better future, design and run essential services, and support local social and economic development.

West Papuan women face severe inequality. They are side-lined from economic and political activities, and experience multiple patterns of violence in their lives from the state, in their communities and in their homes. Many women are denied access to basic human rights, such as education and healthcare, with less than 10% of births being attended by a professional, resulting in high levels of maternal and child mortality.  Furthermore, there is little-to-no understanding of how women's empowerment can be linked to poverty reduction and development, nor of the critical role that Indigenous women play as environmental stewards.

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In response, we work to promote the rights of women and girls, such that they may live a life free from discrimination and violence, to have equal access to (and equal opportunities in) political and public life, as well as access to basic rights of health, education and economic opportunities. This includes raising awareness about violence against women and girls (VAWG), addressing the root causes of gender inequalities within communities, developing, equipping and empowering a grassroots womens’ network, and implementing innovative mechanisms for female economic empowerment in remote areas, including female-led co-operative banking.

Over 60,000 Indigenous West Papuans have been displaced from their customary lands since 2019 due to the escalating conflict, many of whom are now living in informal very basic camps in the forest, or in illegal settlements on the edge of towns, which are crowded and extremely limited in resources. The trauma of being uprooted from their ancestral homes is especially painful for Indigenous Papuans, who form deep spiritual and cultural connections with their lands. As such, they are stripped of a large part of their identity when they are uprooted – not least through their lack of access to the forests and gardens which give them medicine, food and shelter.

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We work closely with displaced and affected communities to break the cycle of trauma, to advocate for access to critical resources such as healthcare, education and alternative livelihoods, and to foster constructive dialogue in relation to the ongoing conflict. This includes running storytelling circles in which women share their experiences of trauma, and discussion groups and workshops which help build partnerships across denominational and cultural lines with joint understanding and visions for peacebuilding.  We are also building a network of change agents who have the capacity to document what is happening in their communities, and to mobilise actions for local peacebuilding. Our vision is to help pave a pathway to peace which fully acknowledges, integrates, and respects the perspectives and experiences of West Papuans – without which we cannot envisage an end to this long-standing conflict.

For over 100 years, West Papua’s rich natural resources have been widely sought after both within Indonesia and internationally. As a result, the region has been characterised by decades of inequitable and illegal resource extraction, and proliferation of government-led infrastructure initiatives that have displaced Indigenous peoples and caused the destruction of their customary lands. By forcibly removing Indigenous Papuans in this way, the Indonesian state is removing the last-best chance we have of protecting one of the most biodiverse regions left on earth.

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In response, our environmental stewardship work focuses on ensuring that the communities we support have the knowledge, skills and tools to protect, restore and defend their customary lands. We do this through participatory land mapping and land restoration, the monitoring and reporting of illegal resource extraction, and sustainable livelihood development. This includes working within communities to develop income strategies that do not rely on environmental destruction, for example, community-run guest houses, livestock small-holdings and sustainable agriculture, as well as raising awareness internationally about the impact that these extractive industries are having on the environment.

Natural disasters are becoming increasingly frequent in West Papua, partly as a result of climate-induced weather changes, but also due to unsustainable development, extractive industries and deforestation activities which are making landslides, water pollution and floods increasingly common.  

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 As we work with organisations who are rooted within local communities, our response role after natural disaster strikes is an extremely important one. For example, after the flash floods which displaced 11,000 people from their homes in Sentani in March 2019, we worked with our partner Yapelin to respond quickly. We provided emergency shelter and resources, as well as supporting over the longer-term with housing and the establishment of small businesses and savings groups for those who were displaced. We also ran Trauma Healing workshops where people were able to share their stories of loss, understand the cycle of grief that accompanies events such as this and support each other to move forward.