Be at the Forefront for Women's Empowerment (BFEM)

This project aims to increase human rights privileges enjoyed by women and girls and the advancement of gender equality in Indonesia. This project promotes and develops feminist leadership and women’s political participation across various sectors notably climate change natural resources management and land tenure/ownership rights. This project focuses on strengthening and expanding the feminist movement in Indonesia to promote women’s rights and strengthen the protection of these rights. This project also reinforces networking and alliance building within the Indonesian women’s rights movement and other social movements in the country including Hivos Southeast Asia JASS and the PEKKA Foundation. This project improves women’s control over their lives and access to livelihoods and reduces injustices and discrimination against them. Project activities include: (1) building the capacity of seven selected branches (out of 12) of the project partner working in these seven provinces: Aceh Central Kalimantan DKI Jakarta South Sulawesi Southeast Sulawesi West Nusa Tenggara and Yogyakarta; (2) strengthening their operations through training awareness-raising research and advocacy in local communities and local government officials; (3) facilitating dialogue and events to raise awareness of local government and other stakeholders including media journalists youth groups and civil society to advance women’s rights on gender equality and equity; (4) organizing collaborative events with women’s organizations women leaders and movements from grassroots to national levels; and (5) formulating policy advocacy documents by the national secretariat and partner branches on strengthening the women’s movement and gender equality. The project works with approximately 3 200 women including 300 women leaders and 700 marginalized women (including peasant women fisherwomen indigenous women and women migrant workers) to strengthen and expand the movement in pushing

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) improved management and sustainability of local women’s rights organizations in Indonesia particularly those representing vulnerable and marginalized women and girls; (2) enhanced performance of women’s rights organizations’ programming and advocacy to advance gender equality and empower women and girls in Indonesia; and (3) increased effectiveness of national and sub-national women’s rights platforms networks and alliances in advocating for gender equality and in addressing discriminatory beliefs and harmful practices in Indonesia.