This study was commissioned by the Australia-Indonesia Partnership for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Program (MAMPU) to better understand how and under what conditions women’s engagement in local groups initiated by MAMPU partners leads to positive individual and collective empowerment. The research has arisen from recognition of the growing scale of local groups and other forms of collective action with connections to the MAMPU network. It was commissioned in response to a recommendation from MAMPU’s mid-term review to consider the critical features of women’s groups, and to explore the factors that facilitate ‘quality’ groups.

A purpose of the research is to generate new knowledge relevant to MAMPU’s outcomes pathway. This hypothesises that essential capacity and readiness for collective action are building blocks for voice and influence that then can bring about longer-term changes in the access of poor women in Indonesia to critical public services and programs and improve their livelihoods. As directed by MAMPU, the research has focused on village or community level as the locus of activity and desired change.

This formative evaluation is the first assessment of UNICEF’s systems building approach (SBA) in the region, designed to analyse whether and in what ways UNICEF’s child protection programme has been informed by systems thinking. The scope focussed on work over all four years of the country programme (2011-present), and included an analysis of the programme’s Theory of Change. It was undertaken by IOD PARC (2015) The findings and recommendations are intended to inform the development of national strategies for promoting child welfare and wellbeing. They will directly contribute to UNICEF’s forthcoming Country Programme Action Plan 2016-2020 and the implementation of the Government’s national planning document (RPJMN 2015-2019). The findings are intended to have wider implications for other United Nations agencies, Government departments and civil society organisations mandated to coordinate and implement child protection initiatives and programs.

Executive Summary. Since 2008, Mercy Corps has worked in Sumatra to improve Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in the local communities. The READI project was developed tocapitalize on various local DRR projects and build on the groundwork laid by Mercy Corps’ previous and current DRR programs in the West Sumatra province. The program was developed to connect these programs with existing DRR forums and to leverage and compliment the DRR messaging of other programs with key stakeholders and local actors. The overall objective of the research was to assess the program’s effectiveness to build DRR capacity and enhance the resilience of vulnerable urban coastal populations in Sumatra with the hope that the learning from the program will feed into future interventions and aid decision-makers at governmental and non-governmental levels. The methodology proposed for this research encompasses a mix of quantitative and qualitative research which includes an initial desk review of the main documents and relevant literature on the topic, a community survey, followed by the use of qualitative and participatory research tools such as Focus Group Discussions (FDG) and interviews with key stakeholders in the field (e.g. community groups, village leaders, government officials, CSOs), as well as participant observation.

This report compiles the lessons learned during Handicap International’s initiatives to mainstream disability into disaster risk management (DRM) through programmes implemented in Indonesia and Philippines. It presents an overview of the programmes and the lessons learned that were identified and selected with a potential for replication or adaptation by other actors in other contexts, either as a full approach or with a focus on a specific component. The lessons learned were identified through the development of case studies highlighting important steps of the project, a review of all available documentation, including project reports, proposal and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with project partners; notes of workshops, trainings and meetings; as well as interviews with key stakeholders. This document was developed to accompany a training manual for DRM stakeholders, which provides practical tools and modules on how to implement disability-inclusive DRM. Both documents can serve as resources for DRM stakeholders aiming at mainstreaming disability in their initiatives.