Why We Exist
RAIC is stepping up in response to the crisis facing refugees and asylum seekers in Indonesia. We are working with our community to address the challenges and find solutions that uphold the rights and dignity of people like us.
The Problem
Indonesia is not a signatory to the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention, which protects the rights of refugees and has been signed by 145 other countries. As a result almost 13,000 refugees in Indonesia do not have protected or guaranteed basic rights and are trying to survive with little to no assistance from the government.
Nearly half of all refugees in Indonesia are living in urban areas without any support, and approximately one quarter of the total number of refugees are children. More than 50% of refugees and asylum seekers in Indonesia are from Afghanistan, while many others are from Somalia, Iraq, Myanmar and Sudan.
International aid for refugees in Indonesia is also extremely limited and greatly influenced by changes in the politics and policies of other countries. In 2023, UNHCR Indonesia received just 3% of its requested annual budget. The few support services that do exist for refugees are enormously overwhelmed, underfunded, and often ill-equipped to meet the unique and complex needs of refugees and asylum seekers.
Refugees face barriers to vital services every day because our basic rights are not guaranteed or protected. These barriers include language and cultural differences, harassment and discrimination, insecure housing, chronic and acute mental illness, movement restrictions, unaffordable costs, and long waitlists. We have no legal rights to work, to study, to find housing, to marry, or to build a life for themselves. Meanwhile, we are also told that long-term solutions like resettlement are not available to us as less than 1% of refugees globally are resettled by UNHCR each year.
The lack of legal protection for refugees in Indonesia has devastating consequences. Refugees living independently in the community are at high risk of poverty, mental health disorders, and inability to meet their basic nutrition, sanitation, health and housing needs.
Our Solution
RAIC is stepping up to ensure the dignity and voices of our community members are no longer ignored. We see refugees like us not as ‘beneficiaries’ of assistance but as human beings capable of defining our own needs, aspirations, and solutions.
Our model delivers innovative grassroots programs that have found success through strong community trust and are backed by over 6 years experience operating as a refugee-led organisation in Indonesia. Our organisation is deeply connected and accountable to the communities we work with. A collaborative and inclusive approach is central to how we effectively identify, design, and implement our activities in conjunction with the community.
We believe in providing programs that are holistic, complementary, and provide a pathway to assistance for those falling through the gaps of other services. We are experts in responding to and advocating for our community’s immediate needs by delivering targeted programs addressing nutrition, sanitation, medical care, legal aid, resettlement and mental health.
Learn more about RAIC’s approach and how we’re already having an impact here.
Our community cannot solve the refugee crisis on our own. We need supporters who share our vision and will join us to deliver impactful refugee-led solutions.
Want to learn more about the situation for refugees and asylum seekers in Indonesia? Listen to our Founder and Director, Mozhgan, co-host the award-winning podcast ‘The Wait’ and hear first-hand experiences of life inside Indonesia’s refugee community.
