Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2007

INDONESIA

Anton Sudjarwo
Yayasan Dian Desa


Geographic Area of Impact: Indonesia

Model:  Hybrid Non-profit

Focus: Sanitation, Water, Technology, Microfinance, Rural Development, Environment, Enterprise Development


The Innovation
Yayasan Dian Desa (YDD) is a hybrid not-for-profit focused on churning out product and service innovations that enhance the quality of life of marginalized communities, as well as to set them on a path towards self-reliance.  Since its inception, YDD has come up with a string of noteworthy innovations.  Here are a few examples:

·         Cooking stove that increases heat-generating efficiency from 2% to 26% (Asia Regional Cookstove Program), thus reducing amount of firewood required for meal preparation.  By reducing time spent collecting firewood, village communities can look into other more economically viable activities.

·         Working with poor fishing communities to make leather products out of stingray skins.  Instead of directly employing workers, YDD trains them to become independent suppliers in this ecosystem of stingray leather fashion accessories.

·         Community-based sanitation systems that mobilize community resources by educating the community to pay for proper sanitation, as well as pulling in external resources from local government or development agencies to aid in the initial development efforts.

YDD operates by assisting low-income communities in improving their living standards through participatory and self-help processes.  Started in 1972, YDD currently has 308 personnel and has activities in the provinces of Yogyakarta, Central Java, East Java, Nusa Tenggara, Bali, Maluku, Aceh and East Kalimantan. Since 1995, YDD has also been active in Cambodia.  Until 1985, YDD has been focussed on rural development only, and starting in 1986, the organization has started activies in urban development.

Background
Poverty and the marginalization of communities does not stem from laziness or a lack of spirit to improve itself.  In many cases, when the basic needs of a community are not fulfilled - e.g. available clean water, proper sanitation, basic shelter - the community is crippled and will lack the ability to engage in more economically productive activities.

In terms of the availability of proper sanitation, improvement programs in high density urban areas are often faced with a lack of available space.  Centralized sewerage networks, which are the typical solution in these urban areas, are difficult to implement because local governments cannot afford the cost of operation.  Therefore, decentralized off-site treatment systems implemented at the communal level is a strategic option in addressing this need.
Regarding the availability of clean water, Indonesia has had a history of small and medium-sized industries like local hospitals, tanneries and batik processing dumping untreated water directly into river systems that downstream communities depend on for their livelihoods.  Commercial treatment systems are again too expensive for many companies within these industries to afford.
When a community faces such situations where basic requirements are not met, they quickly find themselves in a downward spiral where the people become increasingly risk-averse and shun opportunities to engage in enterprising activities that could pull them out of poverty.

Strategy
Anton Sudjarwo founded Yayasan Dian Desa (YDD) in 1972 to assist low-income communities in improving their standard of living through participatory and self-help processes.  It achieves this by releasing the community from unnecessary and unproductive activities, such as addressing the availability of water, sanitation and renewable energy within the community.   YDD also improves the quality of existing products in small industries, agriculture and aquaculture with the goal of improving the community’s income generating capabilities.
YDD accomplishes its organizational mission through the following activities:Developing and disseminating appropriate technology to improve the living standard of target communities and to promote their self-reliance Serve as an intermediary between target communities and development organizations Provide training to NGOs or youths on development and appropriate technology. Many of YDD’s activities focus on research and development, and as such, the organization is equipped with a metal workshop for prototype development, a water quality laboratory and a multi-media division for the development of training materials.  By fostering innovation excellence in appropriate technologies, YDD has been able to attract and leverage a highly diverse range of funding sources from international development agencies such as UNICEF, the World Bank, Oxfam, Canadian International Development Agency and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.  YDD also has a strong track record of collaborating with local government and the private sector.  YDD has contributed significantly to the disaster relief and community redevelopment efforts arising out of the Aceh Tsunami disaster in 2005 and the Yogyakarta earthquake in 2006.


The Entrepreneur
Anton's community awareness started in 1968 when, as a civil engineering student, he was designated by a Swiss catholic priest to solve the lack of water in a village near Mount Merapi. He was instantly awakened by the realities of the problems in the rural communities, as well as how a little creativity and innovativeness could radically change the livelihoods of these communities.
Thereafter, he established an informal group of technical students to develop and apply technology for rural development. Their group initiated projects related primarily to clean water supply and sanitation, and gradually evolved to cover the full range of sectors that Yayasan Dian Desa addresses today.
For his work on Yayasan Dian Desa, Anton has received many awards, including the Majelis Ekonomi Indonesia in 1976, the Kalpataru award in 1980, the Ramon Magsaysay award in 1983 and the Simavi Institute award presented by H.M. Queen Beatrix in 1999.