Oxfam Indonesia’s country office is stepping back to make way for local organisation the Penabulu Foundation, which is now on the path to joining 22 other member organisations as a full Oxfam affiliate. What will this mean? We talk to outgoing country director Maria Lauranti, who has played a pivotal role in the change.
Local Indonesian NGO the Penabulu Foundation is on a journey to acquire full Oxfam confederation membership by the end of this year, becoming Oxfam Indonesia. Oxfam in Indonesia’s existing country office, which will be phased out as part of the change, has played a critical role in both embracing and facilitating this profound shift. Country Director Maria Lauranti, who will leave her post, offers her thoughts on the journey of affiliation so far…
What will change after an independent Oxfam affiliate in Indonesia is created?
Oxfam will be locally rooted and stronger in Indonesia, the largest Islamic community in the world. As an independent affiliate in Indonesia, it can take a diverse and different approach to achieving Oxfam’s vision that is inspired by the Indonesian people’s own values and philosophy.
Oxfam Indonesia can also bridge different development perspectives, particularly issues of South and North cooperation and development. And it reflects the decolonial model that we are aspiring to, with leadership practised locally.
It is also important for Oxfam to be in Indonesia, which has a unique international political approach and role in the world. We have the legacy of the Asia Africa Conference that emphasised the power of the Global South in 1955, successfully initiating the non-aligned movement of 120 countries in the world that decided not to be aligned with or against any major power bloc. Indonesia has also played a role of soft diplomacy in world crises such as Ukraine, Myanmar and Palestine – situations where there are huge power imbalances and very much politicised with racism and Islamophobia.
How will transforming Oxfam in Indonesia to Oxfam Indonesia/Penabulu influence local Indonesia civil society space?
As an independent, locally registered and rooted entity, an Oxfam affiliate in Indonesia can expand its role and responsibilities in the Indonesian civic space. This will strengthen Oxfam’s position and create better balance in the wider space with other agencies and powers, such as that of government. We can respond better to the shrinking civic space in our local context and work more meaningfully and engage better with local policy makers and communities to influence change.
How do you see feminist leadership in the emerging Oxfam Indonesia affiliate?
To achieve gender justice, we need to unpack the internalised values and traditions that shape our families, communities, businesses, and policy makers. Only when we have the courage to have deeper engagement with our values and traditions, will we have the chance to make changes.
We have held feminist leadership programmes for staff and leaders of our current Oxfam office and Penabulu. Recently, we held three retreats, each starting with a focus on self-understanding, relationship building and feminist principles. Then, the gaze turned to what is the feminist leadership that can influence our ecosystem, when we use our power within, and how we share power with others.
In our final retreat, we engaged deeply in discussing religious belief and practice that shape who we are. We discussed the progressive nature of Islamic teachings and the role of female scholars in challenging traditional interpretations. Our discussions focused on gender equality and feminism in Islam, what Islam brings to the world and how feminism is reflected in the works and practices of religions, and how these values and practices can be reflected in our daily work as part of the civic space in Indonesia. Religion and perception based on religion, including those on Islam, influence values, norms, practices and mindsets. We need to be aware of that influence, and work with the positive it can bring to our development and humanitarian work.
This is how we practise feminist leadership in Indonesia; engaging with our reality and context, answering difficult questions to have greater power within ourselves, to enable us to work with confidence with others to influence change.
What is the link between the affiliation model and the policy to decolonise Oxfam’s work and presence?
The process of affiliation can be emancipating; it allows us in the South to use our own language, and create our own narratives. The process of affiliation necessitates self-reflection, this includes internal work that must be done, such as on our systems, our internal ways of working, and how we work with others.
Oxfam in Indonesia Country Office embraced affiliation as a pathway to strengthen Oxfam’s work in the country and be legitimate in the Indonesian civic space. We embarked on an exploration to find a local organisation that could take that role as a fully conscious decision to mutually empower both Oxfam and a local organisation in the sector. There is a sense of pride knowing that this model allowed a local organisation to go global by joining Oxfam confederation and to grow together with Oxfam.
Being both a local organisation and an Oxfam affiliate in Indonesia, Penabulu can work best with the people who influence policies, and be one of the actors of the civil society in Indonesia. In an Indonesian context, it provides more space. And when Penabulu Oxfam is working to influence the Indonesian government, it will do that on behalf of the Indonesian people.
We know that we can be a contributor, we have power, and we can make Oxfam better together. This is a political mission that aims for long-term solutions, stronger legitimacy, and healthier relationships in the confederation and with other affiliates that shape Oxfam. We need to take these steps with the confidence that we are able and ready to have an equal position in our relationship with others.
What would you describe as the main challenges to effective affiliation?
The biggest challenge is our own perceptions and mindsets. In Oxfam, we will need to ensure that we mean and act in line with what we are committed to. The challenge is to ensure that our intangible values and commitments are part of the change.
We need to be aware of challenges and changes in external environments and how these influence us; our perceptions need to change to accommodate new realities. The most important power we have is the power within. If we have the awareness to recognise our values and culture and identify our own bias and assumptions, then we can be part of the change and make decisions based on hope and not on fear!
What would be your recommendations for country offices or local NGOs considering affiliation with Oxfam?
Affiliation is feminism in practice: we need to be ready to leave our comfort zone, share power, be in solidarity and have the courage to transform ourselves. Having a confederation model allows us to be more diverse and work shaped by the context.
We need to realise that Oxfam cannot work if it remains the same. For us, transforming from a country office to an affiliate was necessary. Otherwise, we would have found ourselves in a situation where Oxfam was becoming less powerful to influence change. The changing funding landscape, emerging power in the political space, and shrinking civic space are just some of the factors that mean being a local organisation will create more opportunities for Oxfam.
We must also acknowledge that working as a country office in the confederation model of Oxfam can be complex, expensive, and at times frustrating. We had to make decisions to serve the greater good and to work more effectively towards our vision for social justice. That is why I went through the difficult days working on all of this, knowing that, even if I am not around here, it means Oxfam will be in Indonesia in a way that is relevant for many years to come.