Entry 002 · 2020–2021 · West Papua

Sustainable Livelihood Development for Indigenous People

Challenge

Indigenous communities in West Papua faced the challenge of protecting livelihoods that stay in balance with their environment while also opening new economic opportunities. Samdhana Institute needed a facilitation partner who understood the indigenous context and could design realistic, on-the-ground livelihood programs. A top-down approach risked clashing with how communities already managed their own resources.

What we did

Our team designed and facilitated a community-driven program covering sustainable agriculture, natural resource management, and indigenous enterprise development. The approach positioned communities as the primary decision-makers, not passive recipients of a program. The engagement ran for two years alongside the Samdhana Institute in West Papua.

Outcome

Partner communities gained more sustainable agriculture and resource-management practices, along with early-stage enterprises aligned with indigenous values. The program became the foundation for our subsequent collaborations with the Samdhana Institute in the same region. The experience strengthened our participatory approach to facilitating indigenous communities.