IMA World Health has partnered with the Government of Indonesia, local organizations and communities to strengthen health systems, expand access to immunization and other essential health services, and build healthier, more resilient communities. Our work has focused on increasing vaccine confidence and uptake, improving water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), advancing maternal and child health and nutrition, strengthening community-based health initiatives, and supporting preparedness for public health emergencies and natural disasters.
As part of Corus International, IMA World Health builds on the long-standing presence of fellow Corus organization Lutheran World Relief, which began working in Indonesia following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami to support both emergency response and long-term recovery. Since then, Corus has become a trusted partner of the Government of Indonesia and local organizations, implementing more than 30 projects that have strengthened health, community resilience, sustainable livelihoods and disaster preparedness across the country.
Corus organizations IMA World Health and Lutheran World Relief continue to combine complementary expertise to deliver integrated programs that improve health outcomes while addressing the broader factors that influence community well-being. Our work has included strengthening COVID-19 vaccine promotion and risk communications, providing personal protective equipment and clinical training to health facilities, empowering women to lead community health and WASH initiatives, supporting healthier coffee-growing communities in North Sumatra, and implementing nationwide behavior change campaigns to improve maternal and child nutrition and reduce childhood stunting.
Project Highlights
COVID-19 Response and Vaccine Promotion
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Corus organizations IMA World Health and Lutheran World Relief partnered to strengthen Indonesia's public health response. Through the national faith-based health network PELKESI, the program supplied 59 hospitals with critical personal protective equipment and medical supplies while supporting clinical training, COVID-19 testing and treatment, and communications to increase vaccine confidence and uptake. Communities also received hygiene supplies, face masks and emergency food assistance, helping protect vulnerable families during the pandemic.
MECIHO: Multisectoral Collaboration for Inclusive Health and Opportunities for Women
The Starbucks Foundation-funded MECIHO project empowered women and improved the health, hygiene and living conditions of households and communities across Indonesia's coffee-growing areas of Karo Regency. The project strengthened women's leadership and participation in local governance while advancing healthier homes and communities through improved water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). Working alongside local government and community partners, MECIHO expanded access to WASH resources, including garbage banks and latrines, while helping local leaders become more responsive to community needs—particularly those of women. MECIHO built on the success of the Kopi Nande project, extending its community-led approach to healthier homes and stronger local leadership.
Kopi Nande
The Starbucks Foundation-funded Kopi Nande project improved water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in Indonesia's coffee-growing communities through innovative, women-led approaches. The project reached more than 26,000 people across five communities in Karo Regency by equipping local women's groups to promote healthy behaviors, including safe water storage, sanitation, hygiene, home gardening and household composting. Community volunteers shared these practices through schools and community outreach, helping families create healthier home environments.
The project also expanded access to improved WASH infrastructure by constructing 18 community water and sanitation facilities and installing coffee washing stations that reduced water pollution in local waterways. Kopi Nande laid the foundation for the MECIHO project, demonstrating how community leadership and healthier environments can improve health, nutrition and well-being.
National Nutrition Communications Campaign (NNCC)
Funded by the Millennium Challenge Account, IMA World Health partnered with the Government of Indonesia's Ministry of Health from 2014 to 2018 to lead the National Nutrition Communications Campaign (NNCC), a key component of the Community-Based Health and Nutrition to Reduce Stunting Project. Working across 11 districts in three provinces, the campaign combined national mass media, local communications and community outreach to increase awareness of childhood stunting, promote healthy nutrition and caregiving practices, and encourage behavior change among parents, caregivers, health workers and communities.
Through close collaboration with government, civil society and local partners, the campaign strengthened community engagement and support for maternal and child health. By the project's completion, nearly all Maternal and Child Health Centers (Posyandu) had conducted community activation events, attendance had increased across participating provinces, and more than 1,800 Mother Groups had been established in over 1,000 villages to promote healthy behaviors and improve nutrition for families. The campaign also catalyzed local advocacy, resulting in hundreds of community-led activities that continued to advance child health and nutrition beyond the life of the project.