Islamic Relief officially registered its new field office in Indonesia on the 6th of March 2003, marking an important development in Islamic Relief’s history. The Indonesian field office is the first IR office in the South-East Asia region.
Four years ago, an IR needs assessment report on Indonesia highlighted the urgent need for development work in the country. The average income in Indonesia is only $680 a year and 27% of the country’s population live below the national poverty level.
Right: Mr Haroon Razaq Kash, Islamic Relief Representative in Indonesia
Indonesia is made up of 15,000 islands, and experiences regular natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, severe droughts and volcanic eruptions.
With the help of local partners, Islamic Relief has carried out seasonal Ramadhan and Qurbani programmes in Indonesia since 2000. Plans for future programmes include water and sanitation programmes, income generation, and health and nutrition projects.
Haroon Kash, Islamic Relief’s Country Representative relocated to Indonesia from the UK in order to take on this challenging role. He joins Ede Surya, IR’s Programme Co-ordinator, and Rindro Suluh who have been working tirelessly over many months to set up and register the new office.