Abstract
“Komunitas Adat Terpencil” (isolated customary communities) are remote and isolated communities living across Indonesia’s archipelago that have limited access to public facilities and services. These communities have been the focus of government development programs most notably the Isolated Customary Community Social Empowerment Program. The Indonesian National Development Planning Board explains that the program aimed to improve the socio-economic condition of these isolated customary communities and enhance their prosperity to align with national development planning standards. The government claims to have adopted an empowerment-based approach to enhance community capacities and skills. These empowerment activities are designed around the natural resources available in the target areas. They focus on the skills and capabilities that the communities must develop to better utilise natural resources and generate income for sustainable livelihoods.This thesis aims to explore the experiences of the communities participating in the ICCSEP in four locations in Aceh province: Buket Seuleumak in North Aceh District, Pantan Sinaku in Bener Meriah District, Glee Putoh in Aceh Jaya District, and Sikundo West in Aceh district. It charts the program’s impact on their lives, and their isolation status after its implementation. It employs ethnography to map community experiences regarding program awareness, involvement in its activities, the experiences of change, the impact on the community isolation status, and the impact of empowerment training.
Despite the overall inconsistency of the program’s effectiveness, this study reveals how community experiences of de-isolation have had significant and positive impacts, especially relating to housing. The program authorised the building of houses for communities in centralised locations, brought communities closer together, and improved their social interactions, especially with their children. Meanwhile, the livelihood-based program components improved the communities’ economic situations and created opportunities to work on small farms for sustainable family incomes. And finally, the construction of road and bridge infrastructures has de-isolated the communities and facilitated their access to public facilities and services such as education, health centres, and the market.
| Date of Award | 2024 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Supervisor | Ernest KOH (Supervisor) & Bethaney TURNER (Supervisor) |