Philanthropic Forum Forms MSF to Tackle Extreme Poverty in Villages

A number of philanthropic organisations, including the Forum Zakat (FoZ), the Indonesian Philanthropy Association (PFI), and the Humanitarian Forum Indonesia (HFI), have formed a Multi-Stakeholder Forum (MSF) focused on creating programmes to reduce extreme poverty in villages. Udhi Tri Kurniawan, Secretary General of FoZ, stated in Jakarta on Friday that the MSF is proposing a scheme that is not easy but must be implemented. He said that under current conditions, the issue of poverty should not merely be a topic of discussion on paper but requires concrete solutions. He noted that efforts to reduce extreme poverty in Indonesia are a national priority agenda. The platform unites philanthropic actors, the government, the private sector, academia, and civil society so they no longer work in isolation to lift communities out of poverty. As an important milestone in the transition from planning to real action, the MSF held a Workshop on Transitioning to the Implementation of Poverty Alleviation Programmes. This event is a continuation of a lengthy process since the beginning of 2026, which included sectoral discussions, Focus Group Discussions (FGD), field assessments, and village consultations. Udhi emphasised that the key to successful poverty alleviation lies in the extent to which stakeholders can set aside sectoral egos to produce a tangible impact felt directly by the grassroots community. He added that collaboration among various parties and stakeholders is needed to produce good practices that do not stop in the planning room but reach the stage of active engagement with the community. Rully Amrullah, Executive Director of PFI, explained that the current sociological portrait of Indonesia is still filled with significant challenges at the grassroots level. Based on macro data, there are approximately 10,467 very underdeveloped villages, tens of thousands of disaster-prone villages, and a majority of villages that are not yet self-sufficient in terms of economy and health facilities. However, he noted that behind these challenges, villages hold enormous potential. The MSF recorded that 49 percent of the population resides in villages, there is a circulation of Village Funds reaching Rp71 trillion, and there are 146,876 small and micro industries. Rully stated that these great potentials are being woven together through cross-sector collaboration between FoZ, PFI, HFI, PSI Agro, and the Global Compact, covering aspects of funding, research, and implementation. According to him, the MSF implements a co-creation strategy for programmes based on field findings and aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) indicators. Amid strengthening collaboration through the MSF, the zakat movement in Indonesia has already initiated real steps in the field through various empowerment programmes, such as the Dompet Dhuafa Container Canteen and the Rumah Zakat Cisande Tourism Village. The Rumah Zakat Cisande Tourism Village programme has transformed the village in Cicantayan District, Sukabumi Regency, West Java, into one of the top 50 best tourism villages in Indonesia. Through the Desa Berdaya programme, philanthropic funds are allocated to finance community-based tourism, making local residents the main actors managing the educational tourism rather than mere spectators. The incubation of entrepreneurs from vulnerable groups is also part of the poverty alleviation effort, with the Dompet Dhuafa Container Canteen programme addressing the high rates of educated unemployment and poverty among underprivileged students.