Brief Summary
This consultation synthesized key learnings from Save the Children Indonesia’s multi-sectoral COVID-19 response program, implemented between June 2021 and June 2023 across 17 provinces. The learning report captures critical insights and reflections to inform future emergency preparedness and response strategies, with a particular focus on child protection, public health, and resilient recovery.
Indonesia’s COVID-19 pandemic response required rapid, adaptive, and inclusive programming to mitigate the severe public health, economic, and social disruptions faced by children and vulnerable households. Through this two-year intervention, Save the Children Indonesia (SC IDN) supported 279,860 individuals—more than 100,000 of whom were children—across thematic areas such as child protection, health and nutrition, risk communication, education in emergencies, and food security/livelihoods.
This consultation compiled learning from program documents and in-depth interviews with implementers, generating a rich narrative of programmatic approaches and challenges. Highlights include SC IDN’s efforts to ensure child protection through alternative care for children orphaned by COVID-19, cash and voucher assistance for over 6,000 vulnerable families, and training for more than 1,000 social workers in psychosocial first aid. The health response involved distribution of over 16,000 PPE kits, oxygen supplies, mobile vaccination efforts (including for people with disabilities), and hygiene kits for households and schools.
Innovative community engagement models like TRACE (Tackling Rumors Against COVID-19) and child-friendly risk communication campaigns helped counter misinformation and promote vaccine uptake. Education initiatives included remote learning support, school safety simulations, and psychosocial support packages to students and teachers. In the economic domain, SC IDN offered business capital, financial literacy, and vocational support to affected families and micro-enterprises.
Lessons learned emphasized the importance of cross-sector collaboration, inclusive messaging, sustainable agent-of-change networks, stronger linkages with government systems, and readiness for future crises. Specific recommendations targeted improvements in vaccine supply chain management, local capacity building, information literacy, and integrated crisis planning.
This learning consultation not only documented SC IDN’s expansive emergency response efforts but also offered forward-looking guidance for government, NGOs, and civil society actors in building child-centered, community-rooted resilience to future public health emergencies.