Donate to ACICIS

ACICIS has a tradition of giving something back to Indonesia. Our students do this in a personal way by helping individuals and groups that they meet. Amongst other things, they give English language lessons, help in orphanages, work with community radio programs and environmental magazines, volunteer with NGOs, and work with street children.

To help maintain and expand our commitment to Indonesia we are most happy to receive donations from industry and the community to the ACICIS Trust Account. Every gift makes a difference. Every contribution, large and small, is important. Your gift will give you the satisfaction of assisting young Indonesian men and women to prepare for tomorrow's world. All gifts to the ACICIS Trust Account are tax deductible as charitable contributions under Australian Tax Office provisions. If you wish to donate please contact ACICIS at acicis@murdoch.edu.au

ACICIS Projects

The Lestari Widyastuti Scholarship

Late in 2007, after the untimely death of our good friend Lestari Widyastuti there was some talk of setting up a scholarship in her name. ACICIS has been working on this idea and we are now in the process of setting up THE LESTARI WIDYASTUTI SCHOLARSHIP.

We hope to raise money to endow the scholarship with sufficient funds so that the interest each year is enough to pay the tuition fees of an Indonesian student studying at UGM. Using only the interest and not the principal will ensure that the scholarship continues in perpetuity.

Yogya Earthquake Appeal

While all ACICIS students were safe and well after the 2006 Yogya earthquake, they immediately mobilised to help the community they lived in overcome the tragedy. In between taking exams, our students drew on their language skills and experience to help the 600,000 odd people displaced by the disaster. Read more about the students' work and donate to various earthquake appeals here.

Also read The Australian newspaper's account of the students' work here.

Library Donation to Universitas Gadjah Mada

ACICIS is currently working to collect quality books and donate them to Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta. We have been kindly given a large collection of books on Indonesia by an Australian donor who wishes to remain anonymous, including a complete set of Inside Indonesia. We ask all Australian academics to donate any books they no longer need, and also to donate a copy of any new work they publish. While our focus is mainly on Indonesia, any quality book is very welcome, particularly educational books. Contact the ACICIS secretariat acicis@murdoch.edu.au for details.

Tsunami Relief Funds

In early January 2005 former ACICIS student Deanne Whitfield collected A$3,700 over a single weekend from the customers of the Bunnings hardware store in Mandurah, Western Australia. This extremely generous donation from ordinary Australians was for the victims of the tsunami in Aceh. Deanne passed the money on to charity organisations in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, who bought medicines and baby food, which was then packaged and sent to Aceh by truck. See photos.

The main recipient organisation was:

Humanitarian Committee for Aceh
Office: Posko Bale Gadeng, Jl Kartini No. 1A Sagan, Yogyakarta
Phone: (0274) 580920
Email: posko_acehjogja@yahoo.com
Contact: Teuku Nasruddin Syah, or Syarifah Maharani (0818 468 828)

Becakathon

In 2002 and again in 2003 ACICIS students at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta organised a fund-raising event called a Becakathon. For a day, students pedalled people around in becaks (trishaws), in return for a donation. It was a huge success, with a total of $1,864.35 raised for poor children in the Yogyakarta area.

Health and Wealth from Waste, 2004

The goal of this project was to create a healthier environment in the city of Yogyakarta, starting with a focus on one small rapidly urbanising community on the city's periphery. The project was started under the auspice of ACICIS but in 2005 was moved to Monash Asia Institute at Monash University.

The project involved creating increased awareness and action among community members about waste disposal, waste recycling, composting, vegetable, herbal and fruit gardens on vacant land and in pots (for those who have no land) and cottage industry - income earning activities for the poorest from plastic, rubber and paper. Both rich and poor would benefit from this program - the rich being able to get rid of their rubbish without burning it (causing air pollution) or throwing it into irrigation canals (causing frustration for farmers) and on street sides (causing smell, health hazard and ugliness). The poor would be able to earn an income from the waste of the rich (plants and products from waste).

The project leader was an Indonesian environmental health expert and community field worker. He knows as much as you would ever want to know about the life of mosquitoes - where they breed, when they bite and how to stop it. His work on malaria, dengue fever and elephantisis has led him to waste management because that is where many of the problems begin.

The Sukunan Village Recycling Project has now adopted the following motto: "Sampahpun bisa berbalas budi kepada manusia, tidak sepantasnya kita menyia-nyiakannya walau wujudnya sampah, ia tetap sahabat kita."