Antara News·Indonesia·Friday, October 30, 2026 at 03:11 PM UTC

Ministry pushes stronger village-based poverty alleviation programs

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Lintang Budiyanti, Raka Adji

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's Coordinating Ministry for Community Empowerment is promoting village-based poverty programs through partnerships with nongovernmental organizations, as rural poverty remains higher than urban poverty.

“Poverty alleviation is not just about lowering poverty rates; it must also help families improve their lives, develop their potential and become self-reliant,” said Dyah Tri Kumolosari, the ministry's deputy for social welfare coordination.

In a statement issued here Friday, she cited data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS) showing that the national poverty rate declined to 8.07 percent in March 2026.

However, the rural poverty rate remained higher at 10.67 percent, compared with 6.34 percent in urban areas. The poverty gap and severity indexes were also higher in villages.

The ministry said these disparities underscored the need to make villages a focus of poverty-reduction efforts, with careful planning and assessments to tailor programs to local needs and potential.

Dyah said poverty alleviation is mandated by Article 34(2) of the 1945 Constitution and aligns with Presidential Instruction No. 8 of 2025 on optimizing poverty reduction and eliminating extreme poverty.

Implementation requires cross-sector cooperation and three main strategies: easing household spending burdens, increasing incomes and reducing pockets of poverty.

The approach is being advanced through the Poverty Alleviation Multi-Stakeholder Forum (MSF), a collaborative program in three villages: Ciseureuheun, Panyingkiran Kidul and Karyawangi.

The initiative brings together government agencies, philanthropic organizations, businesses, academics and local communities to coordinate interventions and prevent fragmented efforts.

The forum has allocated Rp8.5 billion (about US$469,000) for the three villages through blended financing. The program will run in three phases — stabilization, strengthening and self-reliance — and aims to make the villages self-reliant by 2031.

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