Local Partner: Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara (AMAN)
Background and objective: Since June 2021, the AMANKanCovid19 team has reported death and positive cases among Indigenous Peoples in at least 13 districts and 10 Provinces, including in the remote area, small islands, and outer border of Indonesia (Upstream Mahakam Ulu River in East Kalimantan, Aru and Enggano Islands). After the President received an open letter from AMAN together with others organization, On 2 August 2021 the Indonesian National Police and the Ministry of Health invited AMAN to discuss vaccination priorities for Indigenous Peoples. In this meeting, the Ministry of Health ensured that indigenous peoples and other vulnerable groups who have not ID cards could be vaccinated. However, the implementation of vaccination for Indigenous Peoples encountered several obstacles in some areas, among others; locations that are difficult to reach and far from vaccination centers, inadequate equipment (especially health centers), and limited vaccines availability in regional Government and Police. On the other hand, many indigenous people do not want to be vaccinated because of misinformation. In addition, there are several cases in which indigenous peoples experience impacts (such as illness) after being vaccinated, so they rely more on traditional medicines in their territory.
In first project, AMAN’s strategy for handling the Covid-19 impacts are for adequate equipment for Indigenous Leaders/communities and encourage vaccination for Indigenous Peoples. Through the Emergency Covid-19 funds, AMAN proposed that support from PAWANKA to be dedicated to supporting treatment for leaders who’s already infected by Covid19. The second project is for indigenous communities who can still produce and rely on traditional medicines to help the healing process and boosting immunity. However, those whose territories have been damaged by extractive industries, can not produce their traditional medicines independently. Through the Emergency Covid-19 funds, AMAN proposes that the support to be dedicated to supporting traditional medicine production and use for indigenous peoples’ immune booster and documenting traditional medicine production processes including enhancing AMANs team communication and logistics.
Local partner information: ALIANSI MASYARAKAT ADAT NUSANTARA (AMAN) is a national Indigenous organization in Indonesia with the mission to restore the self-confidence, prestige and dignity of the Indigenous People of the Archipelago, both man and woman so that they may enjoy their rights, the sovereignty of the Indigenous People of the Archipelago in order to defend economic rights, social rights, cultural rights, and political rights, to educate and improve the capability of Indigenous People of the Archipelago in defending and developing custom based discernment in order to protect the land, water and natural assets contained therein. It also works to develop a democratic decision making process based on discernment of the Indigenous People and to defend and struggle for recognition, respect, protection, and fulfillment of rights of the Indigenous People.
