The Indonesian Business, Law and Society (IBLS) program is one of ACICIS’ semester-long offerings in Yogyakarta, where students have the opportunity to study at Indonesia’s oldest private university, Universitas Islam Indonesia. As a part of the IBLS program, students have the option to undertake an internship unit for sixteen weeks at leading Indonesian institutions and NGOs in the fields of business, economics, law and social services.
Our Semester 41 (Aug 2015) IBLS students were welcomed at two Host Organisations working on social empowerment. Hannah Pratt and Jean Claude Ndizeye (Murdoch University) were placed at the Centre for Advocacy for Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities (SAPDA). SAPDA is a Yogyakarta-based organisation that advocates for social inclusion, equality and basic human rights for vulnerable citizens – specifically women, children, and people with disabilities – in the fields of education, health and employment. SAPDA’s main projects include research, advocating for positive policies, promoting empowerment, broadening networks and partnerships, and providing a crisis centre for women, people with disabilities, and children.
As interns, Hannah and Claude focused on improving the internal capacity of SAPDA through English-language classes, translating material, creating an internship plan for future interns, and managing SAPDA’s social media platforms. Hannah and Jean Claude also had the opportunity to help organise and participate in SAPDA’s outreach activities such as the ‘Difabel Day’ (‘Day of People with Disabilities’). For ‘Difabel Day’, SAPDA organised a ‘wheelchair walk’ for the public on the main streets of Yogyakarta to raise awareness of the need for inclusive facilities in Yogyakarta.
David McGuinness (Murdoch University) completed his sixteen weeks of internship at Project Child Indonesia, a locally-run, community-based NGO, working to alleviate poverty in the coastal and riverside communities of Indonesia, particularly for children. Two of Project Child’s main projects are Sekolah Pantai (Beach School) and Sekolah Sungai (River School), which focus on teaching children about basic health and environmental management. One of David’s roles as an intern at Project Child was teaching at those schools, which included educating children on health practices and sustainable environment, as well as English lessons for the adults aimed at preparing them for the growing tourism industry in Yogyakarta. Apart from teaching, David was also in charge of several other projects, including research on the drinking patterns and beverage consumption of Yogyakarta’s public school children – the first stage of Project Child’s Water Filter Project – and organising several extracurricular activities and fundraiser events.
Congratulations Hannah, Jean Claude, and David on your internship success!
See here for more information about the Indonesian Business, Law and Society Semester Program.
Applications for Semester 2, 2016 (August-December), are due 1 May 2016. Apply Now.