Cooperation Program Asia

Background information

In Indonesia, Malaysia and Hong Kong, democratization is experiencing setbacks. Local and regional conflicts erupt. The causes are structural violence and injustice: poverty and an extremely unequal distribution of goods, discrimination against women, ethnic and religious minorities, as well as corruption and abuse of power. Basic rights, such as the right to education, health and freedom of religion, are restricted or even denied.

Mission 21 focuses on the advancement of women, interfaith cooperation and credible institutions. Here are three examples: In the transnational project Help for Women and Children Affected by Violence, affected women and children are supported and protected. Activities include accompaniment in cases of domestic violence, women's shelters, schools for migrant children in Sabah (Malaysia), counseling and support for Indonesian female migrant workers, and educational scholarships for girls at risk of child marriage. In the project Earning Income for Women, more than 500 women generate additional income with woven, textile and food products, which makes it easier for their children to attend school and provides them with security in the event of emergencies. For every franc that goes into the project, the women generate more than two francs of income. In interfaith peacebuilding in Indonesia, young adults prevent increasing intolerance and radicalization and advocate for peaceful coexistence in youth camps, schools, universities, and in public campaigns and social media.

Program Goals

Structural and physical violence and related restrictions on basic rights weaken communities and prevent women in particular from realizing their potential. Interventions in the core areas of education, peacebuilding and income generation empower women and their communities to overcome conflict, violence and injustice and thus contribute to a more dignified life. This is linked to social change that comes from partner organizations, their networks, and the people around them. People are empowered to improve their living conditions, to resist injustice and to make changes for peaceful coexistence and sustainable development.

Projects of the cooperation program

Education
200.1005: Capacity Development - strengthened partner organizations in Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong)
200.1010: Education for social change in Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong)
256.1004: Secure livelihoods for women and youth (Indonesia, Malaysia) 

Peacebuilding
225.225.1007: Interreligious cooperation for peace and justice (Indonesia)
225.225.1008: Help for women affected by violence in Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong)

On site

The theologian and prison chaplain Tobias Brandner has lived in Hong Kong with his family since 1996. He works as an Associate Professor of Theology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and is a part-time prison chaplain.

Since 2023 Karmila Jusup from Indonesia is the coordinator of the cooperation program. With two employees, she supports the implementation of the programme on site in Jakarta, accompanies our partner organizations and promotes cooperation.

Daniel Gloor Daniel Gloor has been teaching as a lecturer at Sabah Theological Seminary (STS) in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, since 1999. From 2009 to 2013 he was a lecturer at the Universidad Bíblica Latinoamericana (UBL) in Costa Rica. Since 2013, he has been teaching again at STS.

Outreach in the PEP program

As part of Mission 21's PEP program, young experts regularly support the project work in Hong Kong.