Community Social Responsibility

Today's topic would be:

Introducing Community Social Responsibility in Indonesia

Perhaps not many people realised that Indonesian community has a history of practising social responsibility way back in centuries, but here perhaps it would be more appropriate if I called it with "community social responsibility" (CSR)

This Community Social Responsibility born among community because Indonesian people lived as communal people with strong community bond. It is by natur they will feel emphaty to others, especially if there is a link between them. Which could be same school, same neighbourhood, same office, same occupation, same ethnics, same religions, etc..

There were many Community SR practices in Indonesia with different group community background. Almost all religious community on behalf of a mousque or a church, has their own Social Responsibility Programs, from emergency relief to education scholarship, some were able to provide SME loan empowering poor community or household to improve their livelihood.

Almost all school community, university, political party, housing compound community, or just a group of community gather by same interest or hobby like the community of bike to work, community of sun flower (people who likes to write poem), etc..

Their programs are very divers, from philantrophy to community development.

I could take a close egsample of Community SR in my neighbourhood managed by a mousque of Baitul Jihad, in bekasi. They source of funds are donation and zakat (somekind like moslem tax), which they managed to run a free-school from kindergarten to primary level (grade 6), they also manages to provides a free medical for poor people, and conducting many events such as;
- blood donation
- Parenting seminar
- Mariage consul & seminar

Indonesia is also a country with the largest moslem people, this fact add with those points mention above gave opportunities for third parties to offer services implementing social responsibilities in Indonesia as way of spending zakat money or other people contribution.

The history and common practise of Community SR has given Corporate Social Responsibility a higher qualification. Since it's consider conducting by company or corporate, therefore the result and outcome should be more powerfull and sustainable then their project (Community SR).

Perhaps this is one of the reason why Indonesian government does not do massive campaign for CSR, and only put voluntary requirement. Because there were already to many project roll out in Indonesia.

What the Government really needs are coordinate those project preventing double project in same location and ensuring equal distribution of project in all provinces/ communities.

- September 22, 2010