indigo iNK magazine

In lieu of recent events in Afghanistan and in the interests of safeguarding our community partners, we have temporarily removed links to historical copies of our indigo iNK magazines and newsletters. We’ll put the full list back up shortly and in the meantime, please contact jemma.bailey@indigofoundation.org if you would like a copy from a particular year. Thank you so much

What’s inside?

• “It’s fine to eat my strawberries, but you should begin to grow your own” Safrina Thristiawati is indigo foundation’s new Indonesia Partnership Coordinator and recently spent two weeks with the women of PEKKA NTT to understand how their organic gardens kept the communities going in the face of COVID-19, cyclones and floods. Kaka Nela’s seedlings are now growing all over the islands.
• indigo in India – a long awaited visit. Susan Engel, our partnership Coordinator for India, undertook her much awaited trip back to India in December 2022 While India was one of the hardest hit countries of the pandemic, with four devastating waves, our partners Mahalir Sakthi and PEAB focussed on supporting their communities and are now making up for lost time
• An update from Afghanistan. This year marks 20 years of indigo foundation working in Afghanistan. Despite the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in August 2021, the erosion of women and girls rights and intensified humanitarian and security challenges, indigo continues to help communities improve education infrastructure in our partner schools, giving students continued access to education and helping them find hope.
• And much more, including an update indigo in the community and a think piece by Board member Fyfe Strachan on “twin clouds on the horizon in the pacific” looking at the impact that climate change and growing international debt (due in part to COVID-19) will have on the smaller economies of the Pacific.

Read it in full here.

What’s inside?

• “My message to other women is that don’t be afraid to … defend the right thing, and the small actions that we can do have big impact to us, our family and our neighbourhood.” Meet sexual harassment activists in Timor-Leste Novita, Srilia and Olimpia and find out about six busy months of action by JDN in Timor-Leste.
• Marking a decade in Rwanda. This year marks 10 years of working with Club Rafiki in Rwanda. Over the last year, Partnership Coordinator Alice Roughly has worked with staff and young people at Club Rafiki to reflect on achievements and lessons, and look to plans for the future.
• An update from Afghanistan. As we head toward the one-year mark after the fall of the Afghan government, we share an update on our local partners, the context they are operating in and the work they are doing to meet humanitarian needs and keep hard-won education outcomes on track. We also share an extract from Board Member Tamana Mirzada’s speech at our Sydney jazz dinner in June.
• And much more, including an update from our local partner PEKKA Lodan Doe in Eastern Indonesia, an interview with Domingas in our Timor-Leste partnership team, a think piece by Megan Chisholm on ‘Five big issues for five years ahead’ and updates from our indigo community in Australia.

Read it in full here.

What’s inside?

• An introduction to our newest partner in Timor-Leste. Juventude Ba Dezenvolvimentu Nasionál (JDN – Young People for National Development) will work with young women and men to stand up to sexual harassment and make public spaces and public transport safer and more inclusive. Meet Analia and her team.
• Afghanistan Partnership Coordinator Ali Reza Yunespour shares his reflections on the ‘pitfalls and promises’ of education from primary to university level for girls and young women in Afghanistan’. Over  two decades our local partners have shown resilience and resolve for education and they are determined to continue to educate their children. As the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan unfolds, we continue to work closely with our local partners and offer what practical support we can as the country heads into winter.
• A spotlight on the challenges and important work that Mahalir Sakthi and PEAB been doing over the pandemic and extended school shutdowns in Tamil Nadu, India.
• An interview with members of the Coogee and Randwick Indigo Refugee friends groups, introducing our new collaboration with Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia.
• And much more, including an update on the Club Rafiki’s Jobs Desk in Rwanda, a think piece by Lyla Rogan reflecting on indigo’s partnership model and updates from our indigo community in Australia.

Read it in full here.

What’s inside?

• An introduction to our newest partner in Kiribati, the Nanikaai Village Committee.
• A spotlight on the Jirghai and Behsud Schools partnership. After a challenging year in Afghanistan, we are working with our partners to expand support for girls and young women to access education. Ali Reza Yunespour also shares a snapshot of his research into the new primary school text books and their potential and limitations in building community harmony and diversity.
• Rebuilding after the Cyclone. On 4 April, Cyclone Seroja hit our three partners in Eastern Indonesia, with flash flooding and landslides damaging infrastructure and housing, including PEKKA NTT’s community centre and women’s cooperative gardens. Our partners are now rebuilding and reaching out to impacted community members.
• Meet one of the 2020 scholarship recipients from the Women’s Empowerment Centre in Kabul. Her story reminds us of the power of education.
• Updates from our partners in India on navigating the latest Covid outbreak and from our partners in Budaka, Uganda, who have been back in the classroom skilling up on governance and program management.
• And much more, including an interview with our new board member Tamana Mirzada, a think piece by Sanushka Mudaliar questioning the ‘migration-development nexus’ and updates from our indigo community in Australia.

Read it in full here.

indigo iNK – December 2020

What’s inside?

• Introducing Winny Rangira, Club Rafiki’s first Youth Empowerment and Employment Officer. We worked with Club Rafiki in Rwanda this year to fund a new role focused on supporting young people to connect with training, internship and employment opportunities, including help with editing resumes, preparing for interviews and career guidance.
• A spotlight on the Jirghai and Behsud Schools project, including the opening of a new High School building and good news out of the recent Kankor exams. Partnership Coordinator Ali Reza Yunespour shares that the network of 22 partner schools that we’ve worked in Ghazni and Maidan Wardak achieved both a higher percentage of girls sitting this year’s exams and a higher percentage of students accepted into state-funded higher education institutions than the national average.
• Planting seeds of change in Indonesia. The women of PEKKA NTT have been focusing on food security and their network of cooperative food gardens, including scaling up systems to bulk produce compost and introducing infrastructure, such as coconut and coffee milling machines, to reduce the burden of manual labour
• Meet one of the 2020 scholarship holders, from the Women’s Empowerment Centre in Kabul.
• And much more, including an update from Uganda and a think piece reflecting on some of the challenges and lessons that we’ve experienced with our community partners over the past 20 years.

Read it in full here.

indigo iNK – June_2020

What’s inside?

• A deep dive on COVID-19 and access to education in Afghanistan. With schools currently closed for face to face learning, Ali Reza Yunespour looks at some of the factors that threaten access and equity for students. Ali also shares our partners’ plans to build new school infrastructure across a network of six schools in the coming year.
• Reflecting on our first year of partnership with the HAKO Women’s Collective in Bougainville. Meet HAKO librarian Marina and find out more about HAKO’s plans to expand their Safe House in response to increased demand from women facing family and sexual violence.
• A piece explaining how we are working with and supporting our local partners as they navigate the impacts of COVID-19 and government restrictions on movement. During this time, we want to be transparent with you about what is guiding our decisions and how we are showing solidarity with our partners. To help us reflect on these times, we also share a think piece by Ann Porcino on the discomfort and possibilities of this moment and asking ‘how will we go forward’ in this decade.
• A snapshot of a field visit to our Indian partners, Mahalir Sakthi, the Program for Education and Awareness Building and SASY by our Partnership Coordinator Susan Engel.
• And much more, including an update on our partnership in South Sudan, a profile on one of our volunteers Supipi Jayawardena and news from our team in Australia.