Bogor City hosted TCI representatives as part of a series of preliminary meetings aimed at exploring potential partnerships.
The Challenge Initiative is officially underway in Indonesia – and the early momentum is promising. Led by the Jalin Foundation, TCI in Indonesia has made significant strides in establishing the partnerships, structures, and city engagement that will drive long-term, government-owned progress in family planning.
A Strong National Partner from the Start
A cornerstone of TCI’s approach is ensuring that governments – not outside organizations – lead and own the work. That principle is already taking shape in Indonesia. BKKBN (the country’s Ministry of Population and Family Development) has stepped into a central leadership role, with the Bureau of Planning and Budgeting actively coordinating TCI activities and designated focal points guiding early implementation. The Ministry’s Secretary formally endorsed the initiative, and officers from multiple directorates – including Reproductive Health, Family Planning Services, Data and Information, and Urban Community Development – have been appointed to support the work ahead.
This multi-unit structure was intentional. By distributing ownership across departments rather than relying on individual champions, TCI is building sustainability into the initiative from day one – reducing vulnerability to leadership turnover or administrative changes down the road.
Cities Take Notice
With national leadership engaged, attention turned to cities. An introductory meeting brought together five potential cities from four provinces, led directly by BKKBN representatives – itself a signal of growing national ownership. Cities including Surabaya and Jakarta expressed strong interest, and local governments asked thoughtful questions about how TCI would fit within existing systems, what it would require of staff, and what funding support would look like.
The answers reflect what TCI is all about: this is not a parallel project or an external system layered on top of local government. TCI works to strengthen what’s already there – improving service delivery, supporting smarter use of resources, and building the planning and data skills that make progress stick. TCI does not provide direct implementation funding, but brings deep expertise in capacity building, budgeting support, and data-driven decision-making.
City engagement meetings are underway, with high-level meetings involving Mayors and planning offices alongside technical sessions with family planning and health teams. Final city selection is expected by the end of May 2026, with two cities joining TCI for the implementation phase.
Getting Data to Work Harder
Indonesia already has national data systems in place – but data often isn’t being used to drive local planning and decisions. Building a monitoring, learning, and evaluation strategy is a TCI priority from the outset, with planned steps to assess data utilization gaps, strengthen local capacity for monitoring and reporting, and support routine data review so that information actively informs program improvements.
What’s Coming Next
June marks the transition from planning to action. Program design workshops are scheduled for June 8–18, conducted separately for each selected city to allow for tailored analysis and city-specific strategies. After those workshops, TCI will help prepare national and city-level coaches to support implementation, monitoring, and adaptive learning.
With strong engagement from national ministries, committed leadership from BKKBN, and genuine enthusiasm from cities, TCI in Indonesia is building something designed to last.
