Youmna Hassanein, Innovation Intern
Greeneration Empowers Communities’ Environmental Resilience
Millions residing along Indonesia’s Citarum River basin area are exposed to deadly risks from its contamination. Residences and fertile soil, essential for local farmers, are impaired by textile wastewater, plastic waste, and chemical effluents, rendering diseases like fevers and pneumonia inevitable. In a valiant effort to shield their community from such perils, 77 dedicated waste pickers from the Bening Saguilling Foundation (BSF) courageously risk their health, using improvised protective equipment such as old clothes, rubber boots, and limited sampan boats (flat-bottomed Chinese boats) for river cleanup. For them, the health risks posed by direct exposure to contaminants are worth taking, to protect their families and communities who live along the River.
Waste pickers in the Citarum River
This narrative took a transformative turn when BSF launched the “Citruram Listerari - Sampan Harapan & Anak Pejuang Lingkungan [Sampan Harapan & Children of Environmental Fighters]” initiative with Greeneration’s Green Fund Digital Philanthropy (GFDP) platform. The funds allocated to BSF have provided 9 canoe boats for environmental protectors, allowing them to manage over 5,000 kilograms of waste.
The Green Fund Digital Philanthropy (GFDP) platform has not only helped the Citarum River waste heroes but planted seeds to support three more campaign initiatives to bridge the financing gap for local and regional environmental organizations through crowdfunding. As the platform continues to blossom, they are committed to further campaign initiatives, fostering support for a myriad of environmental causes within their community.
The Greeneration team
Strengthening Communities through Sustainable Financing
During the past 18 years, Greeneration has supported more than 1,384,639 individuals, communities, organizations, and institutions. In this symphony of success, Greeneration's journey speaks not just of financial milestones but of the profound impact that a united community can have in the face of environmental challenges.
To fortify its existing success, Greeneration underwent a transformative journey over the past two years. Following several meetings with fellow Indonesian NGOs to evaluate their collective progress, they recognized a shared struggle: the lack of sustainable financing models. To tackle this issue, the team decided to innovate, shifting their focus from conventional grant support to an alternative solution. After participating in the Tadamon Crowdfunding Academy and drawing from the lessons learned during their first campaign the team decided to establish their crowdfunding platform “Green Fund Digital Philanthropy”.
“The most significant knowledge we got from Tadamon Crowdfunding Academy is how to brand ourselves, create an effective public campaign and attractive content through design and story-telling of the project,” Greeneration’s funding manager, Dinda Sora Annisa, Fundraising Manager shared.
Green Fund Digital Philanthropy video
This newfound knowledge helped in the development of their platform as it informed them of what moves the public, enabling them to connect effectively with their audience. Crowdfunding not only addresses the funding gap for environmental causes but also strengthens communities by connecting individuals, governments, and non-profit organizations dedicated to environmental preservation.
Powerful Stories and Stronger Partners
A year after joining the Academy and embarking on their quest for funding, Greeneration had secured an impressive $224,091 for the platform’s development. "Through Tadamon Crowdfunding Academy, we also learned how to map potential partners from the community, government, and private sector,” Dinda added, which was invaluable for their quest to secure funding for the GFDP platform.
This funding was generously provided by development organizations and donors, such as Packard Foundation, Kadin Indonesia, and Yayasan Humanis dan Inovasi Sosial (HIVOS). “Our mission was our selling point, donors believed in our good reputation” Dinda and Vara Leoni, Corporate Fundraising Officer emphasized. This trust is portrayed by Arsjad Rasjid, the Chairman of Kadin Indonesia, who expressed the partnership’s ambition: “With this partnership, we hope to catch up on our target of 10 years of restoration…. Together, we can fight the climate crisis and environmental crisis to reach a net zero emission target by 2060, as well as manifest an inclusive economic development for a golden Indonesia in 2045.”
Kadin Indonesia at Greeneration event
Three Pillars to Success
Their mission, as they eagerly described, is rooted in three key pillars: firstly, establishing an accountable platform, defined by public accessibility and transparency to garner trust; secondly, utilizing funding for online and offline marketing to enhance global and regional exposure; and thirdly, investing significantly in high-quality human resources to reinforce their commitment to accountability.
EcoRange project
From April 2022 to September 2023, the GFDP platform has successfully raised $15,856 in donations enabling them to support four campaign initiatives known as Greenaration’s 'Heroes Campaigns.' These campaigns have not only protected environmental waste heroes but fostered the dreams of 5 of their children to complete their education. The support covered the costs of transportation, school uniforms, as well as school and medical supplies. Their current Heroes Campaigns aim to support the children of more waste heroes and provide the heroes with Tricycles for more efficient garbage collection. Greeneration is determined to grow its platform and support more local environmental initiatives through its Heroes Campaign.
Greeneration remains steadfast in its ambitious commitment to restoring Indonesia’s natural wonders. Their vision is to have 10 million Indonesians donate a minimum of 10 thousand Indonesian rupiah every month through their GFDP platform. Aviaska Saraswati, Greeneration’s Content Writer, encapsulates the organization’s spirit as she writes “This dream is still a long journey, sometimes we might get tired. Hopefully, our steps can synchronize [with each other] … if it’s not our tiny feet that move, who will take real action to restore the earth?”
Learn more about Greeneration´s work and support them.