Partners:

• GERHATI, East Jakarta, Indonesia
• All Saints Church in Jakarta, Anglican Diocese of Singapore

Program Type and Services:

• Christian Microfinance Institution: “Credit Led”

GERHATI Foundation offers two loan products to its clients. The first is the Trust Bank Loan Program. Loan sizes range from $53 to $214. The second loan product, Small Business Loan Program, is available to existing GERHATI clients who improve their business, are diligent in repayment, and finish the Trust Bank Loan Program. These loan sizes range from $267 to $535.

GERHATI provides a client training program for clients who form a group in order to obtain a Trust Bank loan. Before group members take out a loan product, GERHATI staff addresses topics such as character building, leadership training, and how to become an organization.

Training Focus:

• Micro-enterprise development
• Self development: marketing a business, money management, cooking lessons
• Community services and development: building a clean, healthy, smart community
• Spiritual development: morning devotions, weekly prayer and fasting
• Healthy family card program: health knowledge via socialization

The Community

GERHATI Foundation operates in the Bekasi Area (West Java Province and Cipayung) in East Jakarta, Indonesia in a predominantly Muslim context.  With a population of 2.5 million, it is in the East Regency of the capital. For several years, the project has maintained three core programs that provide financial support, training, and technical assistance to poor entrepreneurs.  The programs serve as an outreach tool to neighboring Muslim communities in order to build relationships in an often tense and hostile environment.  In addition, the program provides much-needed jobs for Christians who sometimes face employment discrimination.

The Program

This Christian micro-enterprise development (CMED) program in Jakarta is improving not only the livelihood of the very poor congregations of the Anglican Church in Jakarta, but is also reaching out to other needy members of the communities that surround each church. The program focuses its efforts on two communities in Jakarta: Bekasi and Cipayung.  The majority of the recipients are women at the lowest income levels.  It provides the financial and technical assistance necessary to help participants maintain and develop their businesses.

A new foundation entitled GERHATI has been created to carry out this mission. GERHATI, an acronym in the local language for “Gateway of Hope for Human Transformation,” was conceived and developed jointly by Five Talents International, in partnership with the Anglican Diocese of Singapore and the expatriate Anglican community of All Saints Church in Jakarta in 2002.  The GERHATI Foundation, located in Bekasi, Java, is registered as a cooperative and started operations in April 2005.

In 2010, GERHATI offered a Spiritual Development Program for Gerhati clients who are Christians which is supported by Gereja Anglikan Indonesia (GAI). The program was divided into 9 Bible Study meetings, 2 seminars, and one family gathering.  The events were conducted by 2 pastors from GAI on a monthly basis and were offered to Gerhati clients who live in the Cipayung Area.

GERHATI also regularly partners with local doctors to set up temporary free health clinics for the poor in Bekasi and Cipayung.

The Need

The local church provides spiritual development, using Bible studies based on the parable of the talents. The hope is that the church will be seen as a light into the community, and that the micro-enterprise development program, through its outreach, will help the church to grow.

Five Talents hopes to expand the program to reach 6,594 clients by the end of 2012.

We'd appreciate your continued prayers for this transformative program. Please help us expand our work in Indonesia either by making a one-time donation or by signing up to "Walk with Us" as a recurring donor. A monthly gift of $10 will transform up to five lives.

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Updated December 2012