Friends,
We have lots to share, starting with Ukraine. Much of the world has been riveted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and we immediately considered how we could help neighbors help neighbors in the affected areas. Thanks to the Shugar Magic Foundation and several other generous donors, we already have deployed a new Ukrainian version of our award-winning mobile app, AtmaGo.
The goal is to empower the people most affected by the situation so they can rebuild and provide mutual support – helping with childcare, education, jobs, and services.
We are proud of how quickly our amazing technology team developed, tested, and deployed the AtmaGo app in Ukrainian, which is the first time the app is available in non-roman letters. Under the direction of Atma’s Ukraine Project Manager Ren Robbins, whose background includes incubating ReliefWeb, a UN information source on global crises and disasters, the Ukraine team is building a network of individuals and local organizations. Atma’s Chief of Product Aisyah Gunung, who is located in Jakarta, is guiding localization of AtmaGo, and we are working with two new team members in Ukraine, who we will be excited to introduce to you in our next newsletter.
Examples of the kind of valuable content that Ukrainians will find on AtmaGo are:
- Posts by a Ukrainian psychologist concerning ways to maintain emotional strength in the face of constant destruction and instability, and
- The Live Universal Awareness Map, an online independent global news and information site built by volunteers.
However, the most compelling contribution of AtmaGo is the way it enables social ties between neighbors who are displaced or whose movements are restricted. Disaster expert Dr. Daniel Aldrich says studies of major disasters reveal that strong local social ties are critical factors to individual survival and community resilience.
We are proud that Atma has been at the forefront of mutual aid, both as a thought leader and as an on-the-ground enabler through the AtmaGo network.
Empowering Communities
Here are additional ways we are making a difference in empowering vulnerable communities:
A year ago we launched our Community platform in both Indonesia and Puerto Rico as part of our “mobile app, AtmaGo. Our outstanding tech team has continued to build it out, and it’s becoming a big engine for good. You’ll be hearing lots more about its growing impact in coming months. Here are two innovative initiatives underway:
-
Empowering Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)
In the next six months, you’ll find leading CSOs, as they’re called, sprucing up their profiles and becoming “funding ready” for major corporations who seek to track and document their corporate social governance progress or, as some call it, ESG (Environmental, Social and Governmental criteria). We’re in discussions with companies doing business in Indonesia – let us know if you have a strong connection who would be interested!
-
Empowering the public in accessing healthcare
Indonesia has a network of community healthcare centers known as Puskesmas yet maternal and newborn mortality remains high in the country. Our team was asked to build a complaint-handling mechanism to improve services at Puskesmas.
The complaint-handling mechanism is deployed, and we’re happy to share, it’s been renamed LAMPU to reflect its broader mission beyond complaints – LAMPU stands for:
Layanan Aduan dan Aspirasi Masyarakat kepada Puskesmas
Community Complaints and Aspiration for Services in Public Healthcare Centers. Here’s to higher aspirations!
The new system has been well-received. Here’s what people are saying:
“The online system is a breakthrough and we certainly expect this complaint handling platform to spread throughout many more health centers.”
“This (LAMPU) system will certainly help us to improve our services. Previously we received many complaints but they were not tracked properly, so it was difficult for us to respond to needs as they arose.”
Sharing Impact and Best Practices
The initial successes, which we shared in our May newsletter, included patient- and customer-focused improvements, such as clearing an outdoor playing area that had been overrun with motorbikes; providing more seating for patients waiting for appointments; and improving the level of patient care and service.
Other healthcare centers have asked for the system, and we are replicating it in new places.
We are big believers in sharing impact and best practices so this successful effort can spread, and our team has created a handsome and informative manual, with glossary, planning pilot preparation and execution, budgeting and other information to be a starting point for each region launching a LAMPU.
Atma in the news
Techonomy.com – Can Twitter Be “Nice”?
“Listen to the people that you’re building something for. Build with them. The people who are most harmed by our economic system are often the ones who have the solutions. And we really need to build all of our systems to solve climate change, environmental problems and inequality all at once, and these people have the solutions.”
USAID’s MADANI newsletter
USAID Supports Innovative Complaint Handling System for Public Services
“In April 2022, the Bupati [regent] requested that the system be scaled up to … Puskesmas throughout Brebes. Negotiations are currently ongoing.
Meanwhile, Atma Connect is upgrading several features on AtmaGo to allow additional Puskesmas to set up their complaint handling system. The Brebes experience demonstrates how MADANI’s local approaches are designed for replication to other locations in Central Java and elsewhere.”
Did you know?
We train civil society organizations how to share their impact successes and best practices in relevant, engaging articles and social media. We were delighted to help spotlight a story by Aisyiyah Sumedang, a women’s organization focused on religion, education, and women’s empowerment.
One of their articles was featured in national Indonesian media, Kumparan.“Women’s central participation and role in village development.” The article describes a women’s community in West Java, called Kader PINTAR. Kader PINTAR (referring to women with initiatives, resilience and responsiveness) has been fighting for local women to be included in the local budget planning process.
We’re also a media partner for a group called KNCV Indonesia fighting tuberculosis. Here’s what the Executive Director Dr. Jhon Sugiharto says: “AtmaGo is extraordinary and comprehensive, with its community approach.”
Podcasts for good
Through our partnership with Kolase Sakawarga, Atma has produced dozens of videos. A recent highlight: an interview conducted with Ibn Jandi, a community leader from Tangerang City, shed light on how local and international graffiti artists collaborated with a paint-maker company’s CSR program to beautify a neighborhood previously viewed as a slum. The colorful mural paintings share important messages including the importance of face masks to avoid the further spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Adopt a Community Internship in Puerto Rico
University students are acquiring journalism experience through our new Adopt a Community Internship Program in Puerto Rico. We’re excited at the potential to support the social development of communities and to make their projects visible.
Thank you, as always, to our friends, supporters, and partners around the world. We could not do this crucial work without you.
All the best,
Meena Palaniappan
Atma Co-founder & CEO