Strengthening local resilience with inclusive innovation and collective action

IDEAKSI is an inclusive innovation programme launched in 2021 by YAKKUM Emergency Unit. It helps people with disabilities and marginalized groups lead local disaster-preparedness solutions. It supported 26 innovations reaching 29,000 people and raised over $1 million in grants.

YAKKUM Emergency Unit (YEU) is an Indonesia-based NGO that, together with partners, runs a programme called IDEAKSI which enables persons with disabilities and at-risk groups to co-design new solutions related to disaster response and climate resilience. Providing mentorship, peer learning, and flexible grants, IDEAKSI fosters scalable, locally owned approaches. From 2021 to 2025, it supported 26 innovative solutions across Yogyakarta and Central Sulawesi, and was planning to scale in partnership with public sector agencies.

Problems Targeted

Persons with disabilities and marginalized groups are excluded from mainstream disaster planning, leading to higher vulnerability and slower recovery.

Solution, Innovation and Impact

IDEAKSI (Idea, Innovation, Action, Inclusion) is an inclusive innovation programme launched in 2021 by YAKKUM Emergency Unit (YEU) under the Christian Foundation for Public Health. Its mission is to support persons with disabilities and at-risk groups in leading disaster preparedness and humanitarian solutions. YEU partners with organizations such as the ADRRN Tokyo Innovation Hub, the Centre for Disaster Preparedness (Philippines), and Elrha to provide mentorship, peer learning, and small and mid-sized grants to locally rooted initiatives tackling local risks. IDEAKSI coordinates with local innovators mainly through in-person meetings, with mentoring in community spaces as needed. Since 2021 it has supported 26 innovations, from accessible ICT apps and flood early warning systems to psychosocial gardening, inclusive theatre, and climate-smart farming. Examples include DIFGANDES, an accessible app for volcano preparedness; PB PALMA’s early flood warning system; and MONTOV, a sensory-accessible health app for people with HIV. The TAKSI KENCANA initiative has led to fewer relapses and stronger self-worth among persons with psychosocial disabilities. These innovations have reached over 29,000 people in 26 communities and directly involved more than 6,000 participants. By 2025, IDEAKSI innovations had been replicated nationally through a partnership with Church World Service Indonesia, adapting the model to new contexts.

Funding, Outlook and Transferability

IDEAKSI is primarily funded through international grants (ELRHA, ADRRN Tokyo Innovation Hub, UK FCDO), totalling over $1 million from 2020 to 2025. Around 24 percent of funds go directly to innovators and 38 percent to capacity-building, with YEU contributing additional operational support. Project scaling is planned through collaboration with national disaster risk reduction agencies. (#ZeroCall26)

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