In Indonesia, from 3 January 2020 to 10 December 2021, there have been 4,258,752 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 143,923 deaths reported to WHO. Whereas 4,110,327 were reported as recovered. As of 6 December 2021, 243,523,258 vaccine doses have been administered.

Indonesia has suffered through one of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks in Asia and the world. By early August, the second wave of COVID-19 battered the archipelago with the number of new infections increasing dramatically and peaking at 56,757 new cases a day; estimated to have caused some fifty thousand deaths in a few weeks, with the total number of infections in the millions. Further, a few weeks earlier, Indonesia had been declared one of the world epicentres of the virus. The country struggled to find enough oxygen, hospital beds, medicines and other necessities for COVID patients.

https://www.worldometers.info/...

The country has since taken proactive measures. It has begun to amass more vaccines from China and donations from New Zealand and other countries, and leading officials have begun to more aggressively battle vaccine hesitancy. The government has also bolstered its testing and tracing capacities and instituted a more restrictive form of lockdown wherein non-essential and non-critical commercial activities are not allowed. Domestic travel is restricted, while inter-regional travel is permissible only with a vaccination certificate or a valid negative COVID-19 test result. It is further strengthened with onsite PCR tests on arrival for international travellers. The government is doing this in collaboration with other organisations such as UNICEF, supporting vaccine deployment activities.

These activities at the macro level are supported by activities at the micro-level such as today’s last deployment of the Donation Campaign: Tanggap COVID-19. Following the concerted efforts employed by the government, this is a partnership between Baitnet Cipta Madani Foundation and the University of Agder, Norway, that is entirely volunteer-run. Currently, through the use of the Ushahidi platform, they have been able to surface useful and verified information for citizens to use in response to COVID-19, such as:

  • Convalescent Donors
  • Testing and Vaccination Facilities
  • Oxygen Cylinder Refill and Oxygen Cylinder Borrowing

https://uia-korona-indonesia.u...

With your support, they are looking to collect important policy information about the community’s use of - public facilities, to anticipate the community's expectations that the society will move towards a “new normal”. This information is necessary because every public facility has a different policy, e.g., two malls or mosques, each with its approach. Thus providing information (including update dates, status such as closed or limited to a certain %, vaccination requirements to enter, etc.) on these discrepancies will significantly aid those that patronise the facilities.

Tanggap COVID-19 is looking to do better with the Ushahidi deployment and serve better its community, and this is a trait that runs through our deployers. They start small, do what they can, identify new gaps and issues to solve, getting right to it. Because at the heart of their labour is to come to the relief of the forgotten, the marginalised, the unheard. Once they ease the pain, they strive to improve their welfare, which is an ever-growing need.

Over the past weeks, we have shown you the tip of the iceberg of what our deployers are up to. From Bike Scouts and MapaDelitos taking on natural disasters and crime, respectively, head-on. To Madrid Vecina, who have made sure the elderly are not forgotten. We are optimistic that these testimonials have inspired you to do what you can, where you can with whomever you can. We all have a part to play in mending and advancing our society.

We encourage you to reach out to us to those already using the Ushahidi platform; we’d love to amplify your story. If your curiosity about using the platform has peaked, reach out to us. We are always excited to add people to our large family. Finally, one more time, we ask that you take a moment to back our global team of volunteers, our deployers, for they are indeed, our heartbeat.

Thank you,

Team Ushahidi