PMK Ministry Prepares CARE-I Project In Yogyakarta

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture (Kemenko PMK) held a Coordination Meeting for the Preparation of the CARE-I Project at the BPBD Office of the Special Region of Yogyakarta on Friday, September 11, 2026. CARE-I stands for Collaborative Approach for Resilience Surveillance and Pandemic Preparedness in Indonesia.

This meeting marks the initial step to implement a community-based approach to prevent and respond to non-natural disasters and health emergencies in the region.

This strategic activity is a concrete government effort to strengthen national and regional capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to pandemic threats and health emergencies. Using the One Health approach, the project integrates collaboration across sectors including health, environment, agriculture, and disaster management.

The goal is to build a surveillance and response system that is faster, more accurate, and reaches the grassroots level.

Deputy for Disaster and Social Conflict Coordination at Kemenko PMK, Lilik Kurniawan, emphasized that lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic must be used to prepare Indonesia for future health threats. “We must not only respond after an event occurs. Prevention and mitigation must be our investment. Through this project, we will build a collective awareness movement by recruiting around 100 students in DIY as the driving force for surveillance at the basic community level, or dasawisma,” Lilik stated.

The Head of BPBD Yogyakarta, Agustinus Ruruh Haryata, as the host, welcomed and fully supported Yogyakarta’s designation as one of the CARE-I pilot locations. Besides being prone to natural disasters, Yogyakarta is also vulnerable to infectious diseases and zoonosis due to high population mobility as a centre for tourism and education. This makes community-based surveillance and early detection crucial for the province.

Assistant Deputy for Disaster Risk Reduction at Kemenko PMK, Andre Notohamijoyo, explained that in 2026 the CARE-I project will focus on DI Yogyakarta, DKI Jakarta, West Java, and Banten. Funded by a grant from the Pandemic Fund, the project will develop key learning modules on Rabies, Anthrax, Leptospirosis, and Avian Flu, plus one additional module on Disaster Awareness Movement. The funding aims to improve tools, training, and community outreach.

“The overall program is a collaborative effort to strengthen data integration, early warning systems, and community literacy and resilience at the grassroots level to achieve national health resilience,” Andre affirmed. The meeting was attended both in-person and online by representatives from the Yogyakarta Health Office, Environment and Forestry Office, Agriculture and Food Security Office, Bapperida DIY, strategic partners such as FAO, and Disaster Risk Reduction Forum members from provincial to district/city levels.

Through CARE-I, Kemenko PMK aims to create a more resilient Indonesian society with a strong culture of disaster awareness. The ministry hopes communities will be able to respond quickly to various threats and support a safer and more resilient Indonesia. By empowering students and local cadres as frontline agents, the project seeks to turn preparedness into a shared responsibility from the ground up.

Source: KEMENKO PMK