Deconstructing interventions in childcare by local NGOs in Indonesia

The migration of women and gender inequality put pressure on social reproduction in Indonesia, one example being childcare. The absence of the state in providing childcare services has prompted local communities and NGOs to take on this role. This study stems from the questions of how and why small NGOs in Indonesia frame the issue of childcare due to the pressures of female migration and gender inequality, how this framing shapes their interventions, and how this study is important for development studies in viewing the role of NGOs as state actors amid the limitations of NGOs and their relationship with donors and the state on the issue of childcare. This research focuses on the interventions carried out by three NGOs in Indonesia, namely the Tanoker Community in East Java, Damar in Lampung, and Rifka Annisa in Yogyakarta. These three NGOs were selected to examine how small NGOs in Indonesia respond to the childcare crisis through different entry points (migration and gender inequality), yet face similar challenges related to the absence of the state, negotiations with local needs and donors, and survival strategies. This comparison is analytically valuable because it reveals common patterns and specific variations in the framing and intervention strategies carried out in the context of each community. The research method uses secondary data, with the main empirical basis being NGO documents such as reports, modules, books, and publications. Documents from NGOs are treated as “discourse facts” of how NGOs define problems and offer solutions. Meanwhile, limited interviews were conducted as supporting evidence. This approach not only allowed researchers to see how framing and interventions were formed, but also the factors that influenced why these choices emerged. The theory of social reproduction was used to understand the challenges of childcare as a crisis arising from female migration, where children are at risk of dropping out of school and other social vulnerabilities. To address this, Tanoker developed collaborative parenting through schools for mothers, fathers, grandparents, and children's forums. Meanwhile, Damar and Rifka Annisa framed childcare as a result of unequal division of labor within the family and gender-based violence, where patriarchal norms are considered an obstacle to positive parenting. To overcome this, both NGOs run the same program, Prevention+, with a Gender Transformative Approach (GTA) through classes for mothers, fathers, and teenage girls and boys. Damar and Rifka Annisa emerged from the same donor framework, while the difference lies in their implementation. Damar emphasizes village-based advocacy, while Rifka Annisa emphasizes legal advocacy and counselling.