Stichting Makara presenteert haar eerste jaarverslag. Hierin blikken we terug op ons eerste jaar als zelfstandige stichting en kijken we vooruit naar de opschaling van ons bewezen model voor rivierbescherming in Indonesië. Het volledige verslag is beschikbaar in het Nederlands en Engels.

Today, Makara Foundation publishes its first Annual Report, marking a milestone in our journey to protect rivers and empower communities across Indonesia.

Makara was founded to continue and expand the work of Christa Nooy and her Indonesian partners — a collaboration rooted in years of building community-led approaches to river protection in East Java and South Sulawesi. As an independent foundation, Makara now provides the organisational base to take this work to the next level.

A proven, scalable model

At the heart of our work is the AKSI approach — a method that puts women and young people at the centre of river protection, supported by citizen science, waste reduction, and ecological restoration. Developed through the AKSI Brantas project in East Java, the model has since been successfully transferred to South Sulawesi, with a third region currently under exploration.

This transferability is key. Indonesia has more than 5,000 rivers and 75,000 villages. The country’s village governance system — with its own budgets and decision-making structures — offers a unique entry point for embedding the AKSI approach at the local level. The potential for scaling is substantial.

Looking ahead

In the coming year, Makara will focus on project development and building new partnerships to realise this potential. We are actively seeking collaboration with donors, foundations, and institutional partners who share our belief that lasting change starts with the communities who depend on rivers — and who are best placed to protect them.

The full Annual Report is available in English and Dutch on our website.