Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, home to over 270 million people - and one of the world's most disaster-prone countries. At least 40% of Indonesians live in areas prone to natural disasters. Save the Children has been working here for decades, and when crisis hits, we respond fast.
Our three key areas in Indonesia
Preparing for emergencies
At least 40% of Indonesians live in areas prone to natural disasters. We're working with the government to ensure communities are well prepared for emergencies.
Our programmes help people understand the risks, and develop and rehearse disaster response plans. We also ensure that emergency response is included in school teaching and that children are involved in drawing up plans.
When a crisis does happen, our teams are ready to send help immediately. We've launched responses to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2006 earthquakes in central Java, the 2009 earthquake in West Sumatra, the 2018 Sulawesi tsunami, the 2022 Cianjur earthquake and the 2025 Sumatra flash floods and landslides. We've also deployed local responses to small-scale disasters.
Improving healthcare
Our health work in Indonesia focuses on improving care for mothers and young children.
We train parents, carers, midwives, nurses, doctors and community health workers in newborn survival techniques and good hygiene practices. We're also helping to improve infrastructure and referral systems so mums and babies get better care faster.
More than a third of Indonesian children grow up stunted because they haven't had a nutritious diet. We're working locally to help improve nutrition in communities and create stronger links with government health services.
Protecting the most vulnerable
We're committed to transforming care for vulnerable children in Indonesia.
Working with the government and child care providers we're improving conditions in institutions, as well as enabling more children to grow up in a nurturing family environment.
We've also developed new care standards, and a new training and certification system for social workers.
For children with disabilities, we're improving access to education and helping families find the support they need.
We're also working hard to protect vulnerable children from being pulled into the worst kinds of child labour and exploitation, including sex work, plantation work and domestic labour.
Responding to the 2025 Sumatra floods
In late November 2025, heavy rains caused flash floods and landslides across Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra, causing widespread destruction and cutting off many communities from aid. More than 300,000 homes were damaged, 106,000 people remain displaced and more than 4,500 schools were impacted. Although access has been restored to most areas, there is still an urgent need for shelter, school equipment, sanitation facilities and healthcare services.
Save the Children and its partners are providing life-saving support for children and families across the most severely impacted areas. We're delivering health and nutrition services, education support and child protection. In the early days of the disaster, we provided aid via helicopter and boat to communities completely cut off by landslides and floodwaters.
Two children's stories from Aceh Province show why this work matters so much.
Lala* (11) with her back-to-school kit in a backpack
Lala's story: 'She found joy and became cheerful again'
Lala* is 11 years old and lives in Aceh Province, Indonesia. When flash floods tore through her village in late November 2025, her family lost their home, their belongings and their laundromat business. Her school was so badly damaged that floodwaters reached the second storey of the building, and she was out of school until volunteers helped clear the mud and debris from classrooms.
Her father Baim* described the moment he and his wife walked back through their village and saw what the floods had done.
"The water was a rushing torrent. When my wife and I walked there, we didn't recognise all those places that were familiar to us. That's how devastating the flood was for our hometown. We cried as we walked through the scene."
Save the Children provided Lala's family with a hygiene kit and gave Lala a back-to-school kit after her schoolbooks and stationery were washed away. Lala also attends Save the Children's Child Friendly Space in the camp, where she joins educational activities, games, drawing and puppet shows.
"I'm happy with the activities. I learned about waste - hazardous, inorganic, organic. I met Alam the puppet. He's funny." - Lala, 11
Baim says the difference has been clear. "My daughter has returned to her usual self. She found joy and became cheerful again. She also learned many things there."
Nana's story: 'School is important so she can pursue her dreams'
Nana* is 13 years old and lives in Aceh Province, Indonesia. She fled her home in the middle of the night with her mother Ziah* and 7-year-old brother Rizky* when huge torrents of water and mud poured through their house in late November 2025. After sheltering at an evacuation site that then also flooded, the family found refuge in a stranger's three-storey house with many other families. They quickly ran out of food and drinking water, and Nana fell ill with a high fever. When they were finally able to return, they discovered their home had been completely destroyed.
"The water was fast, strong, and already murky, yellow in colour. Later, when we could get in, indeed our house was no longer there. We immediately felt sad. We had lived there for about twenty-two years." - Ziah, Nana's mother
Nana* (13) inside her tent, Aceh, Indonesia
Nana's school was badly damaged by the floods. When she returned on 5 January 2026, there was still mud everywhere, and regular classes hadn't restarted because teachers and students had lost all their education supplies and equipment. Save the Children provided Nana with a back-to-school kit, and she now attends the Child Friendly Space in her camp, where she joins games, drawing and puppet shows.
"Nana really does like those activities. In short, she is happy. We feel happy, being able to see her cheerful again, with her friends. Not like previously, afraid, asking: 'will it flood again, Mum'?" - Ziah
Ziah's hope is simple: that Nana can return to school fully and pursue her dreams.
*Names changed to protect identities
Page updated March 2026
