Deaf Indonesian Project 2024 to 2025

I am Herbert Klein, an Independent Deaf Advisor in mental health and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). This October (2024), I will be returning to Indonesia for the fifth time, staying for 3 months. Our main goal is to collaborate with Gerkatin (Indonesian Deaf Association), Pusbisndo (Indonesian Sign Language), and PLJ (Sign language interpreter agency). Indonesia is home to approximately 4 million Deaf individuals residing on different islands.

The Deaf Mental Health Group aims to provide disaster risk reduction and mental health awareness training within local communities and services. The Deaf Indonesian mental health group's research indicates that 97 percent of Deaf people in Indonesia lack access to mental health services. Many Deaf individuals suffer from anxiety and trauma resulting from natural disasters, abuse, and inadequate education. Gerkatin aims to support them by providing advice, training, awareness, and empowering their rights to access emergency services.

My objective is to raise funds for the following:

1. Bisindo interpreters

2. Deaf Indonesian organiser to plan the schedules

3. Deaf networking with local communities

4. Mental health workshops

5. Travel expenses to visit approximately 10 different places in the Far East Indonesian islands, West and East Nusa Tenggara and Timor

We are collaborating with Jakarta medical university, psychiatrists, psychologists, the Gerkatin team, and a volunteer group to establish a new Deaf mental health group. Our goal is to develop new guidelines, conduct research, generate reports to the government feedback, establish policies, and provide training. Additionally, we aim to create an accessible helpline, called Signline for Deaf individuals. There is a significant need for counselling and therapy services throughout Indonesia.

We will also work with the Department of Health, National Commission on Disability, Disability Advocacy Team, Social Welfare Institution for Persons with Disabilities. They need more research and data on deaf mental health issues.

The Gerkatin and Deaf Disaster Risk Reduction team need to enhance accessibility with the Government National Agency for Disaster (BNPB) regarding Deaf issues, particularly in emergency services during natural disasters. The local services lack sufficient Deaf awareness. There was a film recently, see Remark! website https://www.remark.uk.com/indonesia

I would be grateful if you would support and donate to us.

For more information, you can visit the following links:

- https://pusbisindo.org/

- https://pljindonesia.com/

- https://www.gerkatin.org/

- https://www.undrr.org/

- https://wfdeaf.org/