Empowering Women for Sustainable Peace in rural Indonesia: Stories from two field volunteers

Date: Monday, 6 April 2026

Author: Chathuri De Silva*

A group of participants stands together in a meeting room during the WE NEXUS Annual Project Meeting. Maria S. Daros and Untung Nomleni are among the group gathered in front of a presentation screen, marking a moment of shared participation and collaboration. Photo by UN Women/Vania Ramadhanty

Maria S. Daros (right) and Untung Nomleni (second from right) at a WE NEXUS Annual Project Meeting. Photo: UN Women/Vania Ramadhanty

In Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara Province, where communities face both climate and social challenges, two UN Community Volunteers helped weave resilience and peace through women’s empowerment. Working for the “Empowered Women for Sustainable Peace: (WE NEXUS) project, implemented by UN Women with support from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Untung Nomleni and Maria S. Daros served as the bridge between communities, implementing partners and the United Nations.

About the WE NEXUS Project

The WE NEXUS project (2023–2026), aims to enhance community resilience by integrating women’s leadership into peacebuilding, climate action and disaster preparedness. The project engages government partners, civil society organizations and local communities to ensure that women and girls are not only protected but also positioned as agents of sustainable peace.

A group of community members and partners pose together outside the Pukdale Village Office in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara. Maria S. Daros and Untung Nomleni are among the group, marking a moment of collaboration during a local engagement activity. Photo by UN Women/Vania Ramadhanty

Maria S. Daros (far right) and Untung Nomleni (second row, fourth from left) at Pukdale Village Office in Pukdale Village, Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara on 17 June 2025. Photo: UN Women/Vania Ramadhanty

Documenting change through women’s voices – Untung Nomleni

From November 2024 until October 2025 while based in Soe, East Nusa Tenggara Province, Untung supported humanitarian-development-peace (HDP) nexus work by monitoring activities implemented by local partners, documenting results and representing UN Women at community events.

“Through my documentation efforts, I’ve helped highlight inspiring stories of women who are driving climate resilience and peace,” she explains. “I’ve seen how women’s participation can both boost their confidence and strengthen their communities.”

Untung’s work supports WE NEXUS project’s component on the women’s empowerment and climate resilience in Timor Tengah Selatan to strengthen capacities of women and their roles in times of climate crisis. By capturing stories and lessons learned from the field, she contributes to a wider understanding of how inclusive programming builds sustainable peace at the local level.

Maria S. Daros and Untung Nomleni sit with community members during a small group discussion inside a local building in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara. The group is seated on chairs, listening, taking notes, and sharing information as part of community engagement activities. Photo by UN Women/Vania Ramadhanty

Untung Nomleni (left) during Village Focal Point Discussion in Timor Tengah Selatan, East Nusa Tenggara on 17 June 2025. Photo: UN Women/Vania Ramadhanty

Strengthening accountability and resilience – Maria S. Daros

From September 2024 until August 2025 in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara Province, fellow UN Community Volunteer Maria supported project monitoring and community engagement for the WE NEXUS initiative. Her role ensured that KOICA-supported activities were effectively implemented and aligned with the project’s monitoring framework.

Maria S. Daros stands among community members during a group discussion in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara. She leans slightly forward while listening and speaking with participants, as people around her gesture with their hands, hold papers, and face one another, showing active engagement and exchange during monitoring and accountability activities. Photo Courtesy of Maria S. Daros

Maria S. Daros (right) engages with community members in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, supporting monitoring and accountability of WE NEXUS activities at the local level. Photo: Courtesy of Maria S. Daros

“My work has contributed to improving accountability and ensuring that project activities truly reflect community needs,” she says. “It’s rewarding to see women leading initiatives that strengthen peace and resilience in their villages.”

Maria’s reports and stories have provided crucial insight into the local context, helping partners shape activities that address both humanitarian and development priorities while emphasizing women’s leadership in decision-making.

Women at the heart of resilience

The WE NEXUS Project, jointly implemented by UN Women, UNFPA, UN OCHA, CARE, Wahid Foundation and Save the Children, promotes gender-responsive solutions in areas vulnerable to disaster and conflict. It strengthens women’s roles in peacebuilding, economic empowerment, and climate resilience across East and West Nusa Tenggara and Central Sulawesi.

By empowering women to influence village planning, strengthen economic opportunities and lead local resilience mechanisms, the project directly contributes to the women, peace and security agenda and Indonesia’s broader development goals.

“Inclusive processes in village planning are essential to ensure meaningful participation of women in decision-making,” notes Eni Widiyanti, Deputy Assistant for Gender Mainstreaming in the Economy, Infrastructure, and Regional Government, Region I, from the Ministry of Women Empowerment and Child Protection.

Through their volunteerism, Maria and Untung embody how individual commitment can advance collective progress, connecting humanitarian, development and peace efforts through local leadership.

* Chathuri De Silva is the Communications Assistant, United Nations Volunteers, Sri Lanka & Indonesia