How Community-Based Work Imitates Art: My Reflections on EMpower’s Footprints in Indonesia

Credit: Camille Pissarro, 1888, La Récolte des pommes, oil on canvas, 61 x 74 cm, Dallas Museum of Art

Life is art. When I struggle to find the precise words to describe a feeling or impression, I often find meanings from various art forms. When I met with our partners in Jakarta last month, images of a few oil paintings from the Pointillist greats emerged while I listened to their struggles and achievements. I wondered as you may too, what is the connection between the 19^th century arts technique and a group of locally-led, community-based organisations in Indonesia?

Pointillist artists place small dabs and points of pure colour onto a canvas in certain patterns that would transform into breathtaking images when viewed together. EMpower’s partners are no different from those artists. They bring together the “small but mighty” youth from all walks of life, listen to them, encourage them, and bring them together for collective actions which transcend boundaries. If we look at the community as a mosaic, young people who are typically marginalised and often invisible, can shine with the right intentions and dedicated support. 

Rethinking Systems Change 

The impact sector strives to paint beautiful images for humanity, and we often frame our thinking with the language of systems change. However, such “big picture” thinking is usually equated with institutional and policy reform, which is often driven by top-down approach and the giant players. With significant financial resources being invested in systems change, it is worth reflecting on what constitutes that, as that would broaden our thinking on both the domains and pathways to change, as well as the unique contribution of local organisations.

Youth in emerging markets face different challenges in their education, work, and life; taking reference from the Water of Systems Change framework, systems change is about removing the interdependent conditions that are holding those problems in place. We tend to focus on the more explicit and tangible aspects of a system, which includes policies, practices, and how resource flows. However, changes also happen at the semi-explicit level, and transforming a system is really about transforming the relationships and power dynamics. Moreover, the mental models, the deeply held implicit beliefs and assumptions, are the most difficult to see and change, yet they underpin all other levels. 

These three levels are deeply interconnected and mutually reinforcing. Imagine a community which is plagued by child early and forced marriages. At the outset, it may seem obvious to eliminate the issue through legislation. However, without changing the power dynamics between parents and children, and shifting the narrative on child, early and forced marriage brides, there will always be ways to bypass the laws and policies.

Why Local Actors Matter

Embedded in the community, local organisations have the trust and patience to address sticky problems. For example, Yayasan Kusuma Buana started working in Bongas District, West Java since 2010 to combat the entrenched issue of sex trafficking of women and children. They focused on long-term community engagement, education, and prevention, bringing together community members to form working group to raise awareness (strengthening relationships and changing mindset). Over time, their work began to shift community attitudes and reduce trafficking cases. Similarly, the East Bali Poverty Project  empowers youth to combat child marriage (resourcing youth with knowledge); through youth-led advocacy, a pararem (customary village regulation) was passed in the hamlets of Desa Adat Darmaji and Manikaji, banning child marriage (introducing policy), which also helps to shift community norms (shaping mind). Local organisations and youth-led initiatives are part and parcel of systems change.

Leaders in the philanthropy sector are calling for more effort to empower individuals and organisations that are grounded in their specific local contexts and actively working to reshape systems—by influencing decision-making processes, directing resource distribution, and amplifying the voices that inform policy. 

The Instrumental Role of Intermediaries 

Well-intentioned and effective intermediary funders have a role in painting the big picture beyond regranting. One of the core strengths of intermediary is trust with local organisations. Trust goes a long way. When the grassroots feel safe to share the nuanced realities of their work and supported by long-term and flexible funding, they will be more equipped to adapt to the changing needs to create long-lasting change. Intermediaries also foster synergy between bottom-up, lateral, and top-down streams of change; they mobilise and channel resources to local organisations to meet collective goals, elevate voices from the ground to influence macro-level strategies and priorities, and connect like-minded communities and changemakers for cross-learning and solidarity building, such as AwareNest, a Community of Practice on sexual and reproductive health and rights in Southeast Asia.   

Similar to a Pointillist painting, systems change is not the result of one single bold stroke, but the diligent placement of countless dots, each representing a person, a story, or a community. Local organisations and youth-led initiatives are the artists who shape vibrant futures through trust, persistence, and intelligence. As funders and intermediaries, our role is not only to provide financial resources but to honour the artistry of change-making by seeing, supporting, and connecting these dots. When we do, the picture that emerges is not only beautiful, it is transformative.