Yayasan Holi'ana'a is a small not-for-profit foundation on Nias Island in Indonesia, formed to support the rights and livelihoods of local women, young people, fishermen and farmers since 1996. 

Our aim is to strengthen communities and create awareness of and solutions for local health, environment and human rights issues. Over the past two decades, YH has worked with women, young people and small-holders to provide education and training to combat a range of challenges—including entrenched gender and economic discrimination, poor nutrition, climate change, crop disease, increasing land infertility and limited skills and capital.

YH”s education programs occur in villages, and at the organisation’s Livelihood Training Centre (LTC), a working 3-hectare organic farm with accommodation facilities for 60 people. Women, young people and smallholders are trained in sustainable agricultural frameworks, such as organic farming methods, SRI rice and secondary crop cultivation, as well as small business and leadership skills, helping to generate alternative income sources and produce a new generation of local leaders. Participants in YH-led projects regularly report gaining reliable new revenue streams and increased economic independence and confidence from the training.

The organisation also advocates for fairer government policies and legal frameworks for women and young people and runs a small micro-lending bank to support its livelihood training schemes. So far YH has directly assisted more than 5,000 people across the island and will continue to empower more of Nias’ vulnerable individuals into the future.