14 March 2025

Indonesia adolescent health profile 2024

With nearly 46 million adolescents, Indonesia faces growing health challenges, particularly from non-communicable diseases (NCDs), mental health disorders and injury-related risks. Suicide is among the top five causes of adolescent mortality, while tobacco use and e-cigarette consumption continue to rise. The avai...
14 January 2025

Young advocates champion change across Indonesia

In Semarang City, Central Java, there is palpable excitement on World Children’s Day as 400 students stream into a school hall for a special event organized by the Central Java Children's Forum (FAD Jateng). The speakers, brimming with enthusiasm, are not adults – they are passionate young advocates who have made ...
18 December 2024

Youth Engagement Highlights

An overview of our work with and for young people. Through the Mitra Muda (young partner) network and U-Report communication tool, we engage with adolescents and youth in our programme planning, content co-creation, advocacy, and activities on the ground. 
23 November 2024

Adolescents empowered with skills for their future

Jakarta, 23 November 2024 , – Today, 50 young ‘change makers’ from DKI Jakarta showcased their innovative solutions for social good during a demonstration day of the Innovation Challenge ( Generasi Terampil) programme, attended by government officials, education institutions, private companies and investors. Adol...
09 October 2024

A future redefined: Unlocking Putri’s potential

In a small, rented home in Depok, West Java, 17-year-old Putri lives with her mother and three siblings. The modest dwelling they share is a tight fit for the family, and as a single-parent, Putri’s mother works tirelessly, juggling multiple jobs to keep the household afloat. Growing up in this environment, Putri ...
30 August 2024

Building a better future with and for adolescents

The Adolescent Strategy (2024-2030) serves as a road map for UNICEF Indonesia, and in the lead-up to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Scaling up current efforts and promoting a multisectoral approach that addresses adolescent develo...
29 April 2024

Transforming young lives in rural Papua

Twelve-year-old Yomi Puhiri, who hails from Jayapura, Papua, was a high achiever who excelled at the top of her class, until the pressure of economic hardship forced her to drop out of elementary school. Yomi’s father lost his job during COVID-19, which was a serious blow for the family. Yomi had to help her mothe...
13 March 2024

New healthy eating adventures for Aprilia

For 16-year-old Aprilia Kleopatra Yambeabdi, who was raised on the outskirts of Abepura city in the Papua province by a single mother, the idea of having a healthy breakfast used to feel like a distant possibility. The “My Plate” menu – recommendations for a healthy balanced diet that Aprilia saw at the local publ...
29 November 2023

Breathe easy: East Java pursues smoke-free schools

In the tobacco-filled landscape of East Java, 16-year-olds Aisya Nur Jannah and Naufal Rifki Ramadhan, students of Annur Islamic Boarding School in Malang District are trying to change the norms they grew up with. Against the odds, in an environment that normalizes smoking, they are choosing a different path. “I ...
04 September 2023

Opportunities for girls to break barriers and thrive

Putu Kania Gayatri, known as Kania, is a determined 14-year-old student attending 49 Junior High School in Eastern Jakarta. Her ultimate aspiration is to join government security forces in the future. Within the school environment, she actively explores ways in which science and technology can be harnessed to safe...
27 January 2023

Empathetic innovations for adolescent solutions

Kinanti was sick of the toxic clique culture at her high school in East Jakarta, where there was a lot of jealousy and resentment among students. The 15-year-old saw that many of her friends who did not make it into a clique often felt left out and dejected. “Humans are social creatures – we need others to share o...
25 January 2023

Adolescent girls break gender stereotypes, one innovation at a time

On a bright Saturday morning in mid-September 17-year-old Eka Wahyu Anggraini felt excited about taking on a new challenge that would put her creative and innovative thinking to the test. She and 20 other adolescents were gathered in Surabaya, the capital of East Java, to participate in the Digital Innovation Chal...