Strong civil society for sustainable development in Asia

Background information

Mission 21 has many years of experience in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Hong Kong working with grassroots Christian and Islamic organizations that advocate for peacebuilding and women’s rights. This has fostered trusting relationships, a deep understanding of the local context, and well-established networks in the region. All of this provides an ideal foundation for implementing locally driven and supraregionally coordinated interfaith projects that sustainably improve women’s living conditions within their families and in society.

Our special task in cooperation with partner churches today is to train managers in aspects of good organizational management or good governance. The current focus is particularly on finance and human resources, project management and the prevention of sexualized abuse of power. Mission 21 checks compliance with regulations and applies the internationally valid principles of bookkeeping and accounting.

Mission 21 has also repeatedly supported capable young people who could not have afforded to study with scholarships. This tradition was later continued by the partner churches that had become independent. Today, they themselves are responsible for the renewal of their cadre and award scholarships that are co-financed by Mission 21.

Project goals

The regional coordination and the partner organizations of Mission 21 have motivated and qualified staff to carry out the projects and programs of development cooperation in a well-organized, effective manner and according to international standards.

Target group

Senior staff and middle management of our partner organizations - especially women and young professionals, pastors - as well as organizations that can be reached through the interfaith and inter-institutional cooperation of the churches. Through their dedicated work and by ensuring high standards in administrative areas, we reach the target groups of our development projects and programs: socially discriminated or marginalized groups, including women, indigenous people, the poor, the sick, migrants and their children.

Activities

• Church Fights Corruption Campaign (PGI and Member Churches)
• Annual platform with workshops on issues of good organizational management, with all project managers and leaders of the partner organizations involved in the Asia Cooperation Programme
• Supporting the regional partner Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) in organizing workshops on good organizational governance for its approximately 120 member churches and church alliances
• Regular audits and subsequent support in the implementation of recommendations (for the Indonesian Federation of Churches PGI and partner churches GKPI, BCCM-BM, PCS, GKPI, as well as Sabah Theological Seminary STS).
• Advise and support capacity building of partner churches BCCM-BM, PCS, and GKPI toward theological, staffing, and financial self-sufficiency.
• Scholarships for further training of staff of partner organizations (as part of support for capacity building of partner churches and as promotional scholarships).

Project progress

In 2025, the partner organizations were able to consolidate and further expand their knowledge and expertise in organizational development, leadership training, and good governance. Thanks to collaboration that has grown over many years, in-depth contextual knowledge in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Hong Kong, and support from Mission 21, the partner organizations were able to expand their professional development offerings for staff in finance and human resources, project cycle management, safeguarding, and impact-oriented approaches. This knowledge is essential for well-managed organizations that effectively support marginalized people.

Our analyses show that there is consistently high demand for these training programs, particularly for financial audits, support for program managers, and assistance with the further development of internal processes. As a result, partner organizations have been able to strengthen their management standards and institutional accountability. At the same time, tools for planning, monitoring, and compliance have been refined.

In addition, disaster preparedness and the reduction of environmental and disaster risks continued to gain importance in 2025. The partner organizations conducted workshops on risk awareness, environmental hazards, and coordinated collaboration with local stakeholders. In this way, they strengthened their ability to identify risks early, take preventive action, and increase the resilience of their communities.

Overall, the partner organizations have continued to develop. They have strengthened their structures, capabilities, and safeguards. These now provide a more reliable foundation for effective program work.