Indonesia is a nation renowned for its cultural diversity. A vast archipelago, it is comprised of some 17,000 islands and is home to over three hundred ethnic and religious groups.
With a population of 245 million people, Indonesia is the fourth largest country in the world. Such a vast and diverse population makes for a cultural richness, but also presents some obstacles.
The spread of development in Indonesia has been uneven, and vulnerable groups of people remain living in poverty.
Three out of five Indonesians live in rural areas with farming as the main occupation. Currently, nearly 70 percent of low-income housing is built by the families themselves rather than by the government or private developers.
Growing urbanisation also means that access to housing will become a major challenge for Indonesia in the coming years. The current housing backlog in Indonesia is estimated at 6 million houses and is projected to rise by 1 million houses every year, with an additional 15 million classed as sub-standard.
Volunteers will be working in Yogyakarta, the cultural centre of Java with families who earn less than $5 a day to build safe and decent housing.
