Humanitarian Forum Indonesia (HFI) held an iftar gathering while simultaneously pushing for the strengthening of house of worship-based disaster preparedness as a multi-stakeholder interest. The “HFI Family Iftar” took place on February 26, 2026, with BAZNAS serving as the host. Romi Ardiansyah, Chairperson of the HFI Executive Board, stated that this initiative is motivated by the high risk of disasters in Indonesia. According to the World Risk Report 2023, Indonesia ranks 2nd among 193 surveyed countries for the highest disaster risk. This data aligns with the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) records for 2025, which logged 3,176 natural disaster events throughout the year.

Seeing these conditions, strengthening resilience across all sectors is considered an urgent need. In the 2025 National Coordination Meeting (Rakornas), the Deputy for Prevention of BNPB emphasized the importance of building resilience in seven main objects: residential areas, educational units, health facilities, offices or public service centers, vital infrastructure, the business world, and houses of worship.

Houses of worship play a strategic role in disaster management. In addition to being places of prayer, they often function as temporary evacuation centers, logistics hubs, and strong community network nodes. House of worship managers also serve as information and coordination centers between volunteers, the government, and affected communities, while simultaneously providing psychosocial support for disaster victims.

Based on data from the Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia in 2023, there are more than 397,261 houses of worship across six religions in Indonesia. This number demonstrates the significant potential of houses of worship in strengthening community resilience at the grassroots level.

HFI itself is a forum consisting of 20 faith-based humanitarian organizations in Indonesia, namely the Muhammadiyah Disaster Management Centre (MDMC), Dompet Dhuafa, Yayasan Tanggul Bencana Indonesia (YTBI), Wahana Visi Indonesia (WVI), Yakkum Emergency Unit (YEU), KARINA (Caritas Indonesia), Perkumpulan Peningkatan Keberdayaan Masyarakat (PPKM), Human Initiative,Yayasan Cita Wadah Swadaya (YCWS), Habitat for Humanity Indonesia (HfHI), Biro Pengurangan Risiko Bencana Persekutuan Gereja-gereja di Indonesia (Biro PRB-PGI), Rebana Indonesia, Rumah Zakat, Lembaga Penanggulangan Bencana dan Perubahan Iklim Nahdlatul Ulama (LPBI NU), BAZNAS Tanggap Bencana (BTB), Yayasan Kemanusiaan Madani Indonesia (YKMI), Yayasan ADRA Indonesia, Asia Muslim Charity Foundation (AMCF), Nurul Hayat, DT Peduli, dan World Harvest Indonesia.

So far, HFI members have developed various house of worship-based preparedness programs in several regions across Indonesia. MDMC runs the Disaster Resilient Congregation (Jamaah Tangguh Bencana) program, LPBI NU initiated Disaster Alert Students (Santri Siaga Bencana), while Dompet Dhuafa and BAZNAS developed Disaster Resilient Mosques (Masjid Tangguh Bencana). Within the church environment, the PGI PRB Bureau and YAKKUM Emergency Unit initiated Disaster Resilient Churches (Gereja Tangguh Bencana), while DT Peduli operates Disaster Resilient Students (Santri Tangguh Bencana).

Based on these experiences, HFI and several interfaith partners drafted a disaster preparedness module based on houses of worship. The drafting of this module involved various parties, including representatives from Islam, Christianity, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. Furthermore, HFI also encourages the strengthening of regulations for disaster-resilient houses of worship through collaboration with BNPB, the Ministry of Religious Affairs, BRIN, BPBD DKI Jakarta, Islamic Relief Indonesia, and the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Cultural Affairs (Kemenko PMK RI).

Field experience shows two conditions that frequently occur during disasters. First, houses of worship are themselves affected by the disaster. Second, they become alternative evacuation sites for people whose homes are damaged. In such situations, managers are required to manage survivors and prepare adequate evacuation facilities, including logistics, while ensuring religious rituals continue during the emergency. HFI and its members are committed to continuing to strengthen multi-stakeholder collaboration in building house of worship-based disaster preparedness in Indonesia. This effort is expected to expand reach, accelerate aid, maintain the dignity of survivors, and strengthen solidarity among citizens in facing disaster threats in various regions.

Jakarta, 26 February 2026