Makassar selected as pilot site for Indonesia's National Neighbor Care Movement

Indonesia's Minister of Social Affairs, Saifullah Yusuf, has launched the National Neighbor Care Movement for Social Protection (Perlinsos) in Makassar. The program aims to expand data collection and access to social services for underprivileged citizens by empowering local community leaders, specifically RT and RW heads, to act as social protection agents.

The initiative follows strategic directives from the President to reform and consolidate social assistance beneficiary data. Following a pilot program in Banyuwangi, the movement is being expanded to 42 regencies and cities, including Makassar, with plans for nationwide implementation.

A key component of the program is the digitalization of social protection, which integrates various national databases, including population data (Dukcapil), P3KE, DTKS, Ministry of Health data, and asset ownership records from the National Land Agency (BPN). This agent-based system allows citizens to re-register for assistance or propose themselves and others for social protection programs.