Andress Hamenda

Founder and CEO, Punya Harapan (“Have Hope”)
Indonesia

Andress Hamenda is the founder and CEO of Punya Harapan (“Have Hope”), an Indonesian civil society organisation fostering access to vocational education for juveniles in Indonesia’s prisons.

Punya Harapan delivers educational programs on entrepreneurship, English literacy, computer literacy, religious harmony, conduct research, etc. The organisation also runs vocational skill workshops to enable ex-prisoners to gain employment in the service and hospitality industries, such as a hairstylist or a barista. Andress said that with funding support from Chevening Program alumni grants from the British Embassy, they have reached out to one-third of juvenile prisons in Indonesia, bringing a thousand young prisoners under their program scheme. The rights of children in the juvenile justice system are a very neglected area in Indonesia.

Andress participated in a special online program for experienced Indonesian advocates working on different human rights issues and in different institutions and NGOs. The program, developed in partnership with the Australian Human Rights Institute and the UNSW Institute for Global Development, took place over a period of six months and aimed to foster collaboration and to support participants as they applied the knowledge they were developing and sharing to their work.

Andress highlighted the value of the sessions on strategic approaches to influencing change, children’s rights and on business and human rights. As part of the course Andress worked as part of a team with Rita Pranawati and Putu Elvina (Vice Chairperson & Commissioner of Child Protection of Republic of Indonesia) and Oviani Fathul Janah (ECPAT Indonesia) that developed the first-ever child safeguarding guidelines for Indonesia and helped him expand his networks and practices.

“During the program, we were empowered through strategic approaches to influencing change session with Chris Sidoti, children’s rights session with Dr. Noam Peleg and held a focused group discussion project. In that discussion, we invited almost all the relevant Indonesian organizations and government agencies working on the child rights issues and the juvenile prison system. Based on that discussion we created the first draft of the first child safeguarding guidelines in Indonesia. This was a life-changing experience for me. Through this process, I had the chance to connect with influential participants, including child rights experts, the commissioners of child protection in Indonesia and others. These connections are beneficial for me. We are still connected. We are quite close now. So, DTP program not only connects us but also builds a relationship.” 

He also said that course was very helpful to him because he was introduced to business and human rights issues and concepts.

“I was fascinated by DTP trainer Professor Justine Nolan’s sessions on the business and human rights framework, UN guiding principles, on how one is going to protect, respect and provide a remedy for human rights. In future, I am going to deepen my knowledge about it.”

Following his participation in this course Andress was selected for the prestigious ten-month long Hubert Humphrey Fellowship, a US state department-funded global program aimed at enhancing leadership among international professionals to promote human rights and freedoms, among other objectives. During the program, he had many opportunities to learn at the University of Minnesota, Harvard University, Leadership Forum in Washington DC, as well as discussions with US government officials (mayors and house representatives). He also received a prestigious award from the President of America, Joe Biden, for his professional development achievement of the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship completion in 2023.

“I want to continue working on human rights issues in Indonesia and contribute to making meaningful policy changes.”

At the end of 2023, Andress was selected by the British Embassy in Jakarta to receive an award as one of the 40 impactful Chevening alumni in the Chevening 40 Years of Impact Celebration. The Chevening Scholarship is a UK Government Scholarship, boasting 55,000 alumni globally, with around 2,000 being alumni from Indonesia.

Andress believes that DTP’s program is one of the essential keys to make a tremendous difference in his career.

“Education is the key, but real impact comes from how we use our knowledge and skills to build a better future. Be an agent of change and always strive to give more than you take.”

October 2022, updated January 2024

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