The movement kickstarted a number of brilliant campaigns that have opened the eyes of the public and inspired people to take action.

One of its successful campaigns is none other than “Travel Warning: Indonesia Dangerously Beautiful”, launched as a counteroffensive to travel bans imposed by a number of developed countries on a number of nations, including Indonesia, after the 9/11 terrorist attack.

This campaign’s message is simple.

The couple wanted foreign tourists to ignore travel bans issued by their overcautious governments, and lure them back to Indonesia to enjoy the nation’s beauty.

Amazingly, without any government support, the provocative message spread across the whole globe.

Nowadays, it’s possible to find stickers and T-shirts stating “Travel Warning: Indonesia Dangerously Beautiful” almost everywhere at home and abroad.

The Jakarta Post had the chance to interview the inspiring couple behind this campaign last week, and find out more about them and their organization Indonesia Bertindak.

In the presence of their 11-year old daughter, the couple shared amazing stories as well as tear-jerking moments while recounting how they’ve managed to keep the spirit of Indonesia Bertindak alive, during a half-an-hour interview in a small cozy café in Kemang, South Jakarta.

“We are sometimes still amazed. Our brief pillow talks turned into something big which is continuing to grow,” said Iwan, who has been married to Indah for 13 years.

Iwan and Indah started the movement back in 2004 after the big tsunami hit Aceh.

Moved by humanitarian reasons, the couple, who at the time was vacationing in Bali, contacted their friends, families and colleagues in Jakarta to ask them to help the victims.

 “Most of the people we contacted were confused about what they should do to help because many people had lost faith in the government’s ability to assist at that time,” said Iwan. So that was when he and Indah decided to establish Indonesia Bertindak.

“We created independent rescue posts with the help of friends. We sent SMSes with “Indonesia Bertindak” as an opening statement to gather support and funds at a time where most media were saying ‘Indonesia Grieving’ or ‘Indonesia Crying’ in their news reports.”

Soon after that, the couple was involved in a number of charity programs distributing aid and funds to victims in disaster-stricken areas.

What distinguishes Indonesia Bertindak from other organizations however, is its unique approach to giving donations.

Thanks to the Iwan and Indah’s years of experience in the advertising world, the couple designed a number of catchy solidarity campaigns that were able to grab the attention of the public and lure people into joining the relief program.

Take “Eling Sedhulur” (Remember Our Brother) for instance, which was launched to help victims of the 2005 Yogyakarta earthquake, or “Selembar buat Sumbar” (One Piece for West Sumatra) for another quake in Padang, West Sumatra, in 2009, and “Wassior Warrior” to provide relief for the recent flood disaster in Papua. Iwan reiterated these ideas all germinated from pillow talks with his wife.

But at one point, Iwan and Indah realized they needed to do something bigger.

“We don’t want to end up as the disaster chasers, who only respond after a disaster occurs,” said Indah.

And then one day, while vacationing in Bali, the couple met a drink seller who brought their attention to another disaster affecting the whole country. That was when the idea for their most successful campaign came up.

“The drink seller asked us: ‘Why is the bombing which happened in the US also affecting me?’,” Iwan said.

Intrigued by the man’s question, Iwan and Indah brainstormed a few ideas and came up with the now-famous campaign “Travel Warning: Indonesia Dangerously Beautiful”.

“It’s impossible to say Indonesia is a safe country. So we tried to change people’s mindsets by mentioning this contradiction,” said Iwan, who has 15-year experience in advertising.

The couple was so excited about the campaign they sacrificed their family monthly budget to design campaigning material.

“Most people thought we were crazy, asking us what the hell we were doing?” said Indah, who recalled spending Rp 7 million from the family budget for stickers and T-shirts to support the campaign.

The couple’s neighborhood friends and family also questioned their campaign.

“They just didn’t get it. How could stickers make Indonesia better, they kept asking,” said Indah.

But support kept coming from unexpected places, encouraging the couple to pursue their endeavor.

“Once a man called me several times. He asked if he could get 10 stickers for free. I said he could get 100 for free. When I met him, he looked so ragged and filthy. It turns out he was representing a cleaning service company. It’s...”

Iwan’s voice drifted off. He looked another way to gather his emotions. Indah helped him finish the sentence.

“…It’s amazing when you realize people will sacrifice their money, time and energy to get these things,” Indah said, adding that the cleaner wanted to distribute the stickers to foreigners who lived near his neighborhood.

Emotions were rife too when Iwan continued telling similar stories. He would become silent, and leave Indah to finish his anecdotes.

“We are nothing without the support of many people. If you want to know how many people support us, the answer is all the people who share our dream of creating a better Indonesia,” Iwan said at the end of the interview.

For more info about the movement: visit www.indonesiabertindak.com

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