On a misty morning in the highlands of Papua, 53-year-old Emen Wanimbo walks barefoot across the red earth of his village, pointing proudly to a freshly painted house behind a row of banana trees. Just a year ago, his family lived in a makeshift bamboo hut. Now, they live under a sturdy tin roof with concrete floors and access to clean water. “This house changed our life,” he said. “Now, we feel like citizens of this country.”
Emen is one of the early beneficiaries of the 10,000 Homes Program for Indigenous Papuans (OAP) — a government initiative launched by the Papua Pegunungan Provincial Government in collaboration with local assemblies, faith-based groups, and Papuan-owned contractors. As of May 2025, the program is not only reshaping the housing landscape of Papua’s interior but also becoming a symbol of dignity and recognition for indigenous communities long left behind.
A Landmark Initiative Rooted in Justice
The 10,000 Homes Program (locally known as Program 10 Ribu Rumah OAP) was officially announced in early 2024 as a flagship response to the acute housing deficit facing Indigenous Papuans across rural and mountainous areas. Decades of underdevelopment, displacement due to conflict, and geographical isolation had left tens of thousands living in inadequate shelters.
According to the Papua Pegunungan Governor, the housing program aims to complete construction of 10,000 livable, climate-adapted homes by the end of 2027, prioritizing communities in Jayawijaya, Yahukimo, Pegunungan Bintang, Tolikara, and Puncak.
“This is not charity,” said Governor Velix Wanggai during the 2025 housing forum in Wamena. “This is about restoring basic rights to those who have for too long been forgotten. Home ownership gives people identity, pride, and a future.”
The Human Face of Housing Insecurity
For many OAP families, the concept of a “decent home” had always seemed distant. Traditional homes (honai) — while culturally significant — are often inadequate for modern needs such as sanitation, electricity, and disaster resilience.
Denny Bonai, a prominent figure from the Papua Provincial Council (DPR Papua), stressed the urgency of replacing substandard housing with livable structures:
“Our people still live in mud huts. In 2025, this is unacceptable. Decent housing must be a central part of the development agenda.”
Reports from the Papua Social Welfare Office estimate that over 100,000 OAP households across the province live in substandard housing conditions. Poor infrastructure and extreme terrain often isolate these communities from access to water, electricity, education, and healthcare.
Empowering Local Economies through OAP Contractors
One unique element of the 10,000 Homes Program is its emphasis on empowering Papuan-owned construction companies. The provincial government, in a historic move, partnered with the Alliance of Indigenous Papuan Entrepreneurs (Aliansi Pengusaha OAP) to ensure that housing contracts are awarded primarily to local builders.
This not only stimulates local job creation, but also reinvests public funds into Papuan economic networks.
“We are not just building homes,” said Samuel Wonda, a young contractor from Timika. “We are building an industry — where Papuans build for Papuans.”
Wonda, who employs 87 workers — most of them indigenous — emphasized that with technical support and proper oversight, OAP contractors can meet the same standards as national firms. “This program is proof of that,” he said.
Faith-Based Organizations and Community Leadership
Churches in Papua play a vital role not only in spiritual matters but also in social infrastructure. Recognizing this, the provincial government included faith-based leaders and local pastors as key stakeholders in the housing rollout. In many villages, the first new homes were allocated to clergy members, recognizing their role as moral and social anchors.
“Pastors guide and protect our communities,” said Rev. Elisa Murib from Puncak. “Now they too have a decent place to live and serve.”
This policy has been welcomed as a gesture of respect and as a pragmatic move — churches are often the only functional institutions in remote areas, making them ideal partners for implementation and monitoring.
From Blueprint to Reality: Implementation Strategy
The housing model follows a phased implementation strategy:
- Identification and Verification: Villages and families are screened based on need, land availability, and access to basic infrastructure.
- Community Participation: Local elders, church leaders, and youth are involved in design selection to ensure cultural appropriateness.
- Construction by OAP Firms: Housing units are built by Papuan-owned companies under government supervision.
- Monitoring and Evaluation: Third-party inspections, often involving universities and NGOs, ensure accountability.
Each house includes two bedrooms, a kitchen, solar lighting, clean water access, and climate-resistant materials tailored for Papua’s geography.
So far, 1,328 homes have been completed, with 3,000 under construction across seven districts. Construction is expected to accelerate in the second half of 2025 with additional funding from the Ministry of Public Works and international donors.
Budgeting and Governance: Ensuring Transparency
The program, with an estimated total budget of IDR 2.5 trillion (~USD 160 million), has drawn public attention over fund allocation. Local activists and legislators have called for rigorous transparency to prevent favoritism or misuse.
In March 2025, DPRK Jayapura issued a public statement warning against the “politicization” of housing distribution, citing concerns that closeness to officials could influence eligibility.
“A house is a right, not a gift for the politically connected,” said Yoseph Nawipa, a local legislator.
In response, the government introduced a Digital Beneficiary Registry, which uses biometric data to track applicants and reduce duplication or manipulation.
Transformative Impact on Women and Children
Decent housing has had profound effects, especially on women and children, who often bear the brunt of inadequate shelter. Health officers in Yahukimo report a 28% reduction in respiratory illness in households that transitioned from traditional huts to modern homes.
Mama Yohana Tabuni, a widow raising four children, described how her new home changed everything:
“I used to cook with firewood inside, and the smoke made my children sick. Now, we have a stove, windows, and even a place for the children to study.”
Improved housing has also led to higher school attendance, with children no longer needing to help maintain leaky, unsafe structures. “Now they focus on homework, not collecting firewood or fixing the roof,” Tabuni added.
Cultural and Architectural Considerations
While modern in materials, the program respects cultural identity by incorporating traditional elements like roof angles inspired by the honai and community spaces for storytelling and rituals.
Architect Frans Kaisepo, who consulted on the project design, emphasized:
“We’re not transplanting Java into Papua. We’re creating hybrid homes — structurally sound but culturally rooted.”
In some areas, housing clusters are organized around shared gardens or churches to preserve communal living traditions.
Challenges on the Ground
- Despite impressive progress, the program faces considerable challenges:
- Remote Terrain: Transporting materials through rugged, mountainous areas often doubles construction costs.
- Weather Disruptions: Heavy rains and landslides regularly delay site work.
- Security Concerns: In some areas, ongoing conflict or armed group activity poses risks to workers and equipment.
To address this, the government has employed helicopter drops, local resource utilization, and even community watch programs to protect construction zones.
Policy Legacy and the Road Ahead
As national elections loom in 2029, analysts predict that the 10,000 Homes Program will become a model for inclusive development in other parts of Indonesia. It demonstrates that housing is not just an urban issue — it’s a rural imperative.
More importantly, it challenges narratives that see Indigenous Papuans only as recipients of aid. Here, they are planners, builders, leaders, and stakeholders.
The next phase of the program includes:
- Smart Housing Pilots using solar panels and rainwater harvesters.
- Women-led Cooperatives for housing maintenance and community farming.
- Integration with Livelihood Programs like backyard poultry and micro-loans.
Conclusion
In the highlands of Papua, where clouds embrace mountaintops and ancestral voices whisper in the wind, a quiet revolution is underway — not of bullets or protest, but of bricks and dignity. The 10,000 Homes Program is more than a policy. It is a promise made concrete: that Indigenous Papuans deserve more than survival — they deserve to thrive, to belong, and to dream under roofs they can call their own. In each newly built house, there is more than shelter. There is hope.
