CIRMA(Centrum Inisiatif Rakyat Mandiri) is a civil society organization established on May 18, 2018, in response to the persistent realities of extreme poverty affecting urban poor settlements, peri-urban communities, and rural populations across eastern Indonesia. From its inception, CIRMA has understood poverty not only as an economic condition but as a multidimensional challenge involving dignity, inequality, ecological vulnerability, and limited access to essential services. The organization began its work by addressing critical needs in water, sanitation, and public health through community-based initiatives such as well drilling, healthy latrine construction, and the revitalization of village water systems for underserved households.

CIRMA has expanded its mission toward strengthening climate justice and ecological resilience among smallholder farmers in West Timor’s dryland ecosystems. Its current programs focus on climate-resilient agriculture, eco-enzyme–based ecological farming, access to climate information services, farmer group strengthening, and cooperative development. CIRMA also integrates nutrition-sensitive interventions—particularly for women and children in low-income rural households—by linking sustainable food systems, maternal health, and community-based nutrition education as part of a holistic approach to rural well-being.

As a community empowerment approach for poor and vulnerable groups, CIRMA applies a 3A intervention model: Attitude, Access, and Asset Transfer, operationalized through a Live-in method. This approach involves facilitators living and working alongside community members over a defined period to foster behavioral change (attitude), expand access to services, knowledge, and networks (access), and enable the transfer of context-appropriate productive assets (asset transfer). This model has demonstrated effectiveness across multiple intervention areas in West Timor by strengthening farmer group institutions, improving household livelihood resilience, and enabling participatory and sustainable community transformation.

CIRMA works collaboratively with local governments, academic institutions, grassroots organizations, and international development partners including Vitamin Angels America, the New Zealand Embassy, Japan Water Fund, SELAVIP Chile, and the Climate Justice Resilience Fund (USA). Through these partnerships, CIRMA advances inclusive, community-led development while representing the voices of smallholder farmers from West Timor in broader national and global climate justice platforms. Legally registered and operating at the sub-national level, CIRMA continues to bridge knowledge, innovation, and collective action to support a just, climate-resilient, and dignified future for marginalized communities.