Following the meeting of the EMS Mission Council in Indonesia, the EMS Presidium and the Management Board visited the Toraja Church in the mountains of Sulawesi. Together with the church leadership of the Toraja Church, the EMS delegation visited a number of projects supported by the international EMS fellowship in Toraja.

One particularly successful project is the vocational training at the church’s school centre. Here, boys and girls have the opportunity to train as machine operators for construction and agricultural vehicles. In the meanwhile, companies are approaching the graduates of this training programme on their own initiative to recruit them to work in their companies. In a region with high youth unemployment, this is a real success.

In contrast to the demonstrations with the noisy construction machinery, things are very quiet at the church-owned Toraja Bank. The bank grants small loans to private individuals and small businesses to promote business start-ups. “We could do a lot more in this area if we were able to increase our bank's equity capital,” reports bank director Katarina Tombi.

The Toraja Church is one of the largest Protestant churches in Indonesia. In the Toraja region, Christians make up the majority of the population, an exception in the predominantly Muslim country. The church is active in many areas of society: in education, healthcare, environmental protection and often in joint projects with other social groups. “This is our Christian contribution to the well-being of all people and to the protection of creation in Toraja,” explains Church President Dr Alfred Anggui, “this is a very important element of a holistic mission for us."