Towards Resilient Communities

Towards Resilient Communities

A COMPILATION OF PARTNERS EXPERIENCES IN DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT

It is not enough to save lives - we must give life today and opportunity tomorrow Karen Brown

(source: Oxfam Annual Report 2012/13)

This book was prepared to share experiences and good practices through straightforward and simple language. It is expected that readers from communities, government and non-government can learn from this book.

DISCLAIMER | This publication was funded by the Australian Government through the AustraliaIndonesia Facility for Disaster Reduction (AIFDR) and the European Union through its Disaster Preparedness Project (DIPECHO). Opinions and views in this publication should not, in any way, be viewed as the official opinions of the Australian Government and the European Union.

TABLE OF CONTENT i ii iv

Abbreviations Preface Acknowledgment

CHAPTER 1 - BIMA

2 4 8 12 16 20 24 28

Building Resilience In Bima City

Jatiwangi, The Responsive Village Preventing Disasters Through Harmony Preparedness Volunteers Flowing Hazards Bima’s Resilient Women A Brightening Story And Curriculum

38

42 46 50 54 58

Mitigating Disasters Amidst Beautiful Landscapes

Uneasy Starting for Disaster

Averting Disaster Through Beach Stewardship 90 Sharing Hopes In Disaster Management 94 The Flooded School Mama Juju And Nature’s Signs This Is Our Disaster Do not litter

98 102 106 109

CHAPTER 5 - EAST FLORES

The Flood In Pajinian That Started It All 114 The Resilient People of Welo Valley 120 Averting Displacement By The Sea 124

Awareness Promotion

How Resilient Our School Is

Female Lombok Champions

Not an Ancestral Curse

Taking A Peek At Disasters Behind

A Long Way To Go

School Doors Friends To Weather The Disaster Fostering Cooperation With The Government A Fundamental Awareness

CHAPTER 3 - MANOKWARI

64 68 72 76 81

The Story Of Money And Trees 86

A Local Regulation Draft Borne Out Of Synergy

CHAPTER 2 - NORTH LOMBOK

34

CHAPTER 4 - JAYAPURA

Reading Natural Signs, Averting Disasters From Anika Mandacan To The Pastor Mama Dolly Is Simply The Best The Loving Forum The Disabled Are Not Forgotten

126 128 132 136

CHAPTER 6 - EAST LOMBOK

Preparedness At The Foothills Of Mount Rinjani 142 Preventing Disasters Together

145

The DRR Police Officer

151 154 156

Sowing Participation 148 Women Taking On Disasters Watch Out For The Fire!

Profiles

158

ABBREVIATION DRA

:

BAPPEDA :

BPBD

BMKG

:

:

Disaster Risk Analysis Badan Perencanan dan Pembangunan Daerah or Planning and Regional Development Agency Badan Penanggulangan Bencana Daerah or District Disaster Management Agency Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi dan Geofisika or Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics

BNPB

:

Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana or National Disaster

BR

:

Building Resilience

HT

:

Handy Talky

KIPRA

:

Yayasan Konsultasi Independen Pemberdayaan Rakyat or Foundation for People Independent Consultation

KONSEPSI :

Konsorsium untuk Studi Dan Pengembangan Partisipasi or Consortium for the Study and Development of Participation

KOSLATA :

Kelompok Studi Lingkungan dan Pariwisata or Study Group Environment and Tourism

LP2DER

Lembaga Pengembangan Partisipasi Demokrasi dan Ekonomi Rakyat or Institute for Democracy and Economic Development of the People’s Participation

NGO

:

:

Non Governmental Organisation

Musrenbang :

Development Planning Meeting

NTB

:

Nusa Tenggara Barat or West Nusa Tenggara

NTT

:

Nusa Tenggara Timur or East Nusa Tenggara

i

Penjaskes :

Pendidikan Jasmani dan Kesehatan or Physical Education and Health

PERDA

:

Peraturan Daerah

PKK

:

Program Kesejahteraan Keluarga

PKN

:

Pendidikan Kewarganegaraan

PMI

:

Palang Merah Indonesia

Polres

:

Polisi Resort

DDR

:

Disaster Risk Reduction

DM

:

Disaster Management

RPJMD

:

Rencana Pembangunan Jangka Menengah Daerah or Medium Term Development Plan

RT

:

Rukun Tetangga or Neighborhoods

SAR

:

Search and Rescue

SDIT

:

Sekolah Dasar Islam Terpadu

SDN

:

Sekolah Dasar Negeri

SKPD

:

Satuan Kerja Perangkat Daerah

SLB

:

Sekolah Luar Biasa

SMP

:

Sekolah Menengah Pertama

SMKN

:

Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan Negeri

STIH

:

Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Hukum

TGC

:

Tim Gerak Cepat

VPRT

:

Village Preparedness and Response Team

YPPS

:

Yayasan Pengkajian dan Pengembangan Sosial or Foundation for Assessment and Social Development

• Image: Eka Nickmatulhuda

PREFACE Indonesia is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world due to the high frequency of natural disasters, which is further compounded by climate change and limited policies in disaster risk reduction. Although many of the disasters that occur in Indonesia are small in size, the high frequency of the occurrences causes immense damage to local infrastructure and livelihoods.

The Indonesian government has made great progress in developing and implementing disaster management policies. However, there remain gaps and challenges remain in implementing this policy effectively. Thus, there is a need to augment Community-based Disaster Management and decentralise disaster risk reduction (DRR) capacities to the district/city government level.

This analysis underpins the basis of Oxfam and its partner organisations’ work in the implementation of the “Building and Deepening Resilience to Disasters and Climate Change in Eastern Indonesia” project. The goal of this project is to build and strengthen the resilience of local communities and institutions to disasters and climate change. It started in June 2012 and ended in December 2013.

The project was co-funded by two international aid agencies, namely the Australia-Indonesia Facility for Disaster Reduction (AIFDR) of the Australian government and the Disaster Preparedness Programme of the European Union (DIPECHO).

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In implementing this project, Oxfam worked with a number of partner organisations in six districts in Eastern Indonesia. These partner organisations are: Konsultansi Independen Pemberdayaan Rakyat (KIPRa) or Foundation for Empowerment Consultation for People Empowerment in Jayapura City, Pengembangan Masyarakat dan Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam (PERDU) or Community Development and Conservation of Natural Resources in Manokwari District, Kelompok Studi Lingkungan dan Pariwisata (KOSLATA) or Environment and Tourism Study Group in North Lombok District, Konsorsium untuk Studi dan Pengembangan Partisipasi (KONSEPSI) or Consortium for Participatory Study and Development in East Lombok District, Lembaga Pengembangan Partisipasi Demokrasi dan Ekonomi Rakyat (LP2DER) or Institute for People’s Participation in Democracy and Economic Development in Bima City, and Yayasan Pengkajian dan Pengembangan Sosial (YPPS) or Foundation for Assessment and Social Development.

This project employed three main strategies in achieving its goal, namely: 1) building and deepening community resilience to disasters; 2) building and deepening resilience of the district/city government; and 3) strengthening women’s leadership in disaster risk reduction (DRR). In other words, these strategies are rooted in the objective of realising one goal: RESILIENCE. Towards the end of the project, Oxfam and the local partners accomplished many notable achievements and even identified some good practices. Nonetheless, they also encountered several challenges and obstacles, which is to be expected. More importantly, however, they acquired a good deal of lessons learned throughout the entire process of the project. This book describes some of those good practices and lessons learned documented during the duration of the the project. These practices encompass experiences of working with the community, the government, and strengthening women leadership. It is envisaged that this book will serve as a source of inspiration for stakeholders, including the government and DRR practitioners to carry out DRR projects in other places.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT Although at times acknowledgements can be a bit of a clichÊ, the authors of the Towards Resilient Communities are sincerely grateful and appreciative of everyone who has supported the realisation of this book—for without you this book would not be in your hands right now.

We would like to thank all the district/city government officials and staff with whom we have worked during this project. They have also granted us wide access and partnership with their agencies throughout the project life, from the preparation, implementation, and documentation phase. It is our hope that efforts in community empowerment and disaster risk reduction can continue to flourish in the future and serve as models for other districts/cities.

To the community facilitators and partner organisations, we are proud to have worked with you.

The endeavour to build community empowerment and resilience to disaster is not an easy one.

This book is a snapshot of all of your hard work in inspiring all involved stakeholders. We wish to thank everyone involved in this project, though we are unable to name each one here. We also wish to express our greatest thanks and appreciation to all the communities involved in the project, especially those working on the front lines of fostering the spirit of progress and change in society. Thank you for all your participation and contributions as subjects of this project.

Finally, we dedicate this book to everyone who has contributed to the Building and Deepening Resilience in Eastern Indonesia project.

Sincerely,

Oxfam Building and Deepening Resilience to Disasters in Eastern Indonesia team Jakarta | Ade Reno Sudiarno (DRR Coordinator); Lukman Hakim (DRR Officer), Herlyna Hutagalung (Women Empowerment Officer); Meilayasina Tarigan (Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Officer); Cici Riesmasari (Media and Communication Officer). Makassar | Ihwana Mustafa (Project Manager); Dheni Surya Ardhian (Project Officer in Bima); Jatmoko (Project Officer in North Lombok and East Lombok); Natalia Tehuajo (Project Officer in East Florest); Sartika Nasmar (Women Empowerment Officer in East Timur). Papua | Sunarso (Project Manager); David Bawias (Project Officer in Jayapura); Fredy Chandra (Project Officer in Manokwari).

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• Image: Eka Nickmatulhuda

CHAPTER 1

BIMA

Compared to other cities in Indonesia, Bima City is a relatively young city-it is just under 11 years old. It was formed as a result of an expansion of a district of the same name, as outlined in Law number 13 year 2002. Bima City is marked by a variety of landscapes, and has a total area of 222.25 km 2 . The city is known for a long history of horseback riding as well as horse related products.

Furthermore, Bima City has a number of stunning natural landscapes, such as a coastline that stretches across the horizon and rolling hills and a beautiful bay. Unfortunately, however, these types of landscapes have also made Bima City prone to natural disasters like landslides, typhoons and earthquakes.

Bima City has long been affected by flooding, a hazard that began with the degradation of forests in the Ncai Kapenta mountain range. Large teak trees used to grow abundantly in these forests, many of them so large that it would take more than four people with linked arms to hug just one 2

of them, however, due to deforestation fewer and fewer of these trees exist. The flooding is then worsened by overflow from seven streamsLampe, Dompu, Nungga, Kendo, Ntobo, Jatiwangi and Romo-which all drain into the Bima bay.

There are five sub-districts and 38 villages under the auspices of Bima City. Oxfam and its partner, LP2DER (Foundation for People’s Democratic and Economic Participation Development) have selected six villages to participate in its Building and Deepening Resilience in Eastern Indonesia Project.

The Building and Deepening Resilience Project is an 18-month long project co-funded by the Government of Australia Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) through the AustraliaIndonesia Facility for Disaster Reduction (AIFDR) and the European Union. Based on assessments and analysis carried out with communities in early September 2012, six villages were selected as project sites, namely

TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

Nungga, Kendo, Ntobo, Kolo, Tanjung and Jatiwangi. LP2DER and Oxfam supported communities in these villages to help them form a village preparedness and response team (VPRT).

During the early phases of the project, communities in the first four villages mentioned above received training in basic disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation knowledge. They also received training in the SPHERE standards-the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards used during a disaster.

The two other villages, Tanjung and Jatiwangi, were included in the project a few months later.

Each village has its own special set of hazards depending on its the location and environmental characteristics. For example, Nungga, Kendo and Ntobo Villages are located upstream, whilst Tanjung and Jatiwangi are located downstream.

Kolo, on the other hand, is the only village located on the coastline, thus faced with coastal erosion that slowly wearing away the land.

Although the project had only started a year ago in these villages, the overall dynamic of the participants is quite compared to the other villages. The government is also committed to support DRR initiatives at the community level. Furthermore, the VPRT have also shown enthusiasm to promote disaster preparedness in their communities. Women and school children have become proficient in talking about disaster issues. Finally, a DRR local regulation was drafted as a result of multistakeholder synergy.

A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management | TOWARDS

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• Image: Eka Nickmatulhuda RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

There are three neighbourhoods, or rukun tetangga (RT) along a small path. The last third of the path is lined with beautiful flower pots, making it appear clean and tidy. The man behind this strip of beauty is Abu Bakar Murtala the head of RT 008 RW 03, Jatiwangi village, Bima City, West Nusa Tenggara. It is part of his initiative to make his part of neighbourhood stand out from the rest of the village.

• Image: Eka Nickmatulhuda

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Abu Bakar has been the head of RT 008 for five years. We had a chance to meet and visit with him at his home one Friday morning. A fellow resident who happened to be lounging on his porch that day jokingly exclaimed, “He will be our RT head forever!” Abu Bakar had just finished helping a neighbour sweep their front lawn when Fajaruddin, the head of Jatiwangi village approached the house with a small group of people behind him. The 54-year old Abu Bakar stood up to welcome them.

TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

Pak Fajaruddin was accompanied by a number of community facilitators from LP2DER and some youth from of the Jatiwangi Village Preparedness and Response Team (VPRT). They were conducting a joint assessment to select the cleanest neighbourhoods in Jatiwangi.

“Santabe,” greeted Pak Fajaruddin in the local language. Abu Bakar and villagers near by greeted him back warmly. Abu Bakar also appeared to be delighted with his visit, despite Pak Fajaruddin being almost a decade younger than him. “We have held this clean neighbourhood competition for two years now, although on a very small scale.

Pak Abu Bakar’s RT was the winner for last year,” explained Fajaruddin. He was very proud of the fact that residents in his village actively maintain their village’s cleanliness.

“I was only doing my job to help implement Pak Fajaruddin’s program to help maintain the cleanliness of the village, which will eventually help prevent diseases,” Abu Bakar replied in response to the compliment from Fajaruddin.

He went on to show off the certificate he got when his RT won the Jatiwangi Clean Neighbourhood Competition the year before.

He further explained that Fajaruddin would often come unannounced to inspect the cleanliness of the village and provide guidance to the villagers. “Just like an undercover police officer,” he remarked. These unannounced visits have made the villagers become more aware about keeping their environment clean, they now do it automatically without having to be told.

• Image: Eka Nickmatulhuda

The communal clean up usually takes place every Friday. “After the Friday prayer, I would make an announcement at the mosque to remind everybody to partake in the Friday clean up,” Abu Bakar added. He further explained that he keeps his environment clean not just to win the certificate. “Even when we often do not have enough money in our budget for it, I work hard with the villagers to maintain a clean neighbourhood,” he explained. He also added that he enjoys cleaning up as a hobby.

Moreover, he elaborated that the success of keeping a clean environment is due to the participation of the community residents. “Without it,” he pointed out, “it would be impossible to have achieved this level of tidiness. The total area of RT 008 is close to 3 hectares. There is no way that I would be able to clean it up on my own.”

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A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management | TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

According to Abu Bakar, keeping a clean environment is very important to prevent the flooding that has often affected the 67 households in his neighbourhood. He recalls that in 2006 a flash flood killed a number of people in Bima and as a result, he is now committed to preventing that from happening again, especially in his neighbourhood.

“Thank God, since I have became the head of the RT, there have not been any bad floods here,” he quipped in a serious tone. Pak Fajaruddin listens to Abu Bakar’s stories and smiles while he jots down his score for the RT.

It is people like Abu Bakar who have made Pak Fajaruddin’s job as the head of the village much easier since he took office in 2000. “It has always been my mission as the head of the village to improve the state of environmental cleanliness, because unmanaged trash is the main cause of floods in this area,” he said.

Moreover, LP2DER’s tenacity in promoting flood prevention has further encouraged the villagers to do more to reduce disaster risks.

The 37-year-old village head got to know LP2DER from a friend who was acquainted

I was only doing my job to help implement Pak Fajaruddin’s program to help maintain the cleanliness of the village, which will eventually help prevent diseases

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TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

• Image: Eka Nickmatulhuda

• Image: Eka Nickmatulhuda

with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in their area. During a village development plan meeting (musrenbang), he invited LP2DER to work with the village in promoting disaster risk reduction. The village is now considered one of the most active villages in disaster risk reduction activities even though it had only joined the ‘Building and Deepening Resilience to Disasters’ project in early 2013.

Although often lacking adequate funding from the village, Fajaruddin is always able to get the villagers to meet for DRR training. Often times he also partakes in the training himself and has meetings with the DRR forum.

“I know it is not easy to change people’s mindset, but it all depends on how we act,” he said. In his opinion, he believes that people often hesitate to get involved in a program not because they are close-minded but because those promoting it do not know how to approach the community. He says that a leader

must be willing to make the time and have the energy to talk to the community. “If all you do is stay at home, how will the community know who you are and know about an existing program?” he said.

Although Jatiwangi village had only recently been included in the project, the villagers’ response to the activities has been quite positive. The village head predicts that it will take between one and two years for residents of Bima city to fully adopt the project. In the meantime, they will continue to make an effort to prevent flooding by keeping a clean environment and promoting a healthy lifestyle.

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A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management | TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

The Regional Agency for Disaster Management (BPBD) of Bima City has a new building-almost.

It is still under construction as indicated by a stack of cement bags and sand piled in the front yard of the building. “Although it is not yet finished, it is a sign of real political will of the Bima City government. The building will become a command post during a disaster as well as a coordination centre, making it an adequate building for disaster management,” stated Fakhrunraji, the head of the Bima City BPBD. The mayor of Bima, Qurais H. Abidin, his commitment in expediting the liquidation process for BPBD. He that BPBD must be at the frontline of 8

pledged budget believes disaster

• Image: Eka Nickmatulhuda

TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

• Image: Eka Nickmatulhuda

management, particularly in Bima City. He stresses the urgency of having a BPBD and how they must focus on managing disasters.

“I will approve whatever the budget allocation is for disaster risk reduction projects. It must be an on-call type of fund, which can be accessed and liquidated anytime it is needed,” added the mayor, who has a background in business. He further emphasises that disaster management is a humanitarian issue that requires top priority.

Fakhrunraji also recognises the benefits of good coordination with other governmental bodies, as BPBD is on the same level of other Governmental Working Units (SKPD). In particular, good coordination can happen if BPBD works well with bodies directly related with disaster management, such as the

Department of Social Affairs, the Police Department, the Department of Health and Department of Public Works.

“These departments are very supportive of our work. Even if we just call them on the phone, they will provide any support needed,” he added.

According to Fakhrunraji, this good coordination relationship was possible thanks to encouragement from LP2DER and Oxfam to build a relationship amongst the departments. Both of these non-governmental organisations are considered BPBD’s partners and have supported BPBD in advocacy work with the community and the government. “Their facilitation efforts have helped to build 9

A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management | TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

These departments are very supportive of our work.

Even if we just call them on the phone, they will provide any support needed

• Image: Eka Nickmatulhuda

awareness on the importance of strengthening community resilience to disasters,” he stated.

The head of the BPBD stated that he has seen a change in the communities that were supported by LP2DER and Oxfam in their resilience work. These communities have gained an understanding on the importance of disaster risk reduction as indicated by the drafting of community action plans for disasters. The Bima BPBD recently won second place out of 366 BPBD’s across Indonesia in the Planning, Financial Management, Accountability and Administrative Competition in 2013.

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Other tasks that the BPBD needs to complete include finishing the draft of the Disaster Management Local Regulation, the five-year disaster management plan, the two-year action plan, disaster risk analyses, and most importantly the emergency response standard operating procedures (SOP) that must be completed in 2014. “This Standard Operating Procedure is very important for inter-agency coordination. That way when a disaster strikes, government agencies will no longer wait around to get orders to respond and we can reduce confusion as to who does what and where. The SOP will clearly outline each agency’s functions and tasks [during a disaster],” he elaborated.

TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

Together with the DRR Forum, the BPBD also plans to integrate all the disaster management plans into the Regional Mid-term Development Plan (RPJMD) for 2014-2019. Disaster management has been officially included in one of the regional development priorities for the next five years-a true sign of the local government’s commitment to disaster management.

He uses an analogy of a pyramid, whereby the BPBD is on the top of the pyramid and the communities are at the base. Although it is on the top, it is only a small proportion of the pyramid, whilst the communities make up the most of the pyramid. However, it is the influence of the top of the pyramid that determines the extent of the work and resilience of those on the bottom.

Fakhrunraji is also quite aware that LP2DER and Oxfam cannot hold the BPBD’s hands forever. Nonetheless, he is quite optimistic of the commitment shown by the local government and local communities, outlined in the RPJMD. It is expected that all of the facilitation work LP2DER has engaged in can gradually be taken over by the local government.

On a different note, LP2DER has promised to continue to support and monitor activities held at the community level, including the drafting of the Local Regulation on Disaster Management.

“We will continue to support this initiative,” stated Muhammad Yamin, the DRR coordinator for LP2DER.

“We would like to encourage the government to include these initiatives in the local regulation draft. This outlines the obligations of the government as trustee of people’s mandates in disaster management as well as the rights of communities when a disaster strikes,” he explained.

He further added that the key to good cooperation with the BPBD is openness, both terms of implementing activities and budgets.

This requires intensive communication from both parties. “We all have the same mission, which is to raise the communities’ awareness in preparing themselves for disasters,” he stated.

For this reason, Fakhrunraji strongly believes that it is important to build and strengthen the BPBD’s institutional capacities, particularly in planning, financial management, and legislative capabilities, thereby strengthening communitytargeted programmes. “If we have a strong institution at the top, programmes and institutions below will also be strong,” he states.

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A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management | TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

A good indication that a village has experienced an intervention from Oxfam and LP2DER is the existence of a Village Preparedness and Response Team (VPRT). The VPRT is an organised group of local villagers conducting disaster risk reduction activities in their villages.

• Image: Eka Nickmatulhuda

Members of the VPRT are trained to be able to identify and analyse the risks in their environment. They must learn how to recognise vulnerabilities as well as the different factors that create vulnerabilities. With this knowledge, they can then understand the capacity of their team and the environmental, human, infrastructure, and financial resources available in the community.

More importantly, the VPRT is also trained to communicate to the community the importance

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TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

of disaster management, especially to spread the message that disasters can cause more than just the loss of life. “Take for instance floods.

When a flood happens, people’s rice fields are inundated, which could lead to harvest failure; children are unable to go to school because their parents cannot afford to send them to schools,” Explained Dheni Ardhian, Oxfam staff based in Bima.

“Despite their important mission, the VPRTs in Bima City are often called by the nick name “disasters”. Many people think that we are here to invite disasters,” remarked Nanang, the head of the Jatiwangi VPRT. Nonetheless, he takes everything in stride. “It makes me sad sometimes that we are called members of disasters. But on the other hand, we are also rather delighted, because it means that the community has started to recognise us and respond positively to our activities,” he added.

When they hold their events, members of the VPRT often wear a very visible yellow T-shirt with the words ‘know your risks-reduce them’ written across it to identify themselves.

The ages of the VPRT members ranges between late teens and 30 years old. The head of this VPRT is Nanang and the team has 20 members. “We were encouraged to join the team because we enjoyed engaging in social activities,” he said, a strategy used to engage young people.

Over the course of the project, the Jatiwangi VPRT has reduced to only 18 active members; the two other members are busy with their day

jobs and have less time to engage in the VPRT activities. Although they enjoy the VPRT social activities, they are also an age where their jobs take precedence over VPRT activities.

Members of the Jatiwangi VPRT usually spread around a short message to each other to inform one another about a social activity or disaster training event in the community. “Although we all live in different neighbourhoods (RTs), each RT is represented by at least one member so information usually spreads pretty quickly,” Nanang explained. This arrangement is also useful when members have to assemble quickly during a disaster.

Of all the VPRTs in Bima City, the Jatiwangi VPRT was the last to be formed during this project. Husni Thamrin, the community facilitator in charge of supporting this VPRT recalls some of the initiatives that the Jatiwangi VPRT have carried out so far.

“We made quite an effort to make our VPRT known in the community, for example through events like a communal clean-up in coordination with the village,” he explained.

Their first target was to clean up the cemetery in Jatiwangi village. It was selected due to its proximity to an embankment, which is also located in a residential area. “Initially the community members did not pay much attention to this, but after a while many of them joined in the clean up activity,” he recalled.

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A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management | TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

• Image: Doc. LP2DER

Support from the Jatiwangi village government has also helped the project’s success. As a result of this support, community members have gradually become more familiar with the VPRT and become involved in their activities such as environmental cleanups and waste management (both organic and inorganic) initiatives.

The VPRT members would then upload pictures of the activities onto their Facebook account under the name of Karawi Sama, which means cooperation in the local Bima language. Karawi Sama is a forum in which VPRTs in the six villages in Bima City are able to communicate and coordinate with each other. At times, one event held by a VPRT would often trigger other 14

VPRTs to compete and come up with a different type of activity to share their disaster risk reduction initiatives with the community.

Nanang enjoys his involvement in the VPRT. He says that the project has changed his life in many ways as well as his mindset and attitude.

Before joining the project, he admits that he was shy and timid. Now, after becoming active in disaster risk reduction trainings, learning about disasters, and learning how Search and Rescue teams work, Nanang and his friends have more confidence in their abilities to do public speaking.

“Although we still have a lot to learn and improve on, at least now we can speak in public and

TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

are less afraid to engage with the community,” Nanang said. Furthermore, their knowledge in disaster risk reduction has also improved. They are now more familiar with their environment, particularly regarding Jatiwangi’s downstream location which exacerbates their vulnerability for flooding.

Before this project existed in their village, Nanang and his friends never paid much attention to the factors that cause floods, such as river shrinkage, residential growth and unmanaged trash. Additionally, Nanang and his friends are also now aware of how deforestation on Mount Ncai Kapenta has exacerbated the flood risk. “We often take walks in the forest.

And so it is sad to see the destruction that is taking place there,” Nanang stated.

We made quite an effort to make our VPRT known in the community, for example through events like a communal clean-up in coordination with the village

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• Image: Eka Nickmatulhuda

A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management | TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

The roads along the Ncai Kapenta mountain range that connect Bima City with Bima district are windy and narrow with beautiful landscapes on either side. During the dry season, the trees look bare without their leaves. Sometimes during extreme heat and aridity the leaves will turn yellow.

• Image: Eka Nickmatulhuda

Once every so often a cool breeze will come across the hills, blowing fresh air to passing motorists and passengers who hitch rides on the back of pick up trucks. On other occasions, however, it is not fresh air that motorists feel, but rather the smell of smoke billowing from burning trees. It is the smell of local farmers clearing land for agriculture.

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TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

• Image: Doc. LP2DER

The mayor of Bima City, Qurais H. Abidin, is quite aware of this problem. In his opinion, this slash and burn practice is a violation of a longheld Bima belief-Ngaha Aina Ngoho. “Which means you can eat, but not too much, do not burn. What is happening instead is people are eating while they burn,” complained the 51year-old man.

“They might be able to free up land and produce food for their family and farmers’ groups by burning the trees in the forest.

However, this slash and burn practice is actually quite harmful for the community because it destroys the forest cover and degrades the water absorption capacity, causing surface runoff,” he added.

He mourns the reformation era that started in 1998, which became the starting point of deforestation in Ncai Kapenta. It was before the city was established.

“We over-did it that time,” said Fakhrunraji, who also took notice of the signs of deforestation.

During the time following the national riots of ’98, it was as though the people were out of control.

Forest land was being cleared and enclosed.

People assumed that the forest belonged to them and that they could just convert it to farmland as they pleased. Nasruddin, the owner of a cashew nut grove near the border of Bima City and Bima District, contends that the government had given him a 35-year-long Community Forest Right. He also maintains that 17

A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management | TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

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floods have occurred far before the people started clearing land. “I suppose when we clear the forest there is some impact that we created. But maybe after clearing the forest we could plant some trees. That might reduce the likelihood of a flood,” suggested the 54-year-old farmer.

Nasruddin, and many others like him, believes that the Ncai kapenta forest is like dormant farmland that should be utilised for the good of the people. Not to mention the amount of profit they would be able to gain from clearing the forest. Nasruddin’s cashew nut groves have yielded 50kg per day since he started planting cashews seven years ago. If it were not for his farm on Ncai Kapenta, he says, he would not know how else to feed his family.

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Mayor Qurais has promised to solve this problem. “Perhaps I have not been tough enough on this issue. I should be sterner with the Department of Forestry to be more vigorous in socialising the proper ways of managing communal forests. People should be inter-cropping in the forest instead,” he stated. On April 5, 2006, Bima City witnessed the biggest flood it had ever experienced in the past 15 years. The forest was unable to contain the heavy rainfall, causing teak logs and large amounts of water to flow down from Ncai kapenta into the city.

To make matters worse, the seven streams that flow through the city had been shallowed due to trash build-up. These streams have also become narrower due to residential

TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

development. Combined, these conditions caused a massive amount of water to flow into the rice fields and inundate the city with one meter of water.

“After a disaster, I always remind people to keep their environment clean. Unfortunately they only remember to do this after a disaster has happened. This is why a disaster risk reduction project is necessary, so that everyone can be constantly reminded of the existing hazards and also so that they realise how their actions contribute to disasters,” Qurais exclaimed.

After a disaster, I always remind people to keep their environment clean

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Eka Nickmatulhuda A Compilation of partners’ experiences• Image: in Disaster Risk Management

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Flooding from surface runoff is not the only hazard that Bima City faces. Its location near the Bima bay makes it also prone to coastal erosion. This hazard inevitably affects many of the residents, most of whom are labourers, traders, civil servants, fishers and farmers.

1990s, you could see trees and fertile soil around the beach. There were many villagers who lived there,” he said. Now the area is mostly empty sand, gently touched by the rolling waves. In the distance, a lonely house and an empty well is all that can be seen.

Muhammad Ali, a fisherman from Kolo, pointed to the beach one afternoon. “During the early

The village has been gradually eroded by coastal erosion over the years. However, the

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COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

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process was significantly accelerated as the local community took more and more sand and corals from the beach to build their houses.

“We have tried to educate the community on the dangers of erosion. We’ve even put up signposts prohibiting the community from extracting sand, but no one seems to notice it,” said Sumi, 28, a member of the Kolo Village Preparedness and Response and Response Team (VPRT). She has also noticed that the penalties put in place for violators have not been effectively implemented.

Sumi is one of many young women in Kolo Village who are proud to be called Resilient Women in the Building and Deepening Resilience to Disasters Project. “Although there are almost an equal number of men and women in the VPRT, it is the women who are usually more responsive when a meeting or discussion is called for. There are more women who attend these coordination meetings and they are also more active during discussions,” she stated.

She adds that the women’s approach to the community is usually better because they are often more sensitive to the needs of the community than men are. Moreover, many of them are college graduates and participating in social activities in the community.

Female VPRT members also work with local health centre cadres to help them spread the message that diseases can be spread during a disaster, such as malaria, dengue fever and

diarrhoea. “We would also visit the villagers at their homes and talk with them about erosion

and the impacts of coastal erosion that they are now facing. Some of these impacts include brackish water when the tide comes in and well water salination,” she explained.

They have also participated in land and sea evacuation trainings with the Karawi VPRT Federation, LP2DER and the local Search and Rescue (SAR) team. Over the Muslim holidays, they carried out a drill for land and sea monitoring and surveillance on a number of Bima beaches, including the one at Kolo Village.

These drills and trainings were initiated by the VPRT Federation of Bima City with the support of Kolo village, Bima city police department, and the local SAR team. The Bima Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) also provided 21

A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management | TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

• Image: Doc. LP2DER

Although there are almost an equal number of men and women in the VPRT, it is the women who are usually more responsive when a meeting or discussion is called for. There are more women who attend these coordination meetings and they are also more active during discussions 22

TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

some equipment for the event, such as rubber boats, life jackets and family tents.

“I think it is better that the BPBD equipment got damaged from being used during the drill than from just sitting in the shed,” remarked Fakhrunraji, the head of Bima BPBD. On the second day of the drill, many of the local residents actually began to help out the VPRT. Throughout the four days of the sea surveillance activity, the participants rescued a child who almost drowned and a 14-year-old who was swept by an undercurrent in the sea.

Resilient Women can be found in other areas outside of Kolo Village as well. Even though every village has its own sets of environmental characteristics and challenges, the women involved in the Karawi Sama VPRT Federation all stand equally tall with their male counterparts in their work-whether it is organising the community or responding to a disaster.

Moreover, the women also use their position as women to their advantage when interacting with other women and children. For example, when approaching the women in Ntobo village, who are mostly weavers, the female VPRT members sat with them on their front porches, or on the side of the road to talk to them about disaster education. Thus allowing these women to continue their activities, while also learning about disaster risks and how they can reduce them.

The VPRT also talked with the women about not throwing their trash into the river, cleaning up the environment and installing signposts to prohibit residents from throwing their garbage in the river. These types of socialisations are used to build the capacity of the community as well as promote preparedness through disaster risk reduction actions.

The fact that the Ntobo VPRT’s office is located near a primary school has made the students quite familiar with them and their work. Further, female members of the VPRT often come into the classrooms and talk with the students on the different types of disasters, such as floods, earthquakes, tsunamis and landslides.

Posters on floods that are posted around the school are considered more than mere displays. The sixth-grade students especially have come to understand the message behind flood prevention and are expected to pass on their knowledge to help them to become resilient to disasters, in Bima and elsewhere.

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A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management | TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

One of the many activities in the Building and Deepening Resilience Project that was held in Bima City was a short story competition for teachers and students, facilitated by LP2DER, Oxfam, and the Karawi Sama Village Preparedness and Response Team (VPRT) Federation.

Many of the stories illustrated the students’ knowledge of disasters, as well as their diversity and innocence.

Rosdianti, 14, an eighth grade student of SMP 10 Jatiwangi junior high school wrote about things like the beach that had changed due to coastal erosion, the river drying up near her house and deforestation. She also wrote about the time when Bima was struck with an earthquake. Many people ran up to the mountain to save themselves because they thought it might have triggered a tsunami.

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TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

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Then the men built a tent whilst the women prepared food. After the disaster, the community was been able to resume their daily activities. Women who usually went to the market to sell their goods were no longer selling. This earthquake was caused by natural factors. Because of the earthquake, children could not go to school and many of them became ill. Some of them were separated from their parents when they ran up the hill.

environment is clean, people who live in it are healthy, whilst dirty environments are a breeding ground for diseases.

She ended her short story by writing, “We hope that it doesn’t happen again because it can cause damage to buildings and kill people.

Therefore we must preserve our environment and protect it so we can avoid disasters”.

Compared with fishing bombs, nate is actually more harmful because in addition to killing fish, it kills everything else in the sea, including corals, planktons and other living creatures. It causes wide destruction.

Another student, Hermansyah, 17, from SMKN 4 Kota Bima, Kelurahan Kolo high school wrote about how the environment affects the quality of life of the people who live in it. When the

Furthermore, Hermansyah also focused on the current condition of the forests and rivers in his area. He stated that deforestation and sand extraction in the rivers and beaches were

The environment consists of the sea, rivers and forests. They are currently in a state of peril, due to irresponsible human actions. The sea has been destroyed by fishing bombs, coal and sand extraction, pollution, and fishing poison, or nate, which is currently a trend amongst fishers.

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caused by irresponsible people who do not realise that in reality they are just temporary dwellers of the environments they live in. He also wrote about the long-term impacts of environmental destruction and how it would affect future generations.

In addition to the startling critical thinking that these students exhibited, many of them also wrote about real life stories that they 26

experienced during a disaster. One of them wrote about the time when the school roof flew off during a typhoon. Another wrote about their television set exploding when an earthquake struck. One student told the story about how they went to warn their mother who was washing at the river when it began to overflow, whilst another wrote about how they rescued their grandmother who had been left behind in the house during an earthquake.

TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

Disaster science is included into natural science lessons, social sciences, physical education and civil studies. “We even have it in math!” exclaimed Rosdiana. “For example, if one tree is cut down, students must figure out how many animals might die because of it. And if one animal dies, how many people will be unable to consume meat? The mathematical logic goes something like that,” she elaborated.

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Intensive socialisation of disasters to school children can contribute to shaping their perceptions of disasters and shaped the way they prepare for disasters. “Disaster knowledge is actually already integrated into the lesson plans at school,” stated Rosdiana, the principal of SDN 15 primary school in Ntobo village. “However, further socialisation from our VPRT friends has further solidified their knowledge,” she added, complimenting the VPRT on their hard work of educating the teachers and students on disaster analysis.

“Perhaps they are better able to understand the issue because we use games and group work during the process,” said Mery Suryanti, a facilitator from LP2DER in Ntobo. Disaster science is currently integrated into the first to fourth grade curriculum in the school.

Meanwhile, the topic of reforestation is introduced in the natural sciences class; proper disposal of trash and environmental hygiene is done in the physical education class; and the values of disaster management and prevention as a good citizenship is introduced in the civil studies class. Hopefully a well-tailored and well-implemented curriculum on disaster management as well as continuous encouragement from the school and community will make these students and future generations become resilient citizens of their communities.

Perhaps they are better able to understand the issue because we used games and group work during the process

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A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management | TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

Disasters are complex things. Disasters are increasing in frequency, many of them are small but can have large localised impact on infrastructure and community livelihoods.

The government of Indonesia disaster management policy reforms are good; however, there are some major implementation challenges.

This is the case for Community Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM) and decentralised DRR capacity in Government. It is this awareness that has underpinned the formation of the Bima City Disaster Risk Reduction Forum. This forum that was established on November 6, 2012 is called Mbojo Matenggo, which means Resilient Bima. • Image: Doc. LP2DER

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Through the encouragement and capacity building efforts of LP2DER, members of the

TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

forum realised the importance of creating an avenue for all disaster risk reduction stakeholders to synergise their work. “This forum is very much necessary because we must have a good flow of coordination and direction. Otherwise, all of the facilities we’ve received will become irrelevant,” stated Imawan Muslimin, the head of the Prevention section of the Bima City Disaster Management Agency (BPBD).

more people become involved in DRR efforts, they will help trigger a movement in all disaster management phases, namely before, during and after a disaster. “Take for example flood prevention. We could coordinate a reforestation effort with the Department of Forestry and the community to prepare volunteers in responding to disasters. More importantly though, they should also be able to provide support during the rehabilitation period,” he added.

The Mbojo Matenggo DRR forum is comprised of active multi-stakeholders who share the same beliefs and enthusiasm for disaster risk reduction. “This is what unites us all. We must not let this enthusiasm end, for the sake of the community in general. It is our hope that the spirit that has united us will always exist in the forum,” stated Imawan. He further adds that the forum should be able to touch all levels of society.

As part of a concerted effort to include disaster risk reduction in the development planning of Bima City, the BPBD must compile a disaster risk analysis document. This document is also important to support capacity building in DRR, help reduce vulnerabilities, develop capabilities in preparedness, mitigation and establish an early warning system for disasters. This document was developed by the DRR Forum team members of Bima City, consisting of the Development Planning Agency, Health Agency, Social Agency, Public Relation and Indonesian Red Cross.

One of Imawan’s friends, Adi Aqwan from the Regional Planning Agency, was persuaded to join the DRR forum. “Imawan and I are close friends. And I think that this forum is a very good idea and very beneficial for the community.

We must all share the ideas and work that the forum has produced to the general public,” stated Adi. Since he joined the DRR forum, Adi has been better able to communicate the mission of disaster risk reduction in his office. As a result, DRR has been better integrated into local development planning. He believes that as

“This document was drafted and formalised in July 2013. It heavily references the hazards report that LP2DER formulated,” stated Yamin, the DRR coordinator of LP2DER. It is not uncommon in Indonesian government bodies that when the head of government changes, so do the regulations. Therefore it is important to develop local regulation that could create and bind the synergy between governmental agencies in Bima.

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However, developing local regulation is easier said than done. Members of the DRR Forum were careful not to fall into the trap of simply copying and pasting contents of the regulation from the risk analysis document for Bima city-a common practice in government.

Ahmad. Further, he states that this local regulation is a way of implementing the Disaster Management Law number 24 year 2007, which is also currently a priority issue in the People’s Representatives Assembly discussions.

They also worked with the Law school in Bima city to carefully draft the regulation whilst also taking into consideration the situation and reality of the environment in which the regulation is implemented. “Our academic team is in charge of drafting the regulation itself, whilst the DRR forum members provide us with valuable inputs on disaster risk reduction issues,” stated Ahmad Yasin, a faculty member of the law school.

The academic version of the disaster management regulation draft states that disaster management is a realisation of the Bima government’s mandate in protecting the people. As such, the people expect the government to fully handle disaster management. The new paradigm in disaster management, however, considers disaster management as an active and integrated endeavour of all parts of society.

“We believe that once this regulation comes into force, there will not be too much resistance from the people since it is a necessary regulation for the district and consist of many benefits, including disaster prevention measures,” added

This type of integrated effort in disaster management requires excellent coordination amongst several stakeholders. These include the national and local governments, both provincial and local, as well as community-

TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

based organisations, international organisations and others.

organisations, and foreign non-governmental organisations in disaster management.

The roles of various stakeholders are clearly outlined in the body of the regulation. For example, in chapter 3 on Responsibilities and Authority, it is stipulated that the local government is responsible for carrying out disaster management in general. However, chapter 6 outlines the roles and responsibilities of the private sector, academia, communitybased organisations, non-governmental organisations, the media, international

All in all, the regulation emphasises that good synergy amongst various stakeholders is essential in order to build and strengthen the community’s resilience to disasters.

This forum is very much necessary because we must have a good flow of coordination and direction.

Otherwise, all of the facilities we’ve received will become irrelevant

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A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management | TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES • Image: Doc. LP2DER

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TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

CHAPTER 2

NORTH LOMBOK

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A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management | TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

Lombok Utara or North Lombok District is world renowned for its beautiful tourist attractions, such as Gili Air, Gili Trawangan, and Gili Meno Islands as well as Mount Rinjani. Its landscapes include both mountains and beaches.

North Lombok District is a relatively new district, having been established in 2008. With a population of 224,000 people, it consists of five sub-districts, 33 villages, and 334 sub-villages spread across 800,000 square kilometers.

However, as a consequence of these types of terrain, Lombok Utara district is also quite vulnerable to disasters. The 2009 flash flood in Bentek Village that killed several people and the landslide in 2012 in Pusuk that blocked access between the provincial capital, Mataram, and the district capital, Tanjung, are examples 34

of this vulnerability. Moreover, an earthquake in 2013 destroyed more than 5,000 homes and religious buildings in the area. The string of natural disasters in this district have inflicted both material and immaterial damages to the local communities.

The biggest challenge that the government of Lombok Utara faces is how to effectively manage natural disasters. Based on the Indonesian Disaster Vulnerability Index (IRBI), issued by the National Agency Disaster Management (BNPB) in 2011, it has a vulnerability ranking of 442 out of 492 cities/ districts. Although this ranking is not terribly low, its vulnerability ranking does indicate that Lombok Utara must increase its level of disaster awareness.

TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

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The various disasters that have occurred in the past five years, including flash floods, earthquakes, and landslides have prompted Oxfam and its partners to implement a series of disaster risk reduction projects in this area in the past three years.

Lombok Utara has been included in the Building and Deepening Resilience Project that is implemented by Oxfam and jointly funded by the Australian Government and the European Union through its Disaster Preparedness Unit (DIPECHO). As with other districts, Oxfam works with a local partner in Lombok Utara District, KOSLATA, who serves as a technical implementing partner.

The objective of this project is to improve the capacities of communities, the government

as well as non-governmental organisations in disaster risk reduction (DRR). Furthermore, it also aims to strengthen women’s capacity in disaster risk reduction in order to influence national policies and approaches.

There are at least 10 villages in Lombok Utara that have implemented a number of DRR activities since 2010, such as forming a Village Preparedness and Response Team (VPRT), introducing disaster preparedness habits in schools, forming a DRR Forum at the village level as well as carrying out advocacy efforts that led to the drafting of a village regulation on DRR.

This project has also spurred the founding of a DRR forum at the district level, which includes 35

A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management | TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

members of the various VPRTs as well as the Local Government Unit of Work (SKPD). The formation of the Local Regulation on DRR is evidence of the affirmation of the government and other DRR activists regarding the importance of DRR for a resilient district.

Moreover, the Local Agency for Disaster Management (BPBD) that was formed in 2011 is expected to play a pivotal role in promoting disaster risk reduction efforts in the community, with non-governmental organizations, as well as with the private sector.

Building and strengthening community resilience will not be an easy task. It requires a lot of patience and a common vision from all actors. Undoubtedly, Lombok Utara District will be facing more disasters and the impacts of climate change in the years to come. It can, however, become better prepared to face these disasters with a good synergy between the government, the community and nongovernmental organisations. Furthermore, it can also become a good example for other vulnerable districts.

Building and strengthening community resilience will not be an easy task.

It requires a lot of patience and a common vision from all actors 36

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A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management | TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

Introducing disaster risk reduction as a concept and practice to a community who has never experienced a natural disaster is no easy feat.

Ask Lalu Surya Karyanto, often called Antok, who is a staff member of our partner KOSLATA. It is currently implementing disaster risk reduction (DRR) activities in Lombok Utara District. He explains that during his visits to ten villages in Lombok Utara, community members did not often take disaster risk reduction knowledge seriously and consider it unimportant.

“It requires at least five to six months to gain the communities’ attention and engagement in disaster risk reduction activities,” said Antok.

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Established in 1992, KOSLATA began its activities by facilitating communities to managing their forest resources through obtaining licenses for managing communal forests. In 2010, KOSLATA began its work in disaster risk reduction with Oxfam through the Building and Deepening Resilience to Disasters and Climate Change in Eastern Indonesia Project.

Community members often refuse to be involved in disaster risk reduction initiatives because they believe that preparing for disasters means that they might be asking for a disaster to happen.

Only after a small-scale disaster, such as a

TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

landslide, occurs in their village do they realize the importance of disaster risk reduction efforts.

“This relates to the philosophy of Lombok people, ‘pelisaq bawon batu, mun ke ndeq gitaq nde ku sadu,’ which translates to ‘we need to see in order to believe whatever is meaningful,’” said Antok.

Working in the community Antok is a community facilitator who is in charge of providing technical guidance, inputs and initiation discussions with community members in the various DRR activities. Community facilitators, CFs, are members of the community who were recruited by KOSLATA to assist them throughout the 18-month project. Each village has one community facilitator.

The strategy behind recruiting facilitators from local communities is to ensure sustainability.

“Community facilitating is not only important during the donor-funded project, but more importantly after the funding ends,” comments Sulistiyono, KOSLATA’s project manager.

These community facilitators work hard to reach every part of their village to truly connect themselves to the villagers. They visit with families and hang out on their porches, or berugak, in the early evenings. Sometimes they take part in the various religious ceremonies in the village.

The facilitators encourage community members to be involved in the Village Preparedness and Response Teams (VPRT). These teams help

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promote disaster preparedness and build awareness on the importance of disaster reduction knowledge and skills. The VPRTs are also a medium to organise various DRR initiatives and work.

Government advocacy KOSLATA also works to promote advocacy with the government. Sulistiyono and his staff members are well aware of the hard work required to carry out advocacy in this newly formed district.

The advocacy efforts paid off as the Regional Planning Agency of Lombok Utara (Bappeda) decided to prioritize its plans to build adequate infrastructure for its 220,000 citizens.

Additionally, KOSLATA also works to advocate for better DRR programs at the community level.

They have worked with various parties to help form the Lombok Utara District Disaster 39

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TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

Management Agency (BPBD) in 2011. This was later followed by the formulation of a Local Regulation on DRR in July 2013.

Project Sustainability As an effort to promote accelerated and integrated DRR work in Lombok Utara, a district-level DRR Forum was formed, which included members of the community and government officials. The district government pledged to allocate a special fund for the DRR forum of about Rp 50 million.

This project enables community members to propose for grants to fund their DRR activities, such as transportation expenses.

This allowance is also stipulated in the village regulation on DRR initiatives.

The BPBD has also made a pledge to form VPTs in other villages that were not included in the current project by 2014. This endeavor will no doubt be carried out with the facilitation of the existing VPRTs.

It requires at least five to six months to gain the communities’ attention and engagement in disaster risk reduction activities

Sulistiyono believes that the project sustainability depends on the critical consciousness of the community. “KOSLATA is committed to becoming the community’s discussion partner in all DRR efforts,” he adds.

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A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management | TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

Lombok women are known to be hard workers; making a living for their families while maintaining their domestic duties. For many, their husbands, who used to be farmers but who, no longer have land to work on and have chosen to go abroad and work as migrant workers in countries such as Malaysia.

This situation has altered community traditions that have been in existence for generations.

The traditional customs dictates that Lombok women stay at home and manage the household. However, due to the absence of men in the area, women have no choice but to take over men’s traditional roles. They 42

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have become more active in community live. “Women have replaced their husbands and are now representing their families in village meetings,” says Wina Widyasari, a woman from Tegal Maja Village, Tanjung Sub-district, Lombok Utara District.

Although Wina is currently single, she believes that even after she is married she will still be able to continue her work in the community. “I’ve also felt like I was meant to work with the community, whether it is in my own village or my husband’s village,” she comments.

Women attend a number of meetings, including traditional decision-making meetings and religious meetings held at the temple or banjar (communal meeting place). Initially, the women only came and listened during the meetings. However, as time progressed, they became more confident in expressing their opinions.

Bu Rustini, known better as Bu Tini, has a different story. As a homemaker, her days are occupied by taking care of her husband, her children, teaching at the local Islamic school and is also going to her family paddy field. Despite her hectic schedule, she is also actively involved in the village as a disaster risk reduction activist in Rempek village. “Every morning, I get up early and prepare the meals for my family so that I may have time to do my work in the village,” she says happily.

This is also the case for disaster risk reduction efforts. There are currently 30 people in the Village Preparedness and Response Team in Tegal Maja Village, 40 percent of which are women. Tegal Maja village has experienced regular flooding and landslides since the 1960s.

Most recently, the 2013 earthquake damaged hundreds of homes and religious buildings.

“I joined the VPRT after the earthquake and have been involved in five socialization events in the village,” adds Wina.

Wina is a part-time teacher at the sub-district junior high school. When she is not teaching, she is engaged in promoting disaster risk reduction knowledge to the local community.

She is very enthusiastic about disaster risk reduction because she believes that she is helping her village to become better.

Bu Tini and 15 other women have been quite active in the VPRT in Rempek Village. They are currently trying to start a photocopying and stationary business in the village, which will help to fund her team’s operational needs. “The rest of the profits will be used to start a savings and lending program for the members,” Bu Tini explains.

Fitri is a community facilitator who has been recruited by KOSLATA to facilitate community members of Gumantar Village in DRR. This young lady, who is also a mother of one, has been facilitating her village’s VPRT in carrying out DRR efforts.

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A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management | TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

She takes much pride that her work that has benefited others, while still managing her responsibilities at home. “I’ve invited my husband and children to get involved in the village activities so that they can understand what I do in the village,” she says.

Fitri uses her motorcycle when she travels to do her work in the village. Her house is approximately 40 minutes drive from Gumantar Village. It can often be a hike to reach the furthest sub-villages; and when it rains the roads can get quite treacherous.

Although the work can sometimes be exhausting, Fitri and the other DRR female heroes exhibit great energy and excitement about their work.

Every morning, I get up early and prepare the meals for my family so that I may have time to do my work in the village

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When a 5.4 Richter-scale earthquake struck Lombok Utara District on June 22, 2013, many buildings endured much damage, including the SDN 4 Tegal Maja primary school. The school fence and most of the building’s roofs collapsed and many of its walls were cracked. Luckily, 46

school was not in session so no children or teachers were harmed during the earthquake.

SDN 4 Tegal Maja primary school is located in the hills of Medain Tuban, Medain Sub-village, Tegal Maja village, Tanjung sub-district,

TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

Lombok Utara district. It is located in a remote area, about 2.5 kilometers from the village government building. The roads to the school are steep and riddled with rocks and sand, making it unsafe during the rainy season. As a result, the school is vulnerable to landslides and earthquakes.

help the school community become better at managing their risks. Some of the activities include trainings for the teachers and principal and conducting a school risk analysis exercise that was attended by the members of the school committee, teachers, the principal and members of the VPRT.

KOSLATA and Oxfam have been implementing a disaster risk reduction (DRR) project in this school since 2010. It aims to enable the school to manage disaster risks in the surrounding the school environment. The teachers, principal, members of the Tegal Maja Village Preparedness and Response Team (VPRT) and community facilitators have all worked together to

The school principal, Budi Hartono, remarked that thanks to DRR initiatives, his school has become better prepared to respond to earthquakes. He said that his training taught him what to do when an earthquake happens; take cover during the quake and then run outside afterwards. “I am now much more alert when an earthquake happens,” he added.

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COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

The students were the main beneficiaries of this project. One of the students, Sindi, expressed much interest in doing the earthquake simulation at school. “Whenever we hear the earthquake alarm go off, we immediately crawl under our desks,” Sindi says. There is also a meeting point for everyone to gather at after an earthquake. During the simulations, Sindi would run to that meeting point. “We all run and gather at the middle of the school field,” she adds.

Sindi also mentions that the DRR materials were presented in a fun way. Members of the VPRT taught the children about disaster preparedness through songs about earthquakes. The children happily wrote down the lyrics on the blackboard and sang and played out the actions of the song.

The teachers also include disaster risk reduction materials in their lessons.

Budi says that posters of volcanoes and earthquakes help the children gain more interest in science lessons. He also adds that a Standard Operational Procedure handbook has been formulated, which outlines the procedures to follow and the names of people in charge of specific tasks during a disaster at the school.

This disaster risk reduction project has also helped the school building to become better prepared for future disasters. A 10-meter retaining wall was built in the back of the school building to reduce the risk of landslide, which is situated on a cliff. Additionally, renovations were made to the cracked walls and collapsed

school fence, which were carried out with the cooperation of the principal, teachers and parents.

The head of the Tegal Maja VPRT, Tobing, mentioned that they also installed warning sign posts for landslides, evacuation directions and safe meeting points. This was done to guide community members, students and teachers in the right direction. “These signposts were made with bright colours to make it easier for the community members to recognise them,” he says.

All of these school-based disaster risk reduction initiatives are carried out as an effort to build preparedness to disasters. As a preparedness culture is built, these exercises will benefit not only current students and teachers, but also future students and children. When these students grow up, they will pass on to their children and families the knowledge they’ve obtained now. Teachers can also share their skills with other teachers and students. All in all, disaster risk reduction knowledge is part of a child’s rights to obtain physical and non-physical protection and security.

I am now much more alert when an earthquake happens

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On a sunny Saturday afternoon on June 22,

the Village Preparedness and Response Team

2013, a 5.4 Richter-scale earthquake struck

(VPRT). Soon afterwards, all of the members

Lombok Utara District and destroyed thousands

gathered and then dispersed to help calm the

of homes and building and injured dozens of

villagers and register their names.

people. Although it lasted less than 10 seconds, the tremors shocked residents and caused a

Wina is a member of her village’s preparedness

panic. People were running in all directions out

team. After the earthquake, the team was able to

of their homes and buildings to get away from

establish that 870 homes and religious buildings

collapsing structures and debris.

in Tegal Maja Village had been damaged.

Wina Widiasari, a resident of Tegal Maja

That night, members of the VPRT established

Village, Tanjung Sub-district, was at home when it

a command post as a centre for information

happened. She ran out of the house only after

and registering damages from the earthquake.

she was sure that the earthquake had stopped.

Volunteers helped with the registration of

She immediately contacted the members of

damaged buildings and also created a list of

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immediate needs of the residents. This data was later used to inform the village DRR forum, village government and the district disaster management agency on their response plan.

The formation of the VPRT was the result of KOSLATA and Oxfam working together with the village community. There are currently 10 VPRTs in all of Lombok Utara District. Formed in 2010, VPRTs generally consist of 20 people between ages of 20 and 40 years old. Before they engage with the community, they were trained by KOSLATA in basic community engagement skills and knowledge. After that, they received training in disaster risk reduction (DRR),

conducted

socializations

of

DRR

initiatives and simulations in the village.

An integrated disaster risk reduction effort in

• Image: Nasrullah AU

each village

reduction is discussed together at the sub-

In addition to carrying out disaster risk

the VPRT. At one of the meetings, they held a

village meetings, which are usually facilitated by

reduction activities, members of the VPRT are also engaged in various advocacy efforts in the village, such as policy advocacy for a village regulation on DRR. This regulation would encapsulate all initiatives for before, during and after a disaster. Specific sections such as budgeting, the role of the village government, VPRT and community are also discussed in the

discussion

on

creating

a

risk

map

and

pointed out flooding and landslide prone locations. “Members of the community were very active in providing inputs regarding flooding and landslide prone areas,” he says.

There is also a VPRT in Rempek Village, which is also very prone to floods and landslides. In

advocacy process.

2008 and 2010, a flash flood struck two sub-

The head of Tuban Sub-village, Kasita, mentions

sub-villages. Additionally, a landslide occurred

villages, destroying the bridge connecting the

that every decision regarding disaster risk

in 1994 along the Buja River in Sejuik Sub51

A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management | TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

Members of the community were very active in providing inputs regarding flooding and landslide prone areas

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village, the debris of which buried seven women who were at the time cleaning and bathing in the river.

Syariful Khaer, a resident of Pancor Getah Sub-village, says that the preparedness team’s presence has changed the villagers’ outlook on disasters. “I now understand the risks of flash floods in the village,” he states. Syariful takes part in assisting the VPRT by helping them install evacuation signposts and announcement boards

containing

disaster

risk

reduction

posters near flooding and landslide prone areas. These signposts are made of steel and painted in bright colours so that it can be easily recognised.

In addition to installing signposts, other disaster risk reduction activities held at the village include playing a documentary film on disasters.

Community members were also involved in a disaster simulation.

During the month of November, a white beetle commonly known as kendewa, will appear in the village. Community members believe that their presence is a sign of the start of the rainy season. For members of the VPRT, however, this means that they must start preparing for floods that could happen at any point during the rainy season. The old adage “better safe than sorry” has become their motto in encouraging the villagers to be prepared for any type of disaster.

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| TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

One year after the formal establishment of Lombok Utara district, a flash flood struck Bentek Village. Heryanto SP vividly remembers the challenges he faced at the time. As the head of the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) at the time, he worked round the clock with the department of fisheries for a week at the command post to help coordinate the response effort.

Additionally, the farmers’ group collected money to purchase a water pump to help with irrigation, which was destroyed by the flash flood. “We were trying to avoid a harvest failure,” said Heryanto. At the time, Heryanto and his team had not thought of establishing an inter-agency command post.

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A year after that flash flood, KOSLATA and Oxfam began to work together through the Building and Deepening Resilience to Disasters and Climate Change Project in Lombok Utara.

Together, they implemented various activities in the community and are helping to strengthen the government’s capacities in managing disasters.

Heryanto states that he has gained a better understanding of disaster management and the risks unique to the district. “More importantly, I’ve learned about the proper legal instruments that are required to formulate disaster management policies,” he adds. Heryanto is currently the head of the Disaster risk reduction (DRR) Forum of Lombok Utara.

In his role, he has learned the importance of integrating disaster risk reduction into local development plans.

The current head of BPBD of Lombok Utara, Iwan Maret Asmara, states that this project has helped this relatively young government in strengthening its human capacity in disaster risk reduction issues. “The role that these organisations have played as a discussion partner has significantly helped the district government’s disaster management capacities,” he states.

Synergy with related working units (SKPD) Although he is no longer the head of the BPBD, Heryanto continues to promote disaster risk reduction in his current position as the head of Community Empowerment, Women’s Empowerment and Family Planning, and Village Government of Lombok Utara District. He is always trying to integrate disaster risk reduction in the programs that he manages.

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Heryanto believes that disaster risk reduction should not be the sole responsibility of the BPBD, but the shared responsibility of the working units (SKPD) as well. Take for example the new agency he works for, he says. He included a budget to purchase long-range walkie-talkies to give to remote villages, such as Teniga Village. “It turned out to be very beneficial for them. When an earthquake struck the district this summer, Teniga Village authorities were able to radio in their situation,” he explains.

The project that KOSLATA and Oxfam implemented, Heryanto added, has successfully opened up the minds of the heads of the working units in integrating disaster risk reduction into their programs. For example, the Health Department now has a Rapid Response 56

Team that can be deployed during a disaster.

A similar team also exists in the BPBD. He uses the case of the 2012 landslide in Pusuk Village as an example of good inter-agency cooperation in times of a disaster. “We saw some form of cooperation between the agencies, when the department of Public Works lent their heavy machineries and the health teams were on alert,” he explains.

As the head of the DRR forum, Heryanto envisages that it can become an effective partner for the government in advocating for disaster management policies in a district that faces nine types of hazards. Sulistiyono, the project manager of KOSLATA, agrees, “It is very important to have this type of partnership

TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

because these hazards still pose a real threat to the community, even in the future.�

District regulation in disaster risk reduction The district regulation on disaster management was formed in July 2013. It contains the rights, obligations, and roles of the community and government before, during, and after a disaster.

It is expected that this regulation will ensure that disaster risk reduction activities can continue to be implemented, even without the support of donor organisations and projects from non-governmental organisations.

There are currently discussions on incorporating disaster risk reduction aspects into the district Mid-term Development Plan for the year 2015.

Four villages that were facilitated by the project have developed a village regulation on disaster

risk reduction, which include allocating some funds from the village budget for a number of disaster risk reduction activities.

It is very important to have this type of partnership because these hazards still pose a real threat to the community, even in the future

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• Image: Rodrigo Ordonez

The journey to San Beleg Sub-village, in Gumantar Village, Lombok Utara district is quite an enjoyable one. Located near the Mount Rinjani National Park, this sub-village is situated in a hilly area with lots of fresh air. The view from the sub-village is one filled with green trees and a beautiful landscape.

In addition to its beautiful scenery, San Beleq Sub-village is also well known for its residents’ reverence for their traditional forest laws.

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The villagers have formulated their mechanism to managing the forest.

own

The sub-village is home to 390 people whose livelihoods include coconut, coffee, and cacao growers. Residents of the sub-village have lived by a local wisdom that has indirectly helped them avoid natural disasters. For generations, they have been taught not to cut down the trees in the forest. “We will fine those who cut down trees without our knowledge or approval,” says

TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

Sahir, the head of Dasan Beleq Sub-village. This law applies to all residents without exception, including the traditional leaders and the head of the sub-village.

2009 damaged the water main, bridge and farmlands in Gumantar Village.

Yurdin, the former sub-village head was once fined for cutting down a tree. “I was using the wood for my household,” he explained. He had to pay with one goat that was later slaughtered and served for the whole community to enjoy.

The Mount Rinjani National Park is the main source of life for the villagers. They obtain their water from the spring located in the park.

Water is piped through a 6-km long piping system, which also flows through the traditional forest.

The customary law does allow community members to use forest products, as long as it is only used for personal use, such as to replace a house beam, and not for commercial purposes. Nonetheless, the decision must first be approved by all members of the community.

Forest conservation reduces disaster risks

Lately, however, the residents of Gumantar have become concerned and wary regarding the condition of forests in the park. More and

San Beleq Sub-village is among 12 sub-villages of Gumantar Village. There are approximately 1,600 households in the village, which borders the Java Sea to the north and Mount Rinjani National Park to the south. It was officially founded as an extension of Selengan Village in 1998 and has a total area of 38.6 km2.

The participatory risk analysis document that was formulated by KOSLATA, the Village Preparedness Team and Response (VPRT), and members of the community outlined that there are a number of potential disasters that this village with a population of over 5,900 faces.

In 1983 and 1993, ashes from Mount Rinjani eruption killed several livestock and caused breathing problems in the village. Furthermore, landslides that struck the village in 2006 and

• Image: Nasrullah AU

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more trees are being illegally cut down, which has led to diminishing water sources. The number of water springs is declining every year.

“We are worried that we will run out of water,” Yurdin says.

The direct impact of forest degradation on the lives of the community has made them become more aware of the importance of conserving their natural environment. The community of San Beleq Sub-village fully understands how much the natural environment fulfilled their needs, and also mourns the fact that greed has destroyed their environment. Thus, their strict reverence to traditional and customary laws has helped the community preserve and maintain their environment. They know that these traditional laws were made to conserve the natural environment.

A KOSLATA staff member, Antok, states that San Beleq was chosen as one of their intervention sites due to this unique local wisdom. It is the hope of KOSLATA and the community that this local wisdom can become an example for other communities to incorporate the principles of disaster risk reduction through environmental conservation.

We are worried that we will run out of water

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A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management | TOWARDS RESILIENT

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TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

CHAPTER 3

MANOKWARI

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A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management | TOWARDS RESILIENT• COMMUNITIES Image: Eka Nickmatulhuda

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It was Saturday afternoon, February 1996. A big tectonic earthquake rocked the most eastern island in Indonesia. The epicentre was recorded at 101 kilometres northeast of Biak, Papua and 33 kilometres underwater. It was later followed by a tsunami that spread to several directions on the island. The Manokwari beach, which was 64

located to the west of Biak was amongst one of the parts struck by the tsunami, with waves reaching up to 4 meters high. Many people near the epicentre were killed. Manokwari, on the other hand, did not suffer from much damage.

TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

It is now early Sunday morning, January 4, 2009.

A 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck the head of the bird of Papua Island in West Papua. The earthquake that occurred at 5:38 am triggered a tsunami that reached 78 centimetres, near the Manokwari coastline. One person was killed and three others sustained heavy injuries. However, several thousands were forced to evacuate and stay in temporary shelters.

Earthquakes are a regular occurrence in Manokwari. The area surrounding it is a meeting point of four tectonic plates, namely the Australian, Eurasian, Pacific, and the Philippines plates. Earthquakes that occur in Manokwari are normally a result of the shifting of the Australian and Pacific plates. A statement from the Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics reads that “After the energy is released in the form of tremors, the Earth will naturally calm down again. But because the Earth’s crust is dynamic, it will get covered again and the energy will one day have to be released again.”

It is clear that Manokwari will forever be prone to earthquakes and tsunamis. Amazingly, however, despite having been frequently struck by disasters, there have not been many casualties in Manokwari. Does this mean that the people of Manokwari are resilient to disasters?

Fredy Chandra, an Oxfam staff member working on the Building and Deepening Resilience Project in Manokwari believes so. “Repeated empirical experiences, as well as an inherent

understanding that they live in a disaster prone area has taught them to construct a type of coping mechanism,” he said.

The people of Manokwari have become sensitive to changes in the environment as a consequence of recurrent exposure to disasters, in particular to earthquakes and tsunamis. “Some of the natural signs that a disaster is imminent include stranded whales on the beach, sudden hot and scorching weather, or an abrupt surge in tidal waves,” said Fredy, recounting stories told by the community.

Despite the lack of scientific evidence to validate the truth behind these natural signs, people of Manokwari have believed in them for generations. These natural signs are not the only things that have been passed down from their ancestors. They have also been taught how to avert disasters. Fredy recounts the scene many residents saw during the 2009 and 2011 earthquakes and tsunami.

While many women and children ran up to the hill, the men, most of whom were fishermen went to the beach and lined up their boats to face the sea. Fredy explains the reasoning this local wisdom. “These fishermen know that by doing this, their boats will be safe from the tsunami waves,” he said. He further explained that 80 per cent Manokwari residents live on the coast and depend on fishing as their livelihoods.

These techniques in securing valuable assets were not learned from TV, but from wisdom 65

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passed down from previous generations.

Other life-saving techniques include how to stop bleeding using herbal remedies found in the surrounding environment. These types of traditional techniques would be able to help save lives during a time of emergency when modern medical facilities are scarce or inaccessible.

“There is also the farming pattern that the local community here uses, known as igyaser hanjup. It is a technique on managing the forest for farming purposes,” added Fredy. The igyaser hanjup tradition essentially plots out three uses for the forest. The first is as a dwelling place.

The local wisdom exhibited and internalised by the people of Manokwari has been further refined by the non-governmental organisation, PERDU. An Oxfam partner organisation, PERDU has been working in Manokwari since 2010 when it began implementing the Building Resilience project. They continued working in Manokwari through their involvement in the Building and Deepening Resilience project that began in 2013. It is expected that this project will be able to improve disaster capabilities of the people of Manokwari.

The second is for farming and as an environmental support. The third use is as a place for food storage, by growing tubers which serves as an alternative source of carbohydrates. This is especially valuable as most residents depend on rice as their main source of carbohydrates.

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TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

These fishermen know that by doing this, their boats will be safe from the tsunami waves

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A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management | TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

PERDU was established in 1999 and started out as a non-governmental organisation working in agricultural issues. Mujiyanto, the executive director of PERDU, recounts how his organisation began to get involved in disaster risk reduction (DRR). ”When we first started in DRR, we saw the interconnection between the environment and conservation issues; we focused on the DRR objectives that involved organising and empowering the community,” he said. One of these objectives included forming a Village Preparedness and Response Team (VPRT) in locations that were considered vulnerable and prone to disasters.

• Image: Eka Nickmatulhuda

Together with the Disaster Management Forum and Disaster Management Agency of Manokwari, PERDU wrote a disaster risk analysis for Manokwari district. The main finding 68

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of the document showed that Manokwari District, which has a total area of 14,448 km2, or approximately ten percent of the whole of West Papua, is quite vulnerable to disasters.

In particular, there is a total area of 1,784.48 km2 that is highly prone to earthquakes, affecting at least 121,358 people in the area. In addition, the total area prone to tsunamis reaches 203.82 km2 , potentially affecting 74,283 people. This would include 86 villages in 13 sub-districts.

Six of the above-mentioned locations were selected to become project sites for PERDU and Oxfam. Padarni Village of West Manokwari district is the only one located at the centre of the district. The other five locations, Asai, Meinyumfoka, Lebau, Yoom, and Tanahrubuh are located on the North Coast, which is at least 60 kilometres away from Manokwari.

What is fascinating about the VPRT in Manokwari is the diversity of the members.

Although there is almost an equal number of men and women, the backgrounds of these members are quite diverse. There are homemakers, pastors, community leaders, community members and even adolescents.

During a VPRT capacity building event, a junior high school student named Anike Mandacan was present and actively participated in the discussions. She stands out amongst the rest of the participants who are typically in their 30s. Despite her size, she has a confident voice and exhibits high level of energy at this meeting, which was convened out of the initiative of the VPRT members. “This is my third VPRT training.

I joined upon the encouragement of Pastor Martin,” she explained. Anike is from Yoom Village, of the North Coast (Pantura), Manokwari.

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The first VPRT training she participated in was on water and sanitation, while the second one was on how to build a tent. The most recent training is a capacity building event for the VPRT members. Whenever a training event is held in her village, Anike’s school yard becomes a regular meeting spot. “I enjoy very much these trainings because there are a lot of people. It would be hard to do these trainings, like how to build tents, if there were only a few people around,” she added.

Anike believes that these types of trainings are important for the community. “With these trainings we will know where to evacuate when a flood and tsunami happens,” she said. She further explains that the DRR exercises have been very beneficial to her community. “During the last earthquake in 2011, I was still in primary school. I was so scared when I saw the house was shaking and the beams were falling down,” she recalled. She is now 14 years old and is well aware of the consequences of not getting out of the house in time—potentially losing her life.

handicrafts made of shells—a skill taught by staff members of PERDU and Oxfam.

Pastor Martin Dowansiba, 38, has also introduced DRR issues through his service at church. “This DRR program has become part of our faith, although we still believe that God is in control of nature, including disasters,” he said.

“Although many of them are illiterate, the VPRT members have great enthusiasm,” said Johnsen Patipawai, a community facilitator from PERDU. He is currently supporting Yoom and Lebau Villages. The challenge is maintaining the VPRT’s high level of enthusiasm in the project.

“We strive to introduce DRR methods in the simplest fashion possible, communicate DRR messages in a way that everyone can understand,” Johnsen said. He further states that the community’s enthusiasm has in turn rejuvenated the project staff, and given them new energy while carrying out the project.

In addition to adolescents, homemakers and pastors are also part of the VPRT. They have taken advantage of their respective positions in the community to spread DRR messages and to socialise DRR programs to their families and neighbours. Anike, for instance, has shared her knowledge with her siblings and classmates.

Women often discuss amongst themselves the knowledge they obtained on disasters and what to do in the event of one. In addition, they also empower each other by meeting to make 70

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I enjoy very much these trainings because there are a lot of people.

It would be hard to do these trainings, like how to build tents, if there were only a few people around

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The testimony was clear and simple. “If there was an award for the best VPRT member in Manokwari, it would go to Mama Dolly,” said Richard Rumbara, the 37-year-old staff member of PERDU. He is the community facilitator for Asai Village, where Mama Dolly lives with her family. Dollince Manggaprauw, aka Mama Dolly, stands out amongst other women in her village. A bell has been installed as an early warning signal in front of her house.

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It serves as an alarm when an earthquake and tsunami happens, so that the residents in Asai Village will be able to know to get out in time.

“When we saw on TV the earthquake that struck Japan in 2011, a staff person from PERDU came to warn us to prepare for evacuation,” Mama Dolly said.

She further recalled that the bell was rung to let the villagers know to immediately run for safety.

“We’ve learned that when we hear the bell ring,

TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

that means there is danger and that we must run for safety,” she added.

Although the feared tsunami did not reach Manokwari as predicted, the villagers were nonetheless prepared to run since they knew that it was better to be prepared than perish.

“When we saw on TV how the tsunami wiped out the village in Japan, we got very scared and immediately ran up the hills,” Mama Dolly explained. She said that if she had to evacuate, she would run to one of her relative’s house that is located far from the coastline.

Mama Dolly often uses her home as a meeting place for women in her neighbourhood during DRR socialisation events. “When we are not using the village meeting place, we would often meet at my house. We’ve learned about evacuation points in the village, because that is important information,” she said.

She also explained that it was initially a challenge to get the women to care about disasters. “But I would always tell them to come anyway because if they didn’t know where to evacuate during an earthquake, what would they do then?” she recalled. As a result, many community members and even those from the neighbouring village have requested to be included in the project.

Richard Rumbara speaks highly of Mama Dolly.

“She was elected as the head of the VPRT by her fellow villagers, despite the cultural 73

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COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

difficulties women face in gaining decisionmaking positions in the community,” he said.

He went on to explain that her active presence in the community has helped him significantly, since he lives quite far away from the village.

“Although Asai is a relative small village, it is quite a challenge to get from one home to the next. With Mama Dolly’s help, all I need to do is tell her about a meeting, and she will help to spread the message around the village,” he said.

In addition to her tenacity in promoting DRR, Mama Dolly also posses charisma to persuade even the most resistant residents in her village of DRR’s importance. “Her spirit is so contagious that even the village head who once expressed resistance to the project is now on board with it,” he added.

One day, Mama Dolly asked PERDU if she and the other women in the village could get some training on how to make handicrafts from shells so that they could sell them to make some extra income. “We have sold our crafts to places as far as Batam,” she exclaimed. The women have created many wall hangings and decorations made of shells they gathered from the beach.

An additional benefit of this shell handicraft enterprise is that more women have become interested in joining the group. To take advantage of this opportunity, PERDU facilitators have tried to insert DRR messages and discussions during the craft-making sessions. “We would also hold disaster simulations and assemble preparedness bags.

That way when a disaster strikes, the women will just grab their children and the preparedness go-bag,” said Mama Dolly, as she pointed to her black go-bag.

On the exterior, it looks rather innocuous. But on the inside, it is filled with land certificates, the deed to the house, birth certificates, school certificates, a flashlight and a medicine kit.

These documents are what she considers the most valuable and must be saved when a disaster happens. This preparedness bag is an indication that they are prepared for any and every disaster that looms. It will also help families to reduce asset loss during a disaster.

When we are not using the village meeting place, we would often meet at my house. We’ve learned about evacuation points in the village, because that is important information

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VPRT activism like Mama Dolly’s VPRT is something that the Disaster Management (DM) Forum in Manokwari envisioned from its inception. “This type of activism is for the good of the community,” said Yulianus Sinery, the head of the Disaster Management (DM) Forum in Manokwari.

Even since the first days of its inception, the forum has been tested and tried. Yulianus recounts the inception of the forum. “We had a two-day congress and at the end of it, the disaster management forum of Manokwari was officially declared on 14 February 2013, coinciding with Valentine’s Day,” he said.

“On the last day of the congress, parts of 76

Manokwari, such as Prafi, were starting to get flooded,” he added. Some of the forum members who were also members of the radio association RAPI and ORARI were able to mobilise people to gather information on the ground. “In some places, the water level had reached one meter and evacuations were desperately needed,” he explained.

The DM forum immediately contacted the Manokwari local Agency for Disaster Management (BPBD) to coordinate a response effort and collect information. “The BPBD has its own bureaucracy mechanism, whilst the forum is more flexible and adaptable. So, all we need to do is coordinate amongst ourselves and go

TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

straight to the disaster location,” he elaborated.

He stressed that the priority was to reach the community first without having to deal with bureaucracy. “Basically, whatever the community needs we provide it,” he added.

In his opinion, the DM forum is quite an important institution to have in the community, especially since the district is very prone to disasters. “The forum comprises of a variety of individuals from various government agencies and communities. It’s basically just people like you and me,” he explained. Members of the forum consist of individuals from the government, the private sector and the community, often acting as representatives of their respective institutions. However, despite this, the forum always tries to involve individuals from key institutions who would be needed to be contacted during an emergency.

• Image: Eka Nickmatulhuda

Yulianus, who is often called by his last name, Sinery, himself works at the Manokwari Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics. Here, information on the weather and wave heights is recorded and conveyed to relevant government agencies. However, since it is a vertical agency, it cannot become a member of the forum due to the absence of a regulation that governs a coordination mechanism with other autonomous agencies.

“Nonetheless, as an individual, I can still relay information from my office to the forum, so that it can be useful for the greater public,” he added.

Individual membership of the forum, instead of 77

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| TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

The forum comprises of a variety of individuals from various government agencies and communities. It’s basically just people like you and me

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institutional membership, allows the forum to be more flexible in its work. This flexibility is reflected in the role that an aggregate group of individuals can play in a forum whilst maintaining their representation of their institutions. “Through this forum, we are able to share our skills and knowledge with each other and share information regarding our needs to create synergy. At the end of the day, this synergy benefits the community,” Sinery commented.

Jerry Salenda, the head of the reconstruction department of the Manokwari BPBD could not agree more. He explains how beneficial the DM forum has been in engaging with the BPBD. “The forum as been a great help to the BPBD,” he said. He sees the great working relationship between BPBD and the forum as an amazing thing. “The BPBD is not a superhero agency.

With the support of the forum along with PERDU and Oxfam, we have been able to forge and

foster good coordination relationships with the governmental working units (SKPD). So when a disaster strikes, we won’t feel like we are working alone,” he explained.

This working relationship has produced a string of disaster management-related documents, such as the disaster management strategic plan, and the disaster response plan, the disaster risk analysis document, which encapsulates risks on earthquakes, tsunamis, and floods. “We have also created a contingency plan,” he added.

This contingency plan will be continually evaluated through various simulations to minimise the chance of miscommunication during the emergency phase. “The more analyses we do, the more we realise how much work we have ahead of us, even though currently we have limited funding,” he concluded.

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One task that the BPBD and the DM forum has yet to complete is to facilitate capacity building for community members with special needs, like the disabled. Although BPBD does have a program for schools, it currently only engages with 4 schools, reaching only 200 students.

Schools for children with special needs are not yet a priority of the program. “We really should not be hiding behind the excuse of limited funding. We will do what we can,” said Jerry Salenda, an officer at the Manokwari BPBD and member of the DM forum.

Nonetheless, there is some progress being made in the direction of including schools for children with special need for DRR activities.

An example of this is the Panca Kasih School for children with special needs, located in an area at the heart of Manokwari District called Amban. One of its teachers, Haryati, is a member of the DM forum and has been a teacher at the schools since it was founded in 2006. She acts as an ambassador for her students in the forum, ensuring that disability issues are considered in the forum discussions and initiatives. “Before I joined the forum, I paid no attention to disasters or how disasters might affect my students,” she recalled.

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In an effort to support the six students that she teaches every day, Haryati actively advocates for people with disabilities in the forum. She has made many suggestions during discussions within the forum and stresses that disability is an issue that both the forum and the BPBD must start thinking about together.

However, there is dearth of data of people with special needs in Manokwari. “We do know that in our school there are ten teachers who each take care of six students with distinct special needs,” explained Haryati. Ideally, each teacher should be in charge of a group of students with the same disability, not several different disabilities. “I know it is difficult, but that doesn’t mean that I should just sit around and do nothing. I must actively think about how to solve this problem and do something useful for them,” she added.

Haryati bemoans the fact that there is very little information on disaster aid for people with disabilities. “Not only that, the government has also neglected to provide adequate facilities for people with disabilities,” she exclaimed. Due to this lack of facilities, people with special needs are forced to use mainstream facilities.

Anika Mandacan, a teen VPRT member from Yoom can attest to this. She, too, believes that people with special needs must be provided with some capacity to deal with disasters. She recalled the time when she and her brother had to carry their [disabled] mother out of the house during an earthquake. She was only in 82

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COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

primary school at the time and her father had passed away several years before. “At that time I was very little and I could not carry her alone.

Now that my brother and I are older, we can take turns carrying mother from one post to the next with a distance of 30 meters in between,” she remarked.

Due to their circumstances, people with special needs face a set of vulnerabilities different from the mainstream. Therefore, they require specific and often complicated accommodations. Nonetheless, the Panca Kasih School has begun to build their capacity in disasters with the help of the DRR Forum.

On one Friday afternoon in November 2013, a number of Red Cross staff came to the school to introduce first aid skills to the students. “The students were taught basic actions to take during an earthquake. They are also able to describe what a disaster is,” said Nur Rahimi Hastuti, a PERDU staff. She is the project manager for the Building and Deepening Resilience Project in Manokwari.

afternoon. “It was quite interesting and different.

We learned how to do some basic sign language with the teachers and students,” Ami added.

Jerry Salenda from the Manokwari BPBD offered his opinion on this matter. “We realise that we have much to do to improve our service to the community, but we are also quite grateful that they have also become our motivation and source of continuous learning,” he said.

I know it is difficult, but that doesn’t mean that I should just sit around and do nothing. I must actively think about how to solve this problem and do something useful for them

Socialisations like these are the first step in many more to come. “In addition, field staff’s capacity also needs to be strengthened when dealing with people with special needs because there are so many different types of needs.

We could always begin by learning from our experiences in the field,” she added. Nur Rahimi, often called Ami, also explained that PERDU and the Indonesian Red Cross staff decided to focus on deaf students that Friday 83

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CHAPTER 4

JAYAPURA

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This story begins with the reoccurrence of floods in Entrop village, Jayapura. Reoccurring floods affect residential areas as well as public buildings, like schools and religious buildings.

In a report written by the head of Entrop Village, R. Maximila Hamadi, to the section head of the Department of Social Affairs in Jayapura, the biggest loss sustained by the residents was damage of furniture and electronic appliances.

In some neighbourhoods, such as in RW 07 and 08, many of the water pumps were damaged.

Nicolaas, a Village Preparedness and Response Team (VPRT) member added that a primary school student was killed during the flood.

This is what encouraged Septinus T. Kumbubui (VPRT Entrop chairman) and his team members 86

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• Image: Doc. KIPRa

to conduct reforestation activities along the Alternative Way Entrop-Waena. This activity is an effort to reduce flooding that often occurs in their area.

Flooding in Entrop is caused by many things, among them. High rainfall in certain months, and a lack of citizens’ awareness about environmental preservation. Residential development upstream of Entrop is done in an uncontrolled manner, there is an absence of reforestation activities, land has changed functions, and there has been narrowing of the watershed area due to accumulation of garbage. All have become the sources of disaster.

Recognising the importance of trees for the environment, the Entrop VPT decided to do something. “With a letter from the head of village, we went from door to door to ask for donations. We visited community members as well as business owners,” said Septinus. “Some of them donated a lot, others not so much.

The biggest donation was Rp 50,000,” added Nicolaas. At the end of this fundraiser the team collected Rp 850,000 for the Green Belt of the alternative road in the village.

Was it enough? Not really. So, the VPRT members had to rack their brain to figure out how to raise more money to ensure that their 87

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plans would be realised. They wrote a letter to the Department of Forestry requesting tree saplings that could help replenish the absorption capacity of the soil. “Initially we asked for yellow bamboo due to its strong roots and its ability to retain soil against landslides.

However, since they only had a limited stock of bamboo saplings, they also gave us matoa saplings, cashew nut saplings and longan trees,” said Nicolaas.

So it followed that in June 2013 the VPRT held a tree planting event, which was attended by the community and representatives of the government. “We also invited VPRTs from Gurabesi, Hamadi, and Koya Barat to join us. The secretary of the district, the mayor, a military representative, religious leaders, and local government officers also attended it. In the end we used the Rp 850,000 for the event logistics, such as meals. Our VPRT friends also contributed to the event. They did not contribute money, instead they brought food and snacks from their hometowns,” explained Nicolaas.

elements of the community, the traditional leaders, religious leaders and the government help each other out. The Program Rotation is only one example of this solidarity. With only Rp 850,000, the Entrop VPRT was able to hold a Green Belt event for the alternative road, which was highly prone to flooding.

“After that tree-planting event, public officials who were initially skeptical of our program finally came around. Hopefully the next time we have an environmental conservation event like this, they will be willing to better support us. What we are doing here is no joke. My friends and I are very grateful to Oxfam and KIPRa. We would never have been able to be the way we are now without the disaster knowledge and skills they taught us,” said Septinus.

• Image: Doc. KIPRa

Septinus added that VPRTs in Jayapura are committed to helping each other when needed.

“When the Entrop VPRT convenes an event, VPRT members from Hamadi, Gurabesi, and Koya Barat come to support us. And it is true for the opposite as well. We call this system the Program Rotations,” he explained.

The main point is that we must help each other. Any burden that may seem impossible to achieve can in fact be achieved as long as all 88

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Any burden that may seem impossible to achieve can in fact be achieved as long as all elements of the community, the traditional leaders, religious leaders and the government help each other out 89

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A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management | TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

This beach is characterised by white sand, a beautiful cliff, swaying trees and a mangrove forest. The name of the beach is Hamadi beach, where Allied forces first landed in 1944. The beautiful scene, the history, and its proximity to Jayapura keep this beach full of visitors all year. Local residents, tourists, and children are always seen relaxing and playing at the beach.

The beach looks even more glorious during the sunset which can be seen peeking over the Youtefa Bay as the fishermen dock their boats for the day.

Sadly the beauty of Hamadi beach has been tarnished by so much litter left behind by visitors as well as the thinning of the mangroves. The 90

clear cutting of the mangroves has exacerbated coastal erosion from the Pacific Ocean that has slowly been eroding the beach and encroaching on an old burial land of the Tobati, Kayu Pulo and Enggros people. The diminished mangroves have also allowed high tidal waves to pound on a tourist lodge belonging to the Department of Tourism of Jayapura City.

In 2008, high tidal waves also damaged many homes and roads along the coast. Unabated erosion will most definitely continue to havoc on the local community in the future.

In addition, flooding is also a great threat to residents of Hamadi Rawa Dua and Hamadi

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We still continue to hold these clean up events every Friday and Saturday

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Pasar. This is a result of water channels that were blocked or damaged from construction and development, thus diverting the flow of water into residential areas. Water channels in the conservation area from Entrop to Hamadi are amongst those that were damaged.

In response to these hazards, community members decided to hold a clean-up event as to plant trees along Tanjung Hamadi in 2006 and 2009. “We still continue to hold these clean up events every Friday and Saturday. All members of the VPRT are also involved in this initiative. It is our hope that through this initiative, the community will be more mindful of 92

maintaining a clean and tidy beach,” said Welly M.R. Wadjukur, the head of Hamadi VPRT. Welly also added that together with members of other VPRTs they plan to plant 4,000 trees along the coast of Tanjung Hamadi. “In addition, we will also have a blood drive and a variety show for the community. This is all part of the VPT Program Rotation. We help each other and exchange stories of our work to enrich our knowledge in disaster management in Jayapura,” explained Welly.

Furthermore, he said, accurate data is vital for disaster risk reduction. Population data should

TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

not just be kept in the file cabinets. The more accurate and detailed the data is, the more useful it will be when there is a disaster.

“Before working in this project, we had no idea that we had to disaggregate data by age, gender and other measurements. Only after our interaction with Oxfam did we learn how important data is to understand the level of vulnerability in the community and thus how to design an appropriate action plan. Women and children are usually the most vulnerable and should therefore receive the most attention. Our data of the village is now more complete than before. It will serve as our reference point if a flood ever happens again,” explained Welly.

The Disaster Risk Analysis is one of the important points of the disaster risk reduction (DRR) project that KIPRa and Oxfam are promoting in Papua. Required data to complete the disaster risk analysis is obtained from various sources, including the community members. The hope is that in the future, the community will be able to manage and reduce their risks as well as bounce back from disaster impacts themselves without external assistance.

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At 12:46pm on March 2011, an 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami struck the coast of Japan. According to the Japanese National Police Department, approximately 1,600 people were killed, 1,900 people sustained injuries, and 1,500 people were missing.

Tremors could be felt as far as the Philippines and Indonesia. In Indonesia, a tsunami warning was issued for parts of Papua, Maluku, and North Sulawesi.

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These warnings were not merely a bluff. The tsunami from Japan reached Jayapura exactly one day after the inauguration of Edward Priyandoko as the head of Preparedness of the Jayapura Agency for Disaster Management (BPBD). The tsunami hit the coast of Jayapura City, Holtekamp, Enggros, Tobati, Hamadi, Base-G beach and Skow.

Edward and his team went straight to these locations to analyse the impacts of the tsunami

TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

as well as to assist people who were affected.

More than 20 homes were damaged from the tidal waves. In addition, many public facilities sustained much damaged. The tsunami tidal came 100 metres into the coastline.

Edward recalls his experiences of working with Oxfam in disaster response. “I learned a lot from KIPRa and Oxfam on disaster mitigation. We learned from each other, but I feel like I learned more from them than they did from me,” he said.

Oxfam had already established a relationship with the government since 2010. The initial

relationship was with the provincial BPBD and then with the city and district level BPBDs in Jayapura.

These organisations often hold joint visits to the field both before and during a disaster. An example of these joint visits is the discussion on the Finalisation of the Contingency Plan for Floods in Jayapura this past September. During this discussion, KIPRa, Oxfam, the BPBD, the Regional Agency for Development Planning and other institutions came together to analyse the different areas that are prone to flooding and

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Disasters are really the business of everyone

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landslides. They also discussed the issue of spatial planning in regards to low absorption capacity of these areas.

These organisations together with the community have also held a socialisation event regarding Local Regulation number 9 year 2012, also known as the Local Regulation on Disaster Management. This regulation was issued to outline the tasks of each stakeholder during a disaster to avoid overlapping and gaps in the disaster management effort.

Both KIPRa and Oxfam supported this regulation by holding a socialisation event at the Sahid Hotel on October 9, 2013. “Disasters are really the business of everyone,” concluded Edward.

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In June 2012, Jayapura City was awarded with the Adipura Clean Environment awarded by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Mayor Benhur Tommy Mano went to the Presidential Palace in Jakarta to receive the award. He returned to a flooded Jayapura that affected the area from Sentani to Entrop.

The flood blocked several roads, bringing with it garbage mixed in with sand and debris into the city. Entrop district, South Jayapura district, and Abepura district were all affected. Water from the drainage channels overflowed into residential areas and main roads. The worst affected area was around the Youtefa market and bus terminal. The water level at the Youtefa market reached as high as an average adult’s neck or around 160 centimeters.

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This was the story from last year. What was the situation this year? It appears that not much has changed. There had been at least three floods between January and May in Entrop district.

Several roads and homes as well as the Permata Hati Islamic primary school were inundated with water mixed in with mud and debris. As the water level rose, school documents were swept away and the schools had to shut down temporarily.

Alas, the SDIT Permata Hati school is located in an unfortunate site. It was built on the Entrop river which drains into the Hamadi beach, making it susceptible to annual flooding. This river is guaranteed to overflow during every rainy season. This situation is so bad, said Entrop

TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

I used to litter, but now I’m going to change that. I don’t want the school to get flooded all the time, because I won’t be able to play with my friends

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VPRT head Septianus Kumbubui, that people will start to panic even when it had only started to rain for an hour. Even though the river has been dredged by the local community several times, it appears that it is not enough to prevent flooding from happening.

Hariyono S.Pd, a mathematic and Indonesian language teacher at the school recounted his experiences during a flood. “I had only started to teach at the school the previous year. And in that short period of time, I had already experienced three floods. During one of them, the water level reached the top of the desks and destroyed many school documents. So, I am very happy that our friends at KIPRa and Oxfam are willing to share with us their knowledge on disasters. Personally, this isn’t my first encounter with them. I had previously been 100

involved in a teacher forum in which the two organisations shared with us effective disaster risk reduction measures as well as how to establish an early warning system for disasters,” he explained.

Their vulnerable position has made the Permata Hati school one of the schools that KIPRa and Oxfam selected to visit on November 2, 2013. During that visit, they previewed the movie ‘Badu and Wanabaru village’. The 15-minutes short movie tells the story of a man named Badu who cut down many trees which led to a flood in the village.

When the flood came, Badu chose to save his possessions rather than himself. Unlike Badu, a disaster resilient boy decided to bang on the bamboo slit drum to warn the villagers of the

TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

impending flood. He saved a lot of lives by doing this as many of them were able to run for safety in time.

After the film screening, the team continued by educating the students on the dangers of cutting trees and littering the environment as well as some disaster risk reduction measures.

One example of this is by preparing a bag containing important documents that can be picked up at a moment’s notice or during an emergency.

“I like it that we got to watch a movie and do a quiz. I had never had so much fun in an event like this. I actually already knew that we were not supposed to litter or cut down trees, but I never knew about how to save myself during a flood.

I used to litter, but now I’m going to change that.

I don’t want the school to get flooded all the time, because I won’t be able to play with my friends,” he said.

Following the discussion, the team held a fun pop quiz to test the students’ knowledge on the DRR information they had just learned. The winning team got a prize.

Bayu Aditya Aplinintino, sixth grader at the school expressed his enjoyment with the event.

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She may be old, but when it comes to learning new things, Roos Martha Sugiare aka Mama Juju rivals the young. Mama Juju is both the founder and a member of the Hamadi VPRT. Furthermore, she is not afraid to get her hands dirty by going into the field and setting an example for the younger members, encouraging them to be more involved in environmental conservation.

Mama Juju is never absent from communal events such as tree planting and clean ups.

Further, she actively encourages the villagers to join disaster preparedness events, volunteer at public kitchens, and participate in the VPRT meetings and discussions held by KIPRa and • Image: Doc. KIPRa

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Oxfam.

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Mama Juju further adds that she had been involved with women’s and social organisations since she was a young teenager.

“Organisations back then were not as modern as they are now. Back then we did not have presentations on screens, computers and complete data. For example, now we have data that shows that this area is much lower than its surroundings, thereby making it prone to flooding. Not to mention now we have cell phones, so we can communicate with each other much faster during a disaster. I learned a lot from KIPRa, Oxfam and my fellow VPT members. Without this knowledge and technology, we would not have such great capabilities

to

respond

and

prepare

for

disasters. There isn’t an age limit on learning, is there?” she said.

It is no surprise then to see Mama Juju’s physique in good shape. She exudes kindness and is very knowledgeable. An Oxfam staffer even mentioned that whenever there is a conflict amongst villagers of Hamadi that could not be resolved, Mama Juju would be summoned to help resolve it. Almost always they would listen to what Mama Juju had to say and the conflict would be resolved peacefully.

On the issue of disaster risk reduction, Mama Juju hope for one thing, which is for the community to remember their local wisdom.

Local wisdom here refers to the ability to read signs from nature. For example, when the birds fly low inland from the sea, that means that a storm is coming in. Or when cats and other animals act strangely, like climbing to the roof, this means that there will be an earthquake or another type of disaster.

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“I like to learn about the modern things the

Male

young people know about. And there is no harm

acknowledged the dynamics and important

for the youth to learn about local wisdom from

roles that their female counterparts play.

the elderly. That way we can complete each

According to Surono, the head of Koya Bara

other’s knowledge and even lessen the loss

VPRT, half of the members of his VPRT are

caused by disasters,” explained Mama Juju.

women. Even one of the founding members

Women at the frontlines

VPRT

members

have

readily

of the VPT is a woman, named Agustina Rachel Sadi. She was the one who immediately recorded the number of people affected by

A roaring sound came from the back of the

the flood and communicated with KIPRa and

house. The neighbours yelled that the water

Oxfam about the floods.

has started to come into the houses. Hundreds of the villagers began to prepare for it. Most

Women’s activism in other VPRTs also appears

of them ran out of their homes and up the hill.

to be similar. Both men and women are very

Some were still collecting their belongings. In the

active

panic, everyone was trying to save themselves.

community on disasters. Just like the men,

in

socialising

and

educating

the

women, too, can be at the frontline.

Was it really everyone? No. Many women were not thinking about themselves. They followed their instincts and saved their children-even if it meant that they had to risk their own safety.

Women’s concern for their family is what makes them, their children and people with disabilities the most vulnerable during disasters.

“So, it is not only a matter of gender. In Jayapura, women and men are both important. It is a women’s instinct that differentiates between the

When the birds fly low inland from the sea, that means that a great wave is coming.

Be prepared!

two. There have been many examples where women play important roles and even lead village preparedness teams,” said Oktovina Kambu, the head of the Disaster Risk Reduction Forum of Jayapura.

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Jakarta is not the only place in Indonesia with high population density. In Jayapura, there is a place called Gurabesi, which has a highly populated area. As such, the residential area in Gurabesi is prone to house fires caused by short circuits. Melly Mofu, the head of RT (neighbourhood) 01 in Gurabesi, states that house fires happen most often during the holiday seasons, such as Christmas, Ied, or the New Years, when power use is at its highest.

Unfortunately, when these fires break out, fire trucks are unable to effectively pass through these neighbourhoods due to the narrow 106

roads. “That is why we must be vigilant.

I always try to remind residents to turn off their power when not in use or when they leave the house. Even then, when a fire breaks out we are the ones who have to respond. We go down to the river and pass down buckets of water to the site. One time we even had to collapse a house to prevent the fire from spreading. We could not wait for the fire brigade to arrive, lest the fire starts to spread uncontrollably,” explained Melly.

In addition to fire hazards, Gurabesi village is also prone to flooding and landslides. Records

TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

show that some of the greatest disasters occurred in 1967 and 1985. In February 1967, a flash flood swept away dozens of homes.

Further, in 1985, a landslide destroyed many homes and killed 17 people, also leading to a great loss of assets. To this day, fire, flooding and landslide hazards continue to haunt residents of Gurabesi. “We would get two to three floods annually,” said Melly.

Therefore, a good understanding of disaster management is important. Both Melly and Lidya Mofu, the secretary of the Gurabesi VPT and Melly’s relative, are well aware of this. Lidya explains that she learned a lot from KIPRa and Oxfam on how to reduce their risks to disaster.

When the river upstream begins to overflow, Lidya immediately calls her neighbours to be alert. Important and valuable documents must be secured in a go-bag. She and Melly also go around the neighbourhood to remind their neighbours not to sleep too soundly because it is usually during the night that the floods begin.

However, disasters are not only Lidya or Melly’s concern. Disasters should be everyone’s concern. Thus there also needs to be good cooperation amongst all stakeholders, including the government, traditional communities and religious leaders. Lidya gives an example of this good cooperation.

“The government and police department supported us numerous times. When our church was damaged by tidal waves, the community and police worked together to build an

• Image: Doc. KIPRa

embankment. Also, a member of the VPRT is also a member of the Jayapura City Police Department, Pak Abdul Hamid,” she explained.

The Gurabesi VPRT has continued to work with the church. Together, they held a tree planting event with 100 tree saplings donated from the Department of Forestry. The trees were planted along barren hills in an effort to reforest it.

Additionally, they have engaged in an environmental clean-up event by picking up trash, particularly plastic trash. A clean environment and restoration of the scenery will no doubt reduce the risks of flooding and landslides.

The waste bank The clock reads 11 pm and most people are fast asleep. However, VPRT members are outside collecting garbage. What will they do with that trash? Will they burn it or put it away in the rubbish bins? Neither. Lidya transforms these 107

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collected items into beautiful decorations.

Plastic bottles are transformed into pretty flowers or lamp shades. She paints them in bright colours and hangs them on her porch places them on her coffee table or hang them on her walls. Lidya’s recycled crafts have also been sold to schools and bazaars held by the local Agency for Disaster Management (BPBD).

On the other hand, paper waste that is still in decent condition is sold to the Waste Bank.

Members are receive Rp 10,000 for every 10 kilograms of paper. This money can either be collected as cash or saved as part of the VPRT petty cash.

Trash is something that many often consider worthless. Unmanaged trash is also one of the factors that leads to flooding. However, members of the Gurabesi VPRT have been able to transform this seemingly worthless thing into an item of economic value. This activity can also be considered a symbol of a resilient economy.

Although disasters come and wreak havoc on the community, the economy must go on to sustain people’s livelihoods.

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If you ever visit Koya Barat, Papua, do not be startled if you see cows and goats lined up alongside the road. This is not for sacrificial events or for a big party. Pay attention to the weather and to your surroundings. If the weather is overcast, then the livestock are being evacuated to avoid an impending flood.

Livestock are the main assets of the residents of Koya Barat, most of whom are migrants from other places. Livestock is even more valuable than hard cash, due to their high selling value.

Livestock owners who bought a calf for Rp 7,000,000 could later sell it for more than

Rp 10,000,000, depending on the size. Not to mention the profit form potential offspring those cattle.

“This is why we try to save our important documents and livestock when we find out that a flood is coming. We line them up along the road. Our livestock are our only last assets if the flood washes our other possessions away,” said Sutar, the secretary of the Koya Barat VPRT. Koya Barat is a low land with an altitude of only 10 metres above sea. It is also located at the estuary of the Keroom River, which often over109

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flows during heavy rains. Combined, these two factors have led to frequent floods.

periodically get together and clean up the environment, collect trash and plant trees.

Records show that in 1986-87 a great flood affected the area with water levels reaching up to an average adult’s hip. Many people lost their possessions. Every year since, the village has continued to experience floods, although not as severe as the one in 1986-87. In 2012, however, another great flood came and inundated thousands of hectares of rice fields and plantations. It also washed away many homes and forced the residents into temporary shelters.

Additionally, Surono and his friends also remind the villagers to throw their waste in its proper bins. “We even wrote a memo and sent it to all of the villagers urging them to properly manage their waste. We also asked the heads of the neighbourhoods, RT and RW of Koya Barat to continually remind their residents,” explained Surono.

“Nowadays we are more prepared. Whenever we see overcast clouds in Koya Karang, we know that we must be prepared. Since we joined the VPRT, we have learned how to recognise early signs of a disaster. I have also joined the disaster preparedness team that the Department of Social Affairs helped to form.

Essentially, the residents and government of Koya Barat all know to call me to help them before and during a disaster,” said Surono, the head of Koya Barat VPRT. Learning from experience For more than 20 years, residents of Koya Barat have experienced reoccurring floods. Based on these experiences, they realise that the floods are not solely caused by nature, but that human actions also contribute to those floods.

Some of these human actions include the habit of littering the environment and clear cutting trees. As a way to reduce the severity of these risks, the VPRT, members of the community and government officials 110

Surono further explains that the unmanaged trash in his village was not solely caused by the lack of awareness in the community. “Outsiders who pass by and visit also throw their trash everywhere. The cars pass buy, the windows roll down and trash is thrown out onto the roads.

There is a produce market nearby, like the one in Puncak. Many people come to buy fruits and vegetables here, although it is littered with garbage. We have tried to create banners to remind people no to litter, but it appears that no one noticed them,” he said, pointing to the market.

This is a conundrum faced by developing areas.

On the one hand, there is the irresistible economy that draws people in. On the other hand, the more people come to participate in the economy, the more challenging it becomes to solve this waste management problem.

“We will continue to clean up the roads. That is one way to reduce flood risks. However, the government must also build an embankment to retain the water from the river that often floods into the residential areas,” he added.

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We want to learn Learnings can be obtained from what may seem like idle talk. This is precisely what happened when a team from Oxfam visited Koya Barat one day. A VPRT member from Gurabesi told them about the Waste Bank and the creative initiatives of the VPRT to turn trash into craft.

As the cars go by, the windows are rolled down and bits of trash are thrown out.

Some of these bits of trash end up blocking the water channels

When the Koya Barat VPRT heard about it, they became very excited since they had never heard about the Waste Bank. They had always burned the trash they collected.

Hopefully members of the Koya Barat VPRT can meet the teams from other districts, such as Gurabesi, Hamadi and Entrop. Through shared discussions, they might learn and exchange stories on how to transform trash into items with economic value.

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CHAPTER 5

EAst FLORES

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A 600-metre concrete trench was built circling almost half of Pajinian Village, Adonara Subdistrict, in East Flores (or Flores Timur) District. It was constructed in order to prevent overflow of floods from the fields in Ile Pati village, which is located behind Pajinian Village.

This trench was built as part of the original Building Resilience Project, aimed to build community resilience to disasters. The project was facilitated by Yayasan Pengkajian dan Pengembangan Sosial (Foundation for Social Analysis and Development), or YPPS, with the support of Oxfam and funding from a cooperation initiative of the Indonesian and Australian governments.

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Due to its vulnerability to floods, Pajinian Village was selected as a project site for both the Building Resilience (2009-2012) and Building and Deepening Resilience (2012-2013) Projects. The total population of the village is 699 people with 151 households in two subvillages. It was founded in 1979 when Drs. Anton Buga Langoday was the head of Flores Timur District.

Krispinus Gelalang, who is quite involved in the project, states that the recurring flooding in the village only started recently. He said that the hill to the back of the village had previously been covered with large trees, thereby absorbing water during the rainy season. However, after it

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was converted into agricultural land using slash and burn techniques, Pajinian Village started to experience annual flooding. The floods cause severe damage to the villagers’ homes, their assets, and also leave behind large pools of dirty water that lead to the spread of diseases.

The villagers, however, did not give in to the floods. They worked hard to contain the overflow from Rorok Hill and the Waikoak Stream. During one flood, the villagers worked side by side to stop the overflow from the Waikoak Stream by making a retaining wall made of piled rocks.

Unfortunately, it was unable to contain the surge and flood water eventually broke into the village.

In June 2010, YPPS came to Pajinian Village offering a solution to their flood woes. It was not an instant solution; rather it was one which required a series of meetings and discussions amongst the villagers. The technical name of this approach is the Participatory Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment, or PCVA. YPPS conducted a number of these exercises from November 2012 to February 2013.

Through these exercises, the villagers agreed to build a trench to prevent flooding in the village.

Oxfam allocated and channeled some funds to YPPS of about Rp 10 million for a 225metre long trench in 2011. This achievement was applauded by visitors from Oxfam and AusAiD during their visit to the village. As a result, the village obtained an additional Rp 90 million in funding, which was later used to add 325 metres to the trench, making its length 115

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The floods cause severe damage to the villagers’ homes, their assets, and also leave behind large pools of dirty water that lead to the spread of diseases

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a total of 600 metres. The financial aid was used solely to procure construction material, whilst the labour was provided by the villagers.

In addition, the project also supported other flood prevention initiatives, such as terracing on farm lands and creating a water channel around the fields. The Resilient Women’s group also started to plant mangrove saplings along the coastline.

Women were particularly included in initiatives for coastal erosion prevention. The Resilient Women’s group was tasked with this activity and given Rp 5.4 million to develop a small-scale enterprise.

Further, women also engaged in activities that help strengthen their economic resilience through vegetable gardening and producing palm oil. Through these productive activities, women are able to meet on a regular basis and build a commitment to disaster risk reduction initiatives. The women also received a lot of support from the Resilient Women of West Nusa Tenggara network that visited the village to observe their activities on November 8, 2013.

A visionary idea As a measure to manage coastal erosion, a village regulation on coastal conservation is being prepared by Pajinian Village. It is currently in the assistance phase of drafting.

Siprianus Tart, the head of Pajinian Village, stated that the villagers and village government 117

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welcome inputs from various parties in drafting this regulation. “Just as long as it does not contradict the people’s culture as farmers,” he said.

Further, he added, the disaster risk reduction project owes its success to the organised efforts of the Village Preparedness and Response Team (VPRT). This team currently consists of 18 men and seven women. YPPS has also supported the team with various capacity building exercises.

Through activities in the Building and Deepening Resilience Project, villagers of Pajinian have gained more confidence and capacity in their engagement in the village development process.

During a meeting on November 14, 2013, the villagers stated that they have confidence that they would be able to continue the work YPPS has started in their village. They further expressed little concern over the project sustainability once YPPS leaves the village.

The disaster risk reduction project owes its success to the organised efforts of the Village Preparedness and Response Team (VPRT)

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From a distance, the Baharia and Bejaja Mumuk hills appear to touch the sky, whilst down below, the valley is divided by the Belen river that runs to the Flores Sea. In the past, the Lamatou people of the Lewolema indigenous community used a traditional slash and burn agriculture system, which meant that they frequently had to move from one place to another.

Due to the distance between the Lamatou village and their farmlands, the farmers had to find a way to conserve their time and energy.

As a result, they started to build small huts near 120

their farmlands, in which they could stay for a few days.

As time went by, small settlements began to flourish in the valley, essentially establishing what is now known as Welo Village. The population of Welo has since continued to grow.

Welo village consists of two hamlets with a population of 555 people, consisting of 149 households; 269 men and 286 women. 235 residents work as small-scale farmers, whilst the rest work in other sectors-although most are also engaged in small-scale food production.

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Ten years after Welo was settled in 1940, the Belen River overflowed and flooded the village.

Dozens of home were destroyed and many of the community’s belongings were either damaged or swept away by the flood. The flood left behind large pools of water in the community, which led to the spread of disease.

Exactly twenty years later, a second flood struck the village in 1960. Then again in 1982, March 2012, and January 2013. The time between the flooding occurrences to be getting shorter and shorter.

Following the March 2012 flood, YPPS visited Welo Village and carried out a preliminary assessment of the village and its conditions. It was then followed by a Participatory Capacity and Vulnerability Assessment conducted by YPPS together with the community. From there, a disaster risk reduction (DRR) intervention

began. YPPS facilitated the formation of a Village Disaster Preparedness and Response Team (VPRT) and a Resilient Women group. Together, these two groups mobilised the community’s participation in DRR initiatives and carried out a number of capacity building activities in the village.

The women of Welo village have played a significant role in this DRR project. They were involved in promoting various initiatives, such as a bamboo planting event at the Belen River; the Clean Friday activity; and they established a Savings and Loans Scheme (UBSP).

It is not by chance that these women have been quite instrumental in this project. The Lamaholot culture places women as the source of life-even life itself-which is perhaps evident in their spirit to foster and protect life.

Field documentation of Welo Village has identified a number of factors that have led to the success of this project in the community.

Firstly, VPRT and Resilient Women’s activities are well embedded into other communal groups, such as the savings and loans groups and the Church groups (KBG).

Secondly, disaster risk reduction was actively promoted in the village development programmes.

This strategy essentially minimised the potential for sectoral mindsets and behaviours as well as sectoral egoism to dominate development programmes, which have proven to cause those programmes 121

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to fail. The key to developmental success is multi-stakeholder cooperation under the coordination of the village government.

Thirdly, local cultures and wisdom were well utilised to motivate the community. The spirit of cooperation underpinned all phases of the project, starting from planning, implementation and evaluation. Moreover, a socio-cultural approach used throughout the project was able to spur the community’s participation and sense of self reliance.

The risk analysis shows that flooding is not the only hazard they face. The Capacity and Vulnerability Assessment from December 2012 to February 2013 indicates that Welo Village is prone to flooding, coastal erosion, drought, disease, and storm winds.

Despite these hazards, however, the VPRT and Resilient Women have stated their readiness to face them, saying, “It is our job and responsibility.”

Finally, women’s involvement in the project played a significant role. They shared many bright ideas in every meeting. Further, women were also active in the field activities.

Hendrikus Hugo Hekin, the VPRT coordinator, stated that the village has conducted a number of flood reduction activities, including cleaning the Belen River, which involved the participation of members from the Military District Command 1624 of East Flores. The community also fixed the clean water pipe system and constructed a 440-metre concrete farm road.

YPPS also actively conducted a monthly evaluation to measure the progress and changes of the capacity building activities. They also facilitated the community to develop the Participatory Capacity and Vulnerability assessment document of Welo Village. As a result, community members are now able to develop and transpose their ideas into an action plan and proposal.

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The women of Welo village have played a significant role in this DRR project. They were involved in promoting various initiatives

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Several years ago, the waves of Flores Sea would hardly reach the beach. Only traces of the tide could be seen on the tip of the shore as the waves were broken by the many of coral reefs and mangroves.

This is the history of Kolidatang and Laka Beaches in Tanjung Bunga Sub-district, Flores Timur, as retold by local residents. But that was then. Now, not only do the tides reach the shore, they also reach the village and roads, dividing Kolaka Village.

This situation poses a risk to nearby school buildings. Hundreds of coconut trees have 124

wilted and died as salt water has permeated the soil. The space for women’s traditional salt industry is also increasingly diminishing. Coastal erosion has essentially jeopardised roads connecting the capital of Flores Timur, Larantuka, with surrounding villages.

Human actions are largely to blame for this destruction. Past deep sea bombing and mangrove clearing practices have led to unbridled coastal erosion, the consequences of which are felt now. The same village that was struck by a tsunami in 1992 now faces various types of other disasters.

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It was once told that the shores of Kolaka were filled with fish. Fishermen from near and far came to set sail and go out to sea for days on end. Upon their return, they took refuge on the land; and when they did not go out to sea, they planted crops and established residence in the area. This is the origin of Kolidatang and Laka Villages, which later on would form Kolaka Village.

Petrus Petu Maran, the former village head and current head of the village council, stated that two percent of Laka residents are of the native population, also known as “children of the land”.

The remainders of the population are migrants, he added. In fact, all of Kolidatang residents are migrants from other villages. It is at these villages that the Malay language and cultures converged with the Lamaholot indigenous population, forming a unique dialect.

Learning to Manage Disasters Yayasan Pengkajian dan Pengembangan Sosial (Foundation for Social Analysis and Development), or YPPS has been working and learning with community members of Kolaka Village since December 15, 2010.

These learning activities happened through the Building Resilience and Building and Deepening Resilience to Disasters Projects.

Throughout these activities, the organisation and the village residents have learned together about disaster risk reduction.

After they learned about what they could do to manage disasters, Kolaka villagers discussed and formulated their community action plan for

The total population of Kolaka Village is 1,060 people, consisting of 239 households. There are 574 women and 486 men. The religious make up is diverse, with 71.5% Catholic residents and 28.5% Moslem residents.

The Flores Sea is located to the east of Kolaka Village, on which 92 fishermen rely for their livelihoods. Furthermore, the Flores Sea also surrounds Lewobunga Village to the north, Sina Malaka to the south, and Ratu Lodong to the west. There are 223 civil servants and masons in Kolaka Village who also engage in agriculture.

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disaster risk reduction (DRR). They subsequently formed a Village Preparedness and Response Team (VPRT) and Resilient Women group, who both serve as the village’s frontline to disasters.

The villagers have engaged in several activities, as a developing a participatory analysis to measure capacities and vulnerabilities to disasters. The end product of this analysis, appropriately named, is the ‘Capacity and Vulnerability Analysis of Kolaka Village, Tanjung Bunga, Flores Timur’ document. It is a conceptual, objective, systematic, targeted, and participatory document that serves as a guide to DRR projects and activities in the village.

Every Friday, the VPRT (consisting of 14 people), the Resilient Women group, and other members of the village, get together to clean up the village-an activity they call Clean Friday. At the beginning of the rainy season, these teams also go out and trim tree branches that might fall on residents’ houses during a storm or strong winds. In addition, they clean the water drainage channels and 14 wells around the village. The Clean Friday initiative stemmed also from concerns about coastal erosion and the spread of disease.

The VPRT and Resilient Women group along with other members of the community have also started an initiative to plant mangroves along the coastline. They built a wall in front of the saplings made of local materials to protect the trees from the eroding force of the waves. Approximately 20,000 mangrove saplings have been planted 126

in the two years since they started this initiative in 2012.

This experience of learning together made the Kolaka villagers very optimistic that this learning process will continue even after YPPS leaves the village. It has also taught them to integrate disaster risk reduction into the village development programmes.

Kolaka-a quaint little village by the beach and over the Ile Mala Hill. The sea it overlooks bears many treasures where fishermen in times past would go in search of bounty. However, coastal erosion has now disrupted that part of the village life-and its threat still looms.

Nonetheless, YPPS and Oxfam together with the villages have paved the way to restore Kolaka’s glory.

This experience of learning together has brought much optimism amongst Kolaka villagers that the learning process would continue even after YPPS leaves the village

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Not far from the beach in Laka Sub-village, Kolaka Village, lay a fanced in school building with a statue affixed to the main door. It is located on the right hand side of the road coming from Larantuka, the district capital.

This is the building of SMPN 3 Tanjung Bunga junior high school. It is a New School Unit (USB), part of the Australia-Indonesia Basic Education Program (AIBEP). It is very similar to the One Roof School (Satap) type of building, also an AIBEP-sponsored unit.

As a consequence of the school’s proximity to the beach, students can hear the crashing 128

waves on the beach and inhale the salty mist of the sea. However, since coastal erosion is increasingly threatening Kolaka Village, SMPN 3 Tanjung Bunga School is also at risk.

Students and teachers of the school are afraid of the surge of the waves, as tides often infiltrate into the school yard. When the tide is high, the teachers’ homes frequently get inundated as they are located right on Kolaka Beach.

Nonetheless, the school has not remained passive in the face of this risk. Two years ago, the school’s principal, Rofinus Kelake Tura and

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YPPS constructed a simple retaining wall using 60 culverts lined up in a row, with the intention of obstructing waves from coming into the school.

The culverts were then filled with sand.

However, the culverts were not enough to solve the problem. The tides kept on pushing sand from the beach, burying the culverts. Many of them are now covered under heaps of sand.

The school administration then decided to construct retaining walls to protect the school and ensure continuity of the learning process.

Without some measure of prevention, the teaching and learning process will always be hampered by the threat of the waves.

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Students and teachers had already begun to address the erosion problem in 2009, long before YPPS came to the village. The boys and girl scouts programme started an initiative to plant various trees along the beach. This programme was subsequently continued and enriched with support from YPPS. The School Action Plan - for disaster risk reduction - (SAP) enabled the students and teachers to continue their mangrove planting activity. This activity also served as an opportunity for the students to learn more about the natural environment and climate change.

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Tekla Namang, the English teacher at the school as well as a VPRT member of Kolaka Village, states that being a teacher at this school has given her experiences that her colleagues at other schools do not have. She mentions that there is a unique type of sensation and motivation knowing that she is teaching in a school that is at risk from tidal waves.

Principal Rofinus Kelake Tura and other teachers of SMPN 3 state that this inconvenience has actually made them appreciate the importance of disaster-based development planning. It is good that the school has now adopted this kind of thinking considering that the initial planning did not take into account future risks.

Further, the school has also shared its experiences in disaster management with the local community. For instance, Tekla Namang often shares her experiences with villagers in Kolaka. “If YPPS, who is an outside organisation, can raise awareness on coastal erosion issues, why can’t we? It is the responsibility of all of us to think about and do something about disaster risk reduction,” she said.

members are more aware of the risks that their actions have brought about, many of them have begun to plant mangroves along Kolaka Beach.

In conclusion, the key word in this case is capacity building to anticipate and prevent coastal erosion-not only at schools, but also in the community. External support will one day end, but the spirit and awareness of the community will continue to endure.

This activity also served as an opportunity for the students to learn more about the natural environment and climate change

Education is the most basic form of disaster risk reduction, which is particularly important for this community.

The coastal erosion that threatens the school was mainly caused by community members cutting the mangrove trees for firewood used in the salt cooking processes. However, now that the community 131

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At Nurri Village, Ile Bura Sub-district, Flores Timur District, disasters seems to come from all directions. The beaches are being eroded on a daily basis; flooding occurs every year; Mount Lewotobi always ready to erupt; and frequent droughts and forest fires occur. The dry savannahs at the twin volcanoes of Lewotobi are a source of forest fires in the dry season and floods in the rainy season.

As a result of this environmental conditions, 674 residents of Nurri Village 330 men and 344 women-become quite vulnerable to disasters. Therefore, disaster preparedness therefore must become a part of the community’s reality. The community must be able to understand the hazards they face as well as determine their capacities. What has happened thus far?

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Long ago, the community of this village believed that disasters were a curse from their ancestors. As such, they would simply submit to the disaster and perform a ritual to appease the ancestors. On the one hand, this local wisdom is a positive form of spiritualism. On the other hand, however, it does not address the problems created by a disaster. This is why YPPS has been working to build the capacity of Nurri Village since October 2009.

YPPS began its efforts through an approach called Community-based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM). The basic tenet of this approach is that there are disasters that are preventable and there are others that are not.

However, whichever type it is, there are efforts that can be taken to lessen the risk to the disaster through education and preparedness.

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YPPS then worked with community members of Nurri throughout this process. Community facilitators helped the learning process through exercises that strengthen the community’s knowledge, motivation, and skills in disaster risk reduction (DRR). Throughout this process, YPPS and the community formed a great sense of solidarity and exchanged many experiences in their quest to find solutions, identify their needs and capabilities as well as to propose action plans.

One of YPPS’s strategic measures in supporting DRR in the village was to form a Village Preparedness and Response Team (VPRT).

The team was initially comprised of 16 people and now has 38 people, with 18 men and 20 women. However, it is not the number of 134

people that matters, it is what they do, and their inspiration and motivation for village development for disaster risk reduction that is more important.

The VPRT is an open group that is able to mobilise the community’s participation in various initiatives. The Nurri VPRT help formed a Loans and Savings group involving non-VPRT community members. Once a month the members meet to perform loan and savings transactions. This meeting also serves as a venue to share experiences, strengthen solidarity and determine action plans.

A good example of these action plans is the action plan initiated by the VPRT to start a green belt in areas that are vulnerable to forest

TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

fires and floods. The result of this initiative is a 3-kilometre long green belt from Nobo Konga to Nurri Village that was completed in 2010. A row of Nimba trees line the roads in front of the fish flour factory at Nurri beach. Local residents have also begun to build houses in that area.

Additionally, 404 mangrove saplings have been planted along the coast. As an effort to protect the mangrove saplings, community members built a one-kilometre long retaining wall from sand bags.

The success of the green belt has inspired the VPRT to start a learning garden (a garden where communities can learn to plant tree) near other forest fire locations. The VPRT has made it a target to build a learning garden furnished with a “Learning House� for VPRT members to meet.

A piece of land in the savannah has thus been set aside to build this learning garden. 30 plots of 17 x 20 metres have been laid out for each VPRT member to plant Mahoney saplings as part of the reforestation activity. Further, the VPRT also planted green beans amongst the smaller Mahoney saplings.

Benediktus Boli Witin, the head of the Nurri VPRT, states that the best achievement in the last three years has been their strengthened capacities in providing inspiration, motivation, knowledge and skills in DRR to the community.

Because of this, he adds, when YPPS and Oxfam leave the village, the VPRT will have now have adequate capacity to continue disaster risk reduction efforts in the village.

These are not merely pipe dreams. The Nurri VPRT has often carried out volcano eruption and tsunami simulations with the community and earthquake simulations with the students of DK Nurabelen primary school. They have also actively conducted DRR socialisations, created an announcement board on disasters at nine key locations, cleaned the village drainage before the rainy season arrives, and planted mangrove saplings with the Resilient Women group. It is expected that in the future, the people in Nurri will be able to reduce their risks to disaster.

It is not the number of people that matters, it is what they do, and their inspiration and motivation for village development for disaster risk reduction that is more important

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With so many disaster events in the past decade, such as earthquakes and tsunamis in Aceh, Nias, Yogyakarta, as well as the string of flash floods in various places in Indonesia, disaster management has become quite an important national development priority. The significance is such that a law was issued to regulate disaster management.

Many local governments still adhere to the old paradigm of disaster management, including East Flores. Up until 2009, residents of East Flores only responded to disasters, instead of working to prevent disasters, and area which had not yet been established as a development issue.

YPPS thus used that reality as a framework in implementing the Building Resilience Project, in which governmental advocacy was the strategy of choice. The advocacy activities 136

started in September 2009 with socialisations to a number of governmental bodies in Flores Timur whilst approaching each Government Working Unit (SKPD).

The next step was to map all stakeholders of the project, in which many of the bodies of the SKPD were identified as key stakeholders.

They were subsequently invited to the Disaster Management training in December 2009.

The following month, former trainees were invited to a reflection event at the Regional Development Planning Agency (BAPPEDA) of Flores Timur, from which an agenda for Regulation and Institutional Advocacy was borne. This agenda was subsequently followed up with a seminar attended by a variety of stakeholders, including bureaucrats, retirees, educators, religious leaders and youth.

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This seminar also served as a space for negotiations and conceptual expansion. The working group formed at the seminar as able to garner wide support from the public on disaster issues. The agenda for the next meeting was set to consolidate and expand of the working group members. On February 11, 2010, the working group met to discuss the establishment of the Regional Agency for Disaster Management of Flores Timur District.

The idea of a working group was later advocated to the general public. On March 2, 2010, they convened a seminar with the following theme: “Disaster Risk Reduction-based Development: Regulations and Institutions.” The next day, the working group and a number of the seminar

participants got together at a beachside resort in Meting Doeng, Weri Sub-district, to discuss the technical implementation measure for DRR policy advocacy.

The Advocacy Working Group was formed during this meeting, with YPPS director Melky Koli Baran as the coordinator. The group consists of the primary working team, the auxiliary working team, and frontline working team. The final goal of this Advocacy Working Group was to produce a disaster management (DM) regulation and institution in Flores Timur district.

By August 2010, the advocacy working team managed to draft an academic document and 137

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The road to a life and development process that is safe from various disasters in East Flores is still a long one

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DM local regulation draft, consisting of the regulation in disaster management and regulation on the Regional Agency for Disaster Management. A marathon meeting from August 10-14, 2010 produced a draft of both regulations.

With the draft of these two regulations, the Frontline team was able to launch their advocacy efforts to the legislative and executive bodies. On March 30, 2011, through several efforts of consultations and negations, the Flores Timur People’s Representative Assembly (DPRD) issued Local regulation number 2 year 2011 on the Implementation of Disaster Management in Flores Timur District and Local Regulation number 5 year 2011 on the Regional Agency for Disaster Management (BPBD) of Flores Timur. Both regulations were formalised on April 4, 2011.

Towards the establishment of the BPBD, the advocacy working team helped prepare the BPBD instruments, such as the BPBD Strategic Plan, Roles and Responsibilities document, District Action Plan, Risk Analysis Plan and Contingency Plan. On January 21, 2012, Flores Timur District officially had a BPBD. Although the BPBD is already two years old, it is not yet old enough to change the old paradigm of disaster management in Flores Timur. Whilst new processes slowly emerge, old patterns still dominate disaster management practices.

Disaster management is gradually becoming a development issue in sectors relevant with the

nine types of hazards identified in the district, namely flooding, landslides, volcano eruptions, marine traffic accidents, droughts, fires, harvest failure, diseases, and social conflicts.

In addition to the formation of the district BPBD, another institution was also established. The Flores Timur Lewotanah Disaster Working Group transformed into the East Flores Disaster Risk Reduction Forum. The 29 members comprise of various elements of the community, YPPS, relevant government working units, the Indonesian Red Cross, the department of Education, village heads, Delsos/the PSE Commission of the Larantuka Diocese, Tagana, religious organisations, Flores Timur Police Department, the East Flores Military Command 1624, and the Pamong Praja Security Force.

YPPS and Oxfam worked to strengthen the capacity of the forum through various educational and training events, building their commitment, knowledge, and skills in disaster management. On November 28-29, 2013, the two organisations collaborated with the BPBD to create the Strategic Plan document, which formulates the vision, mission and programmes of the Forum for the next three years.

The advocacy process that began in 2010 is yet to be completed. The road to a life and development process that is safe from various disasters in East Flores is still a long one.

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CHAPTER 6

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Based on its geographical, geological, hydrological and demographical aspects, Indonesia is very much prone to disasters. Its position on the volcanic Ring of Fire makes Indonesia prone to volcanic eruptions as well.

Further, Indonesia also sits atop of an active part of the Earth’s crust where five plates meet and often collide, and as a result of these collisions, huge earthquakes can strike Indonesia at any moment.

Natural disasters occur with a high degree of frequency in Indonesia, starting from earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, landslides, forest fires and volcanic eruptions. Additionally, there are also many human-induced disasters that happen with regular frequency, such as mining accidents.

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West Nusa Tenggara Province (or Nusa Tenggara Barat - NTB) has a very complex set of hazards, including earthquakes, landslides, volcano eruptions, flash floods, tsunami, typhoons, tidal waves, coastal erosion, droughts, forest fires and social conflicts.

More specifically, as the most densely populated district, East Lombok or Lombok Timur is also rife with disaster risks. Lombok Timur has often been called the showcase of disasters in NTB province. It is currently ranked 54th on the Indonesian Disaster Vulnerability Index (or Indeks Bencana Rawan Bencana Indonesia - IRBI), with disaster hazards such as flooding, earthquake, tsunami, typhoon, landslide, volcano eruption, erosion, drought, and social conflict.

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The local community is well aware of their vulnerability, calling disasters a ‘ticking bomb’

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One of the most vulnerable areas is at the foothills of Mount Rinjani. This is where most of its residents have their livelihoods. Some of them are farmers, labour farmers, small business owners, and local elites, whilst others choose to become civil servants. The combination of flatlands, steep hills and dozens of small streams allow the local community to cultivate the natural resources for their basic needs.

However, mismanagement of these natural resources has brought about many disasters in the community. Flash floods often happen during the rainy season, inundating hundreds of hectares of farmland and consequently causing harvest failure.

Disasters and poverty appear to form a type of viscous cycle. Poverty is often considered as the reason people live and work in disaster prone areas. On the other hand, disasters are also the leading cause for life in poverty and destitution.

When disasters strike, temporary shelters are often occupied by the poor, not the wealthy.

This is a snippet of the lives of those who have had to find a living and farm for decades on the foothills of Mount Rinjani. The local community is well aware of their vulnerability, calling disasters a ‘ticking bomb’. On the other hand, however, there really is no other land that can be cultivated except for the land they currently occupy. As a result, community’s resilience to disasters is therefore inevitable.

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COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

In early November 2012, a number of village government officials, representatives of local organisations, and local leaders met in a humble meeting room in Sembalun Village, Sembalun Sub-district, Lombok Timur District. They came to hear about the formation of a Village Preparedness and Response Team (VPRT) in a number of villages, as explained by the Lombok Timur Agency for Disaster Management (or Badan Penanggulangan Bencana Daerah - BPBD).

The Lombok Timur BPBD formed VPRTs in Sembalun and Sembalun Tima Gading Villages in Sembalun Sub-district. They also formed VPRTs in Medayin and Sugian Villages in Sambelia Sub-district. The objective of forming these VPRT was to lessen disaster risks in these

villages as well as to assist the government in disaster management. Initially, VPRTs were only formed in villages where KONSEPSI and Oxfam worked. With the support of BPBD, other villages also formed VPRTs. Supriyadi, the head of the Lombok Timur BPBD explains that the district government issued six local regulations deriving from the Local Regulation number 3 Year 2012 on Disaster Management. One of those local regulations governs the formation and management of Village Preparedness and Response Teams. “It is expected that with the issuance of the District Head Regulation on Village Preparedness and Response Teams, villages that are prone to disasters will be able to form these teams. We hope that the VPRTs can 145

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With the issuance of the District Head Regulation on Village Preparedness and Response Teams villages that are prone to disasters will be able to form these teams 146

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initiate disaster risk reduction activities in their villages,� Supriyadi explained at a VPRT meeting in Sembalun Village, Sembalun Sub-district.

Prior to forming the VPRT, the Lombok Timur BPBD and KONSEPSI gave a talk to members of the village government, local organisation representatives and local community leaders.

They talked about the objectives of forming a VPRT. In addition, the BPBD also provided an explanation about disasters, basic concepts of disasters, as well as the roles and responsibilities and organisational structure of a Village Preparedness and Response Team.

After the VPRT was formed, the participants of the meeting expressed their hope for the BPBD to continue to guide the VPRT in disaster risk reduction initiatives.

The first Village Preparedness and Response Team in Lombok Timur were formed by KONSEPSI and Oxfam through the Building Resilience Project from 2010 to 2012. Following the completion of this project, KONSEPSI and Oxfam worked together again in the Building and Deepening Resilience Project in 2012-2013, during which VPRTs were further strengthened.

These VPRTs have carried out various disaster risk activities in the villages, such as conducting a risk analysis and creating a disaster risk map.

They have also worked with the community to plant trees and build retaining walls.

educating the community on recognising signs of danger, assisting the community during evacuation and in temporary shelters, as well as coordinating with relevant stakeholders including the BPBD during a flash flood in 2012 that struck several villages.

Although only 10 VPRTs were formed by KONSEPSI and Oxfam, the BPBD highly appreciates how helpful these VPRTs have been in assisting the government in to reduce disaster risks at the village level. BPBD continues to support efforts to sustain new and existing VPRTs. One way they have done this is by providing funding for VPRT development with a budget of Rp 40 million for 2013. It is clear that in addition to the support from the BPBD, these VPRTs will also require support from other organisations, governmental bodies, and even the private sector. The involvement of many stakeholders will help create a more effective disaster risk reduction effort at the village level.

In addition to activities for prevention and mitigation, the VPRTs were also involved in a number of various activities. These include 147

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Relocating a community living in a disaster prone area to a safer location is not the only way to lessen disaster risks. Communities must be properly equipped with disaster risk reduction knowledge and skills to effectively deal with disasters.

Disaster risk reduction is a systematic effort to analyse and manage disaster risk factors.

These efforts include reducing exposure to hazards, minimising life and asset vulnerability, sustainable natural resource management and improving preparedness for unforeseen events.

Lombok Timur District already has a Disaster Risk Reduction Forum that acts as a coordinator during disasters. Other stakeholders who are involved in DRR include the local government, the military and police 148

departments, the private sector, academia, community-based organisations and the media.

In carrying out disaster risk reduction, community participation must be developed, in that they are fully involved in the full agenda for change. There are many opportunities for community participation through the learning experiences of the community in the Building and Deepening Resilience project. One of these spaces includes a process called a Participatory Capacity and Vulnerability Assessment (PCVA).

The PCVA is formulated based on the principles and values of a rights-based approach in order to improve the community’s resilience to disaster risks. As their own agents of change, the community goes through a participatory process to formulate this document which will

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be used to help solve or reduce the severity of the risks they face.

Community members participate in all phases of the process, starting from planning and implementation to project monitoring and evaluation. This is the same process for the formulation of the PCVA document.

Throughout the PCVA process, community members are invited to offer inputs and share their knowledge about the history of disasters in their village. This discussion is not dominated by local elites, in fact religious leaders, youth, and even school children are all involved in the process, ensuring that information and data contained in the document is rich with the perspectives of different stakeholders.

The results of this participatory process have yielded positive outcomes. The PCVA document has been further supplemented with a Community Action Plan, which serves as a guideline for the community in planning and carrying out development activities that are beyond disaster risk reduction measures. More importantly, this document has also become a strategic document of the Village Mid-term Development Plan (RPJMDes).

There are several achievements that have been accomplished in disaster risk reduction. The community of Sembalun Lawang Village has planned to build an evacuation route; Sembalun Bumbung Village plans to construct a retaining wall and finally Belanting Village has plans to procure a water tank to provide clean water.

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Community members participate in all phases of the process, starting from planning and implementation to project monitoring and evaluation

The evacuation route in Sembalun Village is actually something that the community had long tried to create. They did different things to get the government to fund the project. However, the government always responded by saying that there already exists an evacuation route, which, although is rather damaged, would still be accessible in the event of a disaster.

Unhappy with this response, the community tried to raise some funds to rebuild the evacuation route in 2010. However, since they only managed to raise a very small amount of money, the construction of the evacuation route was not properly done. Whenever it started to rain, the evacuation route would once again get damaged.

evacuation route into the village development plan and financial support through an allocated fund from the village budget.

The community of Sembalun Bumbung Village faced the same situation when they proposed to procure gabions for their village. During the PCVA process, many of the village elites did not consider gabions as an important priority.

However, other community members felt that gabions were a universal vulnerability which would affect the lives of many people.

Another aspect of participatory village development is how it affects the formulation of village regulations. Before these participatory processes, community members were rarely, if ever, involved in formulating village regulations.

What often happened was that the regulations just suddenly appeared and are implemented without the community members knowing how they came to be. Now that villagers have been educated and trained by KONSEPSI and Oxfam, they understand how village regulations are formed and what they are for.

The idea to fix the evacuation route resurfaced during the PCVA process. After a series of selections and prioritisation, creating an evacuation route became the main priority. The results of the PCVA led to the inclusion of an 150

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Bripka Suyatman is the head of the Detective and Criminal Investigation Unit of Sembalun Sector Police Department, Lombok Timur.

Although he deals with crimes on a daily basis, he is always friendly with villagers of Sembalun, especially the youth. He is also frequently engaged with high school students in the Saka Bhayangkara, or the law enforcement Scouts Troop.

Mr. Suyatman joined the Detective and Criminal Investigation Unit in 2000 and was promoted as the head of the unit in October 2009. He was born on April 22, 1978 in

Banyuwangi, East Java or Jawa Timur. After he graduated from the technical vocational school in his home town, he pursued an education in the police academy from 1998 to 1999. Upon his graduation, he was posted at the Resort Police Department of Lombok Timur District in Selong.

Suyatman became acquainted with the youth of Sembalun after he got to know the Village Preparedness and Response Team (VPRT). He was introduced to the VPRT when he visited the house of one of the members, Ibu Sakinah, whom at the time was hosting a VPRT meeting.

During this meeting, the VPRT members told 151

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What the VPRT is doing is very noble by helping lessen the disaster risks in the village

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Suyatman about the various disaster risk reduction activities the VPRT is engaged in.

“What the VPRT is doing is very noble by helping lessen the disaster risks in the village,” he stated during the meeting.

the VPRT and Saka Bhayangkara to use as their their meeting place and secretariat office.

Suyatman proposed this plan to the head of the Sembalun Sector Police department and has so far received a positive response.

When he saw how energetic the VPRT members were, Suyatman realised that a synergy could be forged between the VPRT of Sembalun Lawang with the Saka Bhayangkara. Saka Bhayangkara is a law enforcement Scouts Troop under the auspices of the Indonesian Police Force. He further stated that both of the teams share a similar mission. “I will make an effort to connect Saka Bhayangkara with the VPRT so they can collaborate in their activities,” he added.

Moreover, Suyatman has also facilitated capacity building exercises for the VPRT and Saka Bhayangkara. He invited an instructor from the Mobile Brigade in Selong-the Police Special Operations Force Unit-to provide a first aid and rescue training for the two groups.

He expressed his plans to the head of the Police in Sembalun, who is quite supportive of the plans. “It is my dream to help improve Sembalun district as well as the VPRT, who has played an important role in disaster risk reduction in Sembalun Lawang village,” said Bripka Suyatman.

Subsequently, the VPRT agreed to train members of the Saka Bhayangkara and work together in disaster risk reduction initiatives.

The two groups have since collaborated in many activities, such as trainings in disaster risk reduction and reforestation activities in Sembalun Lawang. They also had some practice in extinguishing fires during a fire that was burning in a number of locations in Sembalun Sub-district. They also worked together in a reforestation activity in 2013 involved girl and boy scouts from the local junior and high schools in Sembalun district. The students got together and planted palm and bantek trees around their villages.

The efforts of Bripka Suyatman must be apperciated and supported by all stakeholders.

Hopefully his endeavours may be an inspiration for the police department as well as other institutions to ensure the sustainability of disaster risk reduction initiatives in the area.

Suyatman noticed that the VPRT lacked a secretariat office. So, he had the idea of using the police post in Sembalun Sub-district for 153

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Sai’un, a resident of Sembalun Bumbung village, is a mother of four little children. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Islamic education.

On top of taking care of her family and household, Sai’un is also a member of the Village Disaster Preparedness and Response Team (VPRT), which she joined in 2010.

When a flood struck the village in 2012, she coordinated the VPRT’s public kitchen and logistics. Sai’un became interested in joining the VPRT because she wanted to help raise awareness about disasters in her village, which 154

in the past had been affected by various natural disasters, such as floods, typhoons, and forest fires.

Sai’un believes that the disaster risk reduction (DRR) project implemented by KONSEPSI and Oxfam has improved the community’s knowledge and raised their eagerness to reduce their risks to natural disasters. She recalls a flood that happened in 2006 before the project started. One person from the neighbouring village was killed, whilst the villagers of Sembalun Bumbung, including

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herself, suffered many losses, including damaged homes and submerged rice fields; the latter led to a harvest failure.

Although the villagers worked together to recover from the disaster, their technical knowledge in disaster management was not as comprehensive as it is now that the DRR project has been implemented.

Now, villagers know how to distribute their responsibilities and tasks in an emergency response: create an evacuation team, data collection team, logistics and public kitchen team.

“Women’s role in Sembalun Bumbung is still obscure, very sporadic. I believe that women in this village can do just as much as men in DRR activities,” Sai’un explained.

Sai’un is not the only women working in DRR activities in her village. A number of women have started to become more engaged in DRR activities. Other female VPRT members are also involved in other communal activities, such as in the health centre, women’s groups and prayer groups. Through these avenues, the women would be able to spread their knowledge in DRR to other women, further disseminating DRR messages within the community.

“I think it is important for women to be involved in activities outside of their homes, especially now that we have a VPRT. It is a great place to disseminate DRR knowledge and other environmental messages, such as reforestation efforts. When we develop the village together, we will succeed,” exclaimed Sai’un to some of the women gathered around.

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A fire broke out in the hills near Sembalun Lawang Village, Lombok Timur on October 2012. The fire, which started at 2pm, was thought to have started from the residues of a slash and burn land clearing practice that was blown over by the wind. When they heard about it, the Sembalun Lawang VPRT went straight to the source of the fire.

Initially, the VPRT members did not think that the fire would spread the way it did. However, it had not rained in four months, making the hill very dry and allowing the fire to rapidly spread throughout the area. “When I first saw the fire, I went straight to the source of the fire with a megaphone,” said Kudus Ali, a member of the Sembalun Lawang VPRT. When they saw this, other VPRT members together with some girl and boy scouts joined the effort to extinguish the fire. They used branches they found around the location to help put out the fire.

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Initially, the local community only watched when the VPRT members responded to the fire.

They did not help with the effort. “Let the people in the orange shirts put out the fire,” said a resident of Sembalun Lawang Village.

However, when a strong gust of wind blew through the fire, it quickly spread throughout the hills and approached the residential area.

When they realised this, they helped the VPRT to extinguish the fire and to stop it from spreading to the farmlands and homes.

In the end, the good team work of the VPRT, girls and boys scouts, and members of the community prevented the fire from reaching to the farmlands and residential area. The hill, unfortunately, suffered from severe damaged.

The VPRT also helped a villager who had been hurt when they slipped on the hill by donating a sum of money from their petty cash fund.

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PROFILES works in 10 provinces and 34 cities and districts in Indonesia, collaborating with various actors to find a solution to poverty and suffering.

Oxfam is an international confederation of 17 independent national organizations, working in more than 90 countries around the world.

Oxfam’s vision is a just world without poverty.

We envision a world in which people can influence decisions which affect their lives, enjoy their rights, and assume their responsibilities as full citizens of a world in which all human beings are valued and treated equally.

The purpose of Oxfam is to help create lasting solutions to the injustice of poverty. We are part of a global movement for change, one that empowers people to create a future that is secure, just, and free from poverty. Oxfam has participated in fighting poverty and in development in Indonesia since 1957. Oxfam supports and facilitates national and local partners to realize the vision of an Indonesia where women are equal citizens and everyone can enjoy their rights even in times of shocks and disasters. Particularly, Oxfam works with partners and stakeholders at the national and local levels to realize gender justice, economic justice, and rights in crises. Oxfam currently 158

In the Building and Deepening Resilience to Disasters in Eastern Indonesia program, Oxfam in Indonesia partners with KONSEPSI in East Lombok district, KOSLATA in North Lombok district, LP2DER in Bima City, YPPS in East Flores district, KIPRa in Jayapura City, and PERDU in Manokwari district.

OXFAM’S PARTNERS

Konsorsium untuk Studi dan Pengembangan Paritisipasi (KONSEPSI) or Consortium for Participatory Study and Development was founded in May 2011. This association is run by members of various ethnic and professional backgrounds (journalists, bureaucrats, public notaries, lecturers, legislators, NGO chair persons, and master teachers), representing the diversity of societal make up.

The organisation carries out several activities throughout the year, including research and policy analysis related to natural resource

TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

management, development and organisation of local natural resource management governance, and strengthening the rights of people.

Rahmat Sabani, S.PT., MP (Director); Abidin Tuarita, B.Sc (Project Manager); Lalu Arif Saptari, ST (Government Liaison Officer); Arya Ahsani Takwim, S.Hut (Media & Communications Officer); Tulu’ul Fajriani, SH., Subhan, S.Pd., Abdul Muis, S.Pdi., Eva Sujiati, ST. (Community Facilitators); Aini Kurniawati (Finance Officer).

Address: Jl. Bung Hatta II/4 Majeluk. Mataram - Lombok.

Nusa Tenggara Barat. T/F: (0370) 627386. konsepsi_01@yahoo.co.id.

Kelompok Studi Lingkungan dan Pariwisata (KOSLATA) or Environment and Tourism Study Group started out as a university student group in Mataram University in 1989 under the same name. The subject areas it focused on were the environment and the local tourism industry, both of which had caused marginalisation of local communities at the time KOSLATA began its activities.

In 1992, KOSLATA transformed into a nongovernmental organisation by changing over

to KOSLATA Foundation—still maintaining its focus on the environment and tourism. As the local and national dynamics in democracy and human rights began to unfold in the following years, KOSLATA also began to include issues of advocacy in public policy and migrant workers into its organisational work agenda.

Ahmad Junaidi, SH (Director); Faturrahman (Development Division); Sulistyono (Project Manager); L. Surya K (Media & Communication Officer); Ermam Sayugo Remoko (Information & Documentation Officer); Drs. Rujito MW (Government Liaison Officer); Vonti Sulyanti, SH (Finance Officer).

Address: Jl. Surabaya No. 36 BTN Taman Baru.

Mataram. Nusa Tenggara Barat. T/F: (0370) 625457. koslata02@yahoo.com

Konsultansi Independen Pemberdayaan Rakyat (KIPRa) or Foundation for Empowerment Consultation for People Empowerment in Papua was founded by a group of activists focused on socio-cultural, socio-economic, environmental and legal issues on July 2, 1999. KIPRa’s office is in Jayapura. Its vision is to improve the quality, function and roles of communities in managing 159

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natural, economic and cultural resources. KIPRa has been involved in the Building Resilience to Disasters in Eastern Indonesia since 2011 and have achieved all of its targets, particularly those pertaining to the government level.

Markus Kajoi (Director); Eduard Agaki (Project Manager); Zakeus Marey (Government Liaison Officer); Agus Jhosua Hernawan, Uria N. Bukorpioper, Viorita Rudamaga, Trivena Nauw (Community Facilitators); Priyono C. Heryanto (Media & Communication Officer); Theresia Purba (Finance Officer).

Address: Jl. Bosnik BTN Atas Blok B 15.

Kampkey Abepura. Jayapura.

T: (0967) 583138. kipra.papua99@gmail.com.

Lembaga Pengembangan Partisipasi Demokrasi dan Ekonomi Rakyat (LP2DER) or Institute for People’s Participation in Democracy and Economic Development was founded on July 7, 1997 in Bima City with the goal of bettering communities’ welfare. Its work focuses on natural and human resource management.

LP2DER has worked with Oxfam since February 2010 in implementing the Building 160

Resilience to Disasters in Eastern Indonesia project. In this project, LP2DER worked to create effective community-based organisations in 10 disaster-prone villages in Bima. From August 2012 to December 2013, LP2DER became involved in the Building and Deepening Resilience to Disasters in Eastern Indonesia project.

Ir. Bambang Yusuf (Director); M Yamin, ST (Project Manager); Mansyur, S.Sos (Government Liaison Officer); Yuriansyah, SE (Media & Communication Officer); Wahyu Sapta Utami, ST, Mery Suryanti, SH, Kaharuddin, ST, M Husni Thamrin, SP (Community Facilitators); Ishadinarti, SH (Finance Officer).

Address: Komplek Temba Bedi RT 10 RW 03. Jl. Lintas Bedi Sadia Kelurahan Manggemaci.

T/F: (0374) 646809. lp2der@gmail.com / bangundaya@yahoo.co.id.

PERDU (not an acronym) was founded on July 27, 1999 by students of Papua State University. It started out as Lembaga Bantuan Pertanian (LBP), or Agriculture Assistance Organisation, focusing on helping provide solutions to agriculture issues. On June 25,

TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

2011, the founding members decided to change its name to PERDU, a synonym of the word ‘bush’. PERDU currently has 25 staff members, consisting of seven representatives of the indigenous community, four from academia, one journalist and 13 activists.

Its vision now encompasses empowering communities in managing natural resources in a democratic, just, independent, and sustainable manner in Papua.

Core members include Mujiyanto (Director); Nur Rahimi Hastuti (Programme Manager); Marcha Ariosi Grace (Finance staff); Siti Fatimahtun Zahra (Administrative and Logistic staff); Fradrianty Berdnovita (Government Facilitator staff); Theresia Rettobjaan, Sunarsih, Richard Rumbara, Johnsen Pattipawaej (Community Facilitator staff); Theresia Ribka Padwa/Sunarsih (Media and Communications staff).

Mujiyanto (Director); Nur Rahimi Hastuti (Project Manager); Siti Fatimahtun Zahra (Administration and Logistic Officer); Fradrianty Berdnovita (Government Liaison Officer); Theresia Rettobjaan, Sunarsih, Richard Rumbarar, Johnsen Pattipawaej (Community Facilitators); Theresia Ribka Padwa/Sunarsih (Media & Communication Officer); Marcha Arisoi Grace (Finance Officer).

Address: Jl. Trikora Wosi Manokwari No. 58, Papua Barat Indonesia 98312. T/F:F: (0629) 86214817. perduers@gmail.com.

Yayasan Pengkajian dan Pengembangan Sosial (YPPS) or Analysis and Development Foundation is a non-profit organisation founded in 1997 and registered in the Larantuka, East Flores district court. During the first year of its existence, YPPS focused on building a solid base in rural development and providing critical education opportunities for the community.

In 2007, a programme and priority evaluation of the organisation was carried out. As a result, the organisation shifted its vision into building community self reliance whilst mobilising changes in local policies and political development. YPPS’s mission is to build the institutional independence of communities and organisations, build and foster cooperative relationships with the government and strategic partners, and build community-based programme systems and models. YPPS has worked with Oxfam since 2009.

Melky Koli Baran (Director); Magdalena Rianghepat (Project Manager); Simon Petrus Pati Hokor (Media & Communication Officer); Maria Boleng Tukan, Maria Rosario Nini S. Muda, Maria Albertina Rianghepat, Gorgonius Bage Lajar (Community Facilitators), Karolus 161

A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management | TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

(Government Liaison Officer).

Address: Jl. Raya Waibalun. Barat Pelabuhan Fery.

Waibalun. Larantuka. Flores Timur. Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) T/F: (0383) 21996. ypps_wbl@yahoo.com.

DONOR

The role of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is to advance the interest of Australia and Australians internationally. In a global and regional environment being reshaped by changing economic and strategic relativities, we are working to strengthen Australia’s security; enhance Australia’s prosperity; and help Australian travellers and Australians overseas.

Our objective is to reduce the risks and make the most opportunities for Australia in our regional and global environment.

DFAT is the lead agency managing Australia’s international presence. We manage a network of overseas posts in five continents and we have over 4200 staff - including locally engaged staff abroad - located in Canberra, state and territory offices and overseas posts.

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DG ECHO is the Directorate General of the European Commission responsible for the European Union’s effort in the area of humanitarian aid and civil protection.

DG ECHO is a donor supporting humanitarian interventions. It does not implement directly on the ground but fulfils its mandate by providing funding to about 200 partners, being (1) nongovernmental organisations, (2) international organisations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the International Organisation for Migration and (3) the United Nations organisations.

It is important for DG ECHO to have a wide range of partners as this allows it to cover an ever-growing list of needs in different parts of the world often in increasingly complex situations.

DG ECHO has developed close working relationships with its partners in relation to both policy issues and the management of humanitarian operations. DG ECHO-managed grants and contributions are made by selecting the best proposals received for covering the needs of the most vulnerable.

TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management

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A Compilation of partners’ experiences in Disaster Risk Management | TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES