June 28th - Real work has begun!

Well... my orientation phase is clearly over: I have had an incredibly busy week! This is not to say that I have not had much to do during my orientation, on the contrary, but this was something else altogether. Real work has begun and I have to say that I am happy about that!

On Monday I spoke pretty much the whole day with our CDR advisor who left to the field again the next morning. We discussed many things and developed a tentative programme for me. The programme still requires fine-tuning and needs to be approved but we have worked out the general idea of what I will be doing the remaining five months in Aceh. What exactly I will do when and where is not yet clear but will become so in the course of next week. Monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the community proposals, reporting, PR and information dissemination and training have all been split into a number of tasks as a part of my package! So, plenty of things to do! I will not be bored, that much is certain!

I started with a number of activities this week already. To begin with, I helped two of my colleagues develop a number of maps showing the IRC’s target communities. The maps are to include general demographic information and to provide an overview of the community projects. We went to the Spatial Information and Mapping Centre (SIM) – set up by the Office of the United Nations Recovery Coordinator for Aceh and Nias (UNORC) and Aceh and Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Board (BRR) – to collect a number of maps that we could use as starting points. The SIM offered right away to customise a number of maps for us; an offer too good to refuse. Given, however, that the SIM does not keep data on the sub-village level we will first need to gather some GPS coordinates. And this might take some time to realise since each field office is operating in sub-villages. We are currently still in the process of updating the information for our own maps as well.

Next, I have spoken with people from different departments to find out how exactly they are linked to the CDR programme and to identify additional possibilities for cooperation. I have spoken mainly with the health department but also a little with the Protection and Child Youth Protection and Development (CYPD) departments. By way of an elaborate participatory process, the CDR teams have succeeded in gaining the trust of the target communities and have facilitated the formation of Community Development Boards (CDBs). Now, the CDR programme, through the CDBs, forms an ideal entry point for other departments. Because this too presents options too good not to utilise, I plan to have a number of brainstorming sessions with a number of colleagues over the next weeks to work out a strategy and action plan.

Besides this, I have, among other things, helped revise as report, made an overview of the training needs as mentioned in the approved community proposals and I have assisted the CDR technical specialist in interviewing a number of CDR team leader candidates.

I have had but little free time this week and much of this was spent reading reports and policy documents… and watching movies! I have a book and some CDs at home to learn Bahasa Indonesia but have not really made use of them yet. At least I am glad that I do not need to spend any time cooking! I could, if I really wanted to, but why should I? For one or two euro I have a complete meal, and delicious too. Last night, I went to A&W, an American fast-food restaurant for the first time, just to have something other than rice or noodles for a change. A&W is best known for its root beer but ironically it was the one thing they had run out of !

That is it for this week; not the most exiting week, I know, but informative. Because I have not been into the field this I have added a couple of pictures from Banda Aceh here and there. I have also included a picture of the ship that was swept five kilometers land inwards, where it settled in the centre of the city, in the middle of a road (see my log from june 23^rd). Below, I have included some pictures that were taken by the CDR technical specialist while flying with the UN helicopter from Meulaboh to Banda Aceh.

July 21st - The end of my orientation

I started this week (or ended last week) with an extremely relaxing weekend. The guesthouse in Meulaboh was full as there were other visitors from the main office in Banda Aceh. This made it very pleasant. Long walks along the beach, enjoying rich coconut juices and reading good books is about as stressful as it got. As I mentioned last week, you can get the most delicious juices here; my new favourite is a mix of carrot juice and tangerine juice. Perhaps a tad unusual but it tastes fantastic! The same is true for the red bean and sweet corn ice cream! It might sound a bit off but I could easily eat it on a daily basis. I think every country has its culinary oddities that would not be very popular elsewhere. In the Netherlands, for instance, we have our famous raw harring. Here it would have to be the durians: they really love them (picture)! I try to eat some every time it gets offered and I am starting to develop a taste for it but I am still having a hard time getting over the smell. It smells terrible! Also, durians start to ferment in your stomach and eating enough of them will actually get you tipsy. It is a funny thing that they are so popular in a place where there is a general prohibition on alcohol!

On Monday morning I went to Suak Seumaseh, in the sub-district of Samatiga, to have that focus group discussion with the Community Development Board (CDB). We were going to talk about the CDR programme; how the process went and what we could do to improve it. I had previously conducted a number of focus group discussions in Mozambique for my master thesis. Ideally, there should be between six and 12 participants, each one being an expert on the topic of discussion. I would merely have a facilitating role consisting of stimulating the participants to discuss a number of themes among themselves until they reach consensuses. In Mozambique the problem was that the focus group discussions tended to evolve into full-fledged community meetings! In Suak Seumaseh, the exact opposite happened; of the seven CDB members, only three showed up! For the rest, the constraints were similar: language problems, the fact that I had one rather than two helpers (one to keep the discussion going and the other to translate for me and take notes), the analytical skills of the participants and the interpreter’s and, of course, my own level of experience. But you learn something every day and you also learn to work with the limitations. In any case, a number of interesting observations were made during the focus group discussion. I will briefly summarise the main findings.

The IRC’s approach, the length of the CDR process, the active participation that is required of the community and the IRC’s demand that the community make a significant contribution to the programme have been mentioned by the three CDB member in Suak Seumaseh as constraints. As is normal in an emergency phase, organisations implement their own programmes. The IRC has now taken the lead in applying a Community Driven Approach. By building their capacities, the CDR programme seeks to empower local communities to assume responsibility for their own development. They are merely assisted in organising their knowledge, identifying and prioritising their problems and finding their own solutions. The communities then develop and, with a cash grant from the IRC, implement their own programmes. Active participation and social inclusion as well as a sizable contribution in money and/or in kind are essential ingredients for ownership which, in turn, is crucial for the sustainability of the programme. However, because many organisations still implement their own programmes, it takes time and effort to convince communities of the long-term benefits of such an approach. It also demands a lot from the communities themselves; that is the whole idea of placing them in ‘the driver’s seat’. Interestingly, they subsequently mentioned all the above-mentioned constraints as strengths of the CDR programme: ‘it took a while but we now appreciate the advantages of this approach; we do everything ourselves and it ensures that, after the IRC has left, we will continue to carry out projects in our community’.

During the rest of the week I went on a number of field visits with different CDR teams. I went to Kuta Teunogh and Sereumpoh in the sub-district Arongan Lambalek, to make arrangements with the CDBs in order to open bank accounts. I also went to Kuta Nibong to help the CDB make the final revisions to their project proposal (as you can see in the picture, Kuta Nibong may be difficult to access during the wet season). In addition, I helped one of the CDR teams go through two community proposals to identify gaps and weaknesses and I have talked at length with another team about the steps in the CDR team in order to draw best practices. I am not going to write about what came out of this discussion because I hope to be able to hold the same conversation with other teams, so I will surely come back on this at a later stage. But one thing is clear: they wish they had more time! To conclude, our CDR advisor has returned from leave at the end of this week. This means that my orientation has come to an end and that we will sit down on Monday to work out a programme for me with a clear set of tasks. Although some of my activities this week have been more substantive, I am extremely eager to start with the real work! I should also mention that today I returned Banda Aceh with the car; it was a long but very nice trip (see the last picture below).

That was is for this week. As most of you have now come to expect, I have again included a number of scenic pictures below. Enjoy!

July 14th - Teunom & Meulaboh

I have spent this week visiting the two last field offices; Teunom and Meulaboh (see the map in my log dated June 23^rd).

On Monday morning I travelled from Calang to Teunom, a little over an hour’s drive. Teunom is a small cosy town about five kilometres off the coast. The area is strikingly green (picture) and strewn with coconut trees. A colleague had strongly recommended I go to a special café by a river and have a coconut drink. I did and it was lovely. You get this cut-open green coconut with a bit of lime juice and sugar in it. It was really good. By the way, they sell the most delicious juices just about everywhere in Aceh. My favourites right now are sweet cucumber juice, which is really refreshing and avocado juice mixed with condensed chocolate milk, which is a meal in itself! But that is a different story. In Teunom, I once again joined the CDR teams. Here, as is the case in Meulaboh, there are three CDR teams made up of three people each – a team leader and two facilitators. Every team is responsible for implementing the CDR programme in three communities. Unfortunately, I was not allowed to accompany one of the CDR teams that had a meeting with a Community Development Board (CDB). This was because the meeting was to be held in a mosque. In most instances this would not be a problem but sometimes they would rather not have non-Muslims attend. Of course such decisions are respected. So instead, I went to visit a number of Quick Impact Programmes (QIPs).

To refresh your memory or, for the first time readers, QIPs are programmes designed to assist households, groups, or an entire community to recover livelihoods and re-establish local economies. The beneficiaries receive cash grants to implement various projects. The IRC implemented these QIP with the financial support of Stichting Vluchteling (the Netherlands Refugee Foundation).

To begin with, we went to see a farmer’s group. The farmers received a grant to buy seed, tools, herbicide and fertiliser. In Simpang Ulim the group has managed to save enough money to open a small shop which provides various farming equipment that they are able to purchase at wholesale prices (picture). All the farmers benefit from the shop. We then went to have a look at a few businesses in the centre of Keunde Teunom: a couple of retail trade shops, a barber and a coffee shop. All were part of group of traders that has received a grant to restart their businesses. As far as I could see, they were all doing very well. In Padang Kleng we spoke with a tailor who has built up such a reputation that people come all the way from Calang to place orders with him. After this, we went to Alve Ambang, right beside Keunde Teunom, were a group of fishermen received a total of 40 boats with onboard engines. Another 40 engines were made are available to them; they are receiving one for every new boat that they build themselves. We visited the workshop but unfortunately, no one was there (picture). Finally, we drove to Sarah Raya where the IRC, with the support of SV and together with ADRA, an Australian non-governmental organisation, provided two small ferryboats so that people could easily cross a relatively large river at two different points. This considerably improves access to local markets for the villages that are not on the side of Teunom. The ferry has enough capacity to transport a couple of motorcycles and should even be able to transport a car (although, personally, I would not risk it)!

Tuesday afternoon I drove on to Meulaboh, where I still am now. Meulaboh is the second largest city along the coast, after Banda Aceh. It is a very pleasant city; just like Banda Aceh, only smaller. An additional perk is that the beach is only a short walk from the guesthouse. It is ideal for long walks; there are many kilometres of uninterrupted beach (fourth picture below). The surrounding areas are also very scenic. At the office I was, yet again, received very warmly. As usual, Wednesday through Friday I joined the various CDR teams going into the field. First, I visited another QIP in the centre of town; a group of 11 tailors. They have received a grant to purchase sewing machines, cloth and other sewing materials. We spoke with three tailors, including the head of the association, and they were all very satisfied with their businesses (pictures). We then went to Kuta Teunogh and Sereumpoh in the sub-district of Arongan Lambalek in order to obtain a detailed overview, in writing, of the community’s own contribution to the CDR programme. Next, I discussed two draft community project proposals with one of the CDR teams. And finally, I went to Suak Seumaseh in the sub-district of Samatiga, where I was to hold a focus group discussion with the CDB concerning the CDR programme. This was aimed to find out what do they think of the process, what is going well, what is not going so well, and so on. In short: how can we help each other to improve the programme? But the CDB had different plans; the village had made it to the semi-finals in a local volleyball tournament and they were about to play. So we re-scheduled for Monday morning!

That is it for this week’s log! Greetings to everyone and, I hope, until next week. I have included a few more pictures below.

July 7th - Calang

This pas week has been really exiting.

To start off with, I spent a fantastic weekend with three colleagues and someone from Oxfam in Sabang, a picturesque island not far off the coast from Banda Aceh (picture). The island also marks the beginning of Indonesia. Sabang is a popular weekend getaway, especially among westerners. This is mainly because the island’s green hills, fine white sand and emerald green water make it breathtakingly beautiful. Importantly, however, the locals are also considerably more liberal: you can get in the water wearing swimming shorts or a bikini and you can enjoy a nice cold beer on the beach! In addition there are gorgeous dive sites.

On Tuesday morning I left to Calang, on the west coast of Aceh Jaya sub-district, where the IRC has one of its four field offices. It is a five hour drive from the main office in Banda Aceh. Calang and the surrounding areas have been particularly hard-hit by the Tsunami. Many regions here have been completely, and I mean utterly, destroyed; simply swept away. The field office or rather, the compound is right on the beach. The setting is amazing. My room is only about 20 meters or so from the Indian Ocean. That may sound great, and it really is, but you have to get used to the sound of the crashing waves when trying to fall asleep; it can get pretty loud! The sunsets are absolutely mesmerising. I was introduced to the entire staff and joined the three young CDR teams. Here as well, I was heartily received and the teams were all eager to show me their progress in the field.

Wednesday was a particularly fun day. In the morning I followed one of the CDR teams to Blang Mon Lung, a small village about an hour’s drive from Calang, towards Banda Aceh. There, the team measured the distance from a water source to the village in order to assess the requirements for establishing a water system. This took us on thrilling journey into the jungle. We slashed our way one kilometre into it, following a small stream (picture). This, by the way, is also the domain of the Sumatran tiger! Unfortunately, or maybe luckily, we did not encounter any. And it would not be a jungle if you did not come out of it without half a dozen leeches stuck to your feet. It was a nice little adventure; it is something else than spending another day at the office! On the way back I took a few pictures of the ravaged mangrove area (below).

Let me briefly summarise the CDR strategy in a number of steps. This will place everything in the right context. After an elaborate selection procedure, the chosen communities are approached and informed about the CDR programme. Should they agree with the programme, a partnership agreement is signed between the community and the IRC. After this, a comprehensive Community Participatory Assessment (CPA) takes place in which a number of participative exercises are carried out with the beneficiaries. This process culminates in an action plan. Subsequently, a Community Development Board (CDB) is elected based on the qualifications required to implement the plan. The CDB fine-tunes the action plan, writes a community proposal and is consequently responsible for all phases of the project cycle. The communities can claim a grant of up to 55.000,- USD (approximately 43,000,- EUR) to realise their project(s). An important condition is that the communities provide a significant contribution to the costs. This stimulates a sense of ownership on the part of the community, a precondition for sustainability.

On Thursday I accompanied another CDR team to Padang Datar, where the CDB was trained on the procurement process. Padang Datar is one of the first three communities whose project proposal was approved this week. In the evening we were supposed to witness the formal signing of the contract but sadly we could not attend. That was a shame because it would have been interesting and made for a good photo opportunity. On Friday I went with to Kabong, where the community problems were ranked and the CDB subsequently elected. This was very exciting.

Finally, I had a look at another Quick Impact Programme (QIP). To reiterate, QIPs are programmes designed to assist households, groups or an entire community to recover livelihoods and re-establish local economies. The beneficiaries receive a cash grant to implement various projects. The IRC implemented these QIP with the financial support of Stichting Vluchteling (the Netherlands Refugee Foundation). In Sentosa I spoke with the head of the association of becak drivers. A becak is a local taxi consisting of a motorbike with a sidecar that can transport a number of passengers (picture). A total of 38 becak drivers were provided with a grant in the sub-district Krueng Sabee. With this grant, the beneficiaries were able to make a down payment on a becak. On a daily basis, a part of their earnings is given to the association, which takes care of administrative issues and coordinates the debt repayment with the supplier. After two years, the debt will have been fully paid off. The head of the association is extremely satisfied with the programme and had many good things to say about it: 'everyone is happy to have a steady income again and be able to do what they were doing before the Tsunami as well'. He was especially pleased with the programme’s sustainability and was hoping to see more of such initiatives.

That is it for this week’s log. I have included a number of pictures below. As you can see, the potential for tourism in Aceh is enormous, were it not for the Sharia law...