Back to Overview: Supporting the Grassroots in Tsunami Reconstruction and Global Coastal Protection

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CFC Code 11641

GRANTEE PROFILES

Asia

Tsunami Relief and Reconstruction Grantees

April 06, 2005

Photo by WALHI

The following organizations have received grants for tsunami relief and reconstruction. More grants have been made or are being processed, and we will update this list as frequently as possible.

Indonesian Relief Efforts

Koalisi Solidaritas Kemanusiaan Bencana Alam (KSKBA)

Based in Medan, North Sumatra, KSKBA, the Coalition in Solidarity for Humane Disaster Relief, is a consortium of non-governmental environmental and public interest organizations providing relief and supplies to areas in Sumatra most devastated by the tsunami. KSKBA member organizations have transported aid in the form of much needed medical supplies and food to Banda Aceh and Sigli. KSKBA coalition members also are working to reach isolated communities on the outskirts of Banda Aceh to provide aid to those unable to reach the refugee camps due to physical limitations and injuries.

Medical teams focusing on these remote communities are using a community- and home-visit approach to maximize the use of limited medical supplies. Such an approach will also help serve those areas that are too remote for international aid agencies to reach. KSKBA member organizations are operating heavy equipment to move debris and improve access to remote areas that have been cut off by loss of roads and bridges. As times goes on, they will shift their focus from immediate relief to rebuilding efforts.

Pagar Alam Semesta (PASe)

PASe was founded in the province of Aceh in 1995 to help rural communities and other stakeholders identify needs and work together on projects designed to foster sustainable resource use. One of its successes is a collaboration with indigenous peoples to protect forests in and around Leuser National Park.

Based in Banda Aceh, PASe has built trusted networks in the area, and it is well suited to help meet relief and reconstruction needs, working with local people to identify priorities. Grants to PASe are helping the group rehabilitate four devastated villages and provide food, medicine and children's educational materials.

Puter Foundation

Puter Foundation works to help rural Indonesian communities participate in planning and development initiatives. Its close relationships with the people of Aceh have positioned it to support community interests, and grants have funded negotiations and meetings to ensure local participation in relief decisions.

Puter Foundation helped initiate negotiations between fishing families in Aceh and the admiral of the Indonesian Navy, who is in charge of relief operations. A protest march brought together 500 participants from around Aceh, including representatives of 119 of Aceh's 147 Panglima Laot, traditional fishing associations, and roughly 130 women fishers. Marchers expressed their frustration about delays in getting relief supplies to many parts of Aceh, and about their lack of representation in the relief and reconstruction process.

As a result of negotiations, the government agreed to set up a province-wide umbrella organization for the Panglima Laot. The organization is led by locally-elected Panglima Laot representatives, and it includes Aceh's governor and other government representatives. The government is considering further recommendations to improve consultation with local communities, increase involvement of women, and reduce intimidation and militarism.

With Greengrants support, Puter Foundation also is hosting series of meetings to help fishing communities plan their own reconstruction, obtain legal title to traditional lands, and obtain assistance from relief organizations and donors.

Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia (WALHI)

WALHI, the Indonesian Forum for the Environment, is the largest and most influential environmental network in Indonesia. A Friends of the Earth affiliate, WALHI has a presence in 25 provinces, with more than 438 member organizations. It is considered to be the pioneer of Indonesia's environmental movement, supporting grassroots efforts to help people preserve traditional livelihoods, halt unsustainable resource extraction and pollution, and gain a voice in policy and development decisions.

In response to the devastation caused by the December 26, 2004 earthquake and tsunami, WAHLI is providing emergency relief for the victims in the hardest hit areas of Aceh and North Sumatra. WALHI also is developing longer-term strategies for reconstruction and participation in important redevelopment decisions. In coordination with a network of local and national organizations, WAHLI is developing a three-month emergency relief operation aimed at providing food, water, sanitation, shelter and health services to people in hard hit Sumatran communities such as Meulaboh, Banda Aceh, Lhokseumawe, and the islands of Simeulue, and Nias.

Yayasan Bambu Lingkungan Lestari (EBF)

EBF, the Environmental Bamboo Foundation, based in Nyuh Kuning, Bali, was founded in 1993 with the mission of protecting tropical forests in Indonesia by promoting conservation and demonstrating the sustainable utilization of bamboo, and its various economic and environmental benefits. In the wake of the destruction caused by the tsunami, EBF is working to advance the use of bamboo for reconstruction efforts. As a part of its efforts, EBF is organizing a workshop on earthquake resistant bamboo construction. EBF's project represents a long-term response to the devastating tsunami by concentrating on the preparedness of coastal communities for future natural disasters.

Additional grants have been made to the following Indonesian organizations, and we will provide more details in the near future:

Yayasan Leuser Lestari (YLL)

Based in Medan, North Sumatra YLL has worked since 1989 to help rural communities participate in the management of natural resources and to learn about sustainable options for resource extraction and use. YLL was recommended by our Indonesian grantmaking advisors to support emergency relief efforts in Aceh and North Sumatra.

In that relief work, YLL has mobilized 200 volunteers from different parts of Sumatra, Jakarta, Bandung and Sulawesi to assist in at least eight affected districts (Aceh Besar, Aceh Jaya, Aceh Barat, Nagan Raya, Aceh Tengah, Bener Meriah, Madailing Natal and Nias). Coordinating with government and non-government assistance teams, YLL helped to:

Distribute food and clothing to at least 8000 refugees;
Rescue and recover the missing;
Assist in planning and reconstruction of at least 6 villages;
Facilitate construction of simple homes, drinking water tanks and logistics storage units;
Set up a communication centers by distributing 30 walkie talkies; and
Link local non-governmental organizations with donors.

YLL's plans for the future involve raising funds to enable more refugees to return to their land. They will also conduct participatory planning sessions to elicit refugees' ideas for local enterprise development.

Telapak

Telapak, based in the Indonesian city of Bogor, was formed in 1995 to conduct research, advocacy and networking programs in the field of natural resource conservation. In the "Give a Hand for Aceh" relief effort, Telepak has linked up with Forest Watch Indonesia, YLL and PASe. (The last two are also listed separately in this update.)
The "Give a Hand for Aceh" volunteers conducted initial information gathering, executed search and rescue tasks and assisted with aid distribution in the disaster area. More specifically, Greengrants funding has supported:

RAKATA

Yayasan Rakata Alam Terbuka (RAKATA) is a foundation that promotes environmental education through outdoor training programs and experiential education. It sent a team to provide emergency relief and support in December, and is now working together with local and international organizations, as well as the Indonesian government, to provide long-term assistance for refugees in the remote and badly hit areas of Meulaboh, Teunom and Calang.

Greengrants support helped Rakata field volunteers operate a key transit station in the city of Medan, which serves as entry point to the disaster area, as well as field stations in Meulaboh and Calang. In Calang, RAKATA also set up a warehouse for relief supplies, and they have provided assistance to international organizations such as Merlin (which runs a water and sanitation programs) and Cap Anamur (a German medical and education support program.) In Meulaboh, RAKATA volunteers worked with the organization "IBU for Aceh," which is providing free medical and psychosocial services to tsunami survivors. RAKATA volunteers were among the first ones to reach the most remote areas, working with mobile clinics comprising a doctor, a paramedic, and a trauma counselor.

Dian Niaga

Dian Niaga is a non-profit community support organization that markets environmentally friendly products made by Indonesian community organizations. It assists in product development, business planning and exports to Europe and Japan of local products like coconut shell charcoal briquettes (ecobrix), handicrafts, honey and palm sugar.

Dian Niaga organized a nine-member team to respond to the urgent calls to help in Aceh. Those volunteers went to Cot Gue, a refugee camp just south of Bandar Aceh, where they helped set up water tanks and distributed rice and clothing. Two doctors who were among the Dian Niaga volunteers provided medical assistance and distributed medicine.

Volunteers also helped refugees begin to develop local enterprises, such as a bakery that is to grow into a commercial venture supplying bread to the international camps. Other nascent enterprises include sewing, embroidery and the production of coconut shell charcoal. The economic activities not only provide the victims with much-needed cash, but also with some relief from the emotional trauma of the disaster.

Sri Lankan Relief Efforts

Center for Environmental Justice

Based in Colombo, Sri Lanka, the Center for Environmental Justice (CEJ) works to protect the environmental rights of Sri Lankans by offering information and referral services, environmental testing services, legal assistance for people affected by pollution and development projects, and community education programs. CEJ works throughout Sri Lanka to ensure that development projects are environmentally sound and that local people are engaged in development decisions.

In response to the tsunami, CEJ is helping coastal communities test wells for water quality, salinity and pH levels, and is helping to clean contaminated wells. CEJ is collaborating with government and community groups to establish plant nurseries for coastal restoration projects. Such projects will include restoring coastal mangrove vegetation within the greenbelt, a 100-200 meter zone set aside by the Sri Lankan government where construction will be restricted. CEJ also will organize legal aid clinics to mediate post-tsunami legal and environmental disputes.

Saviya Development Foundation

The Saviya Development Foundation is a non-governmental, community-based volunteer organization located in Galle, Sri Lanka that is devoted to social development and environmental protection throughout Sri Lanka. Since 1991, Saviya has worked to promote sustainable development in Sri Lanka through education, outreach and community programs. Its goal is to improve the quality of life of the Sri Lankan people, especially the poorest, through vocational training and promotion of traditional crafts to encourage self-employment among women.

Past funding from Greengrants assisted Saviya in its efforts to restore and protect the unique Madu Ganga wetlands and develop a sustainable ecotourism program within the wetlands. Madu Ganga protects many rare species of fish and mangroves, and it is threatened by development and large-scale fishing operations.

Emergency tsunami relief and reconstruction support to Saviya is allowing the organization to provide relief resources to 25 refugee centers along Sri Lanka's southern coast. The group is supplying food and water to families who have lost their homes, supporting medical efforts at the refugee centers, and helping to resolve the local housing crisis.

Indian Relief Efforts

Coastal Poor Development Action Network (COPDANET)

COPADNET is a non-governmental environmental group based in the state of Tamil Nadu, India, on the Bay of Bengal coast. It has been working with poor and marginalized coastal communities since 1988. The primary aim of COPDANET is to advocate for the rights of coastal communities and help them protect the coastal resources they depend upon, especially the region's mangrove forests. COPDANET also provides relief to coastal communities affected by natural disasters, such as typhoons, epidemics, famine and floods. Emergency grants to COPDANET will aid victims of the tsunami in hard to reach areas along the western coast of the Bay of Bengal. These are poor communities that may have otherwise been overlooked during immediate post-tsunami relief efforts.

COPADANET is also conducting mangrove restoration activities on the hard-hit Andaman Islands off the Indian coast. These activities will include efforts to sensitize local people to the importance of mangrove preservation, direct replanting of mangroves, and establishment of community-based protected zones.

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