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World Vision, Saddleback church and Laga handbags in Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia

World Vision Indonesia Tsunami Response:

Final Report Dec 2004 – Dec 2007

The December 2004 earthquake and tsunami was an unprecedented disaster in its size and scale. Indonesia’s Aceh province, which suffered from three decades of civilian conflict, was most affected because of its proximity to the earthquake’s epicenter and its large coastal population. A year after the event, the Indonesian government estimated that 129,775 people had died, 38,786 were missing (presumed dead) and more than 500,000 people were displaced.

World Vision Indonesia Tsunami Response: Final Report Dec 2004 – Dec 2007The December 2004 earthquake and tsunami was an unprecedented disaster in its size and scale. Indonesia’s Aceh province, which suffered from three decades of civilian conflict, was most affected because of its proximity to the earthquake’s epicenter and its large coastal population. A year after the event, the Indonesian government estimated that 129,775 people had died, 38,786 were missing (presumed dead) and more than 500,000 people were displaced. More than 25% of households lost at least one family member. Within the two adjoining districts of Banda Aceh and Aceh Besar, nearly 60% of the fatalities and missing were female and one-third under 17yo. Many of the deceased were heads of households or primary wage earners and this tremendous loss of life had a devastating impact on livelihoods. For these households, the recovery has been a struggle, but thanks to their inner strength and the generosity of neighbors, strangers, aid agencies and donors, they are moving forward to rebuild their lives and livelihoods. World Vision launched a massive relief and recovery effort following the disaster. This final report outlines the World Vision Indonesia Tsunami Response programme over the past three years and its impact on the recovery of households.

Background

Program Goal
To support disaster affected communities in developing safe and sustainable environments where children thrive. World Vision designed a three year program to meet the recovery needs of affected communities and to support their longer-term rehabilitation. The program encompassed seven integrated sectors: Shelter & Infrastructure; Economic Recovery, Education; Health; Water and Sanitation, Child Protection and Advocacy.

The implementation of the program was conducted in three phases;

- Phase I focused on the emergency relief response and spanned nine months from December 2004 – September 2005 (including an initial 90 day Rapid Response).
- Phase II focused on recovery and rehabilitation and was implemented from October 2005 – September 2006.
- Phase III was a transition phase, strengthening recovery practices and systems, ensuring sustainability and preparing some communities for the reduction and withdrawal of World Vision resources.

In February 2007, World Vision Indonesia committed to follow the tsunami response with a long term development program in Aceh. This Aceh Development Program (ADP) will build on the tsunami response programs in economic recovery, health, education and water and sanitation. The tsunami response team is phasing over to the long term program from September – December 2007.

The graphic below shows the regions of Aceh where World Vision implemented programs.

World Vision’s programs touched 150,000 people, utilizing a budget of approximately USD97 million (USD14 million is designated for projects implemented between October ‘07 and September ‘08). World Vision conducted a baseline survey in December 2005 and an evaluation in April 2007. The evaluation examined the relevance and effectiveness of World Vision’s strategies and interventions, assessed the program’s impact against our stated goal and made a series of recommendations.

The study included in-depth and structured interviews with 1,284 households; a qualitative assessment through 40 semi structured interviews in focus group discussions with beneficiaries; and interviews with 40 program staff on “the most significant change they observed in communities” where World Vision worked.

In general, the study found that the August 2005 Peace Agreement between GAM and the Government of Indonesia, as well as the tsunami reconstruction effort, had helped ensure a logical progression in livelihood recovery. Household asset levels are recovering towards pre-tsunami levels and, in the provincial capital, are already significantly higher. Across all tsunami affected areas, ownership of motorbikes and mobile phones now dramatically exceed those levels by 38% and 79% respectively. Around 30% of wage earners are engaged in different occupations to their pre-tsunami ones; for some it’s voluntary (taking up opportunities in the booming construction industry), for others it’s not. Fishing assets have largely recovered but agricultural assets have not.

This report details the key impact areas in the context of each sector goal and the activities undertaken.

Indonesia Map

The Relief Response

World Vision Indonesia immediately responded to the needs of tsunami-affected households and an assessment team arrived in Aceh two days after the tsunami hit. Relief supplies were mobilized and, over the next 90 days, World Vision began the distribution of hygiene kits and mosquito nets, family and household kits (that included blankets, clothes and soap) to affected communities. Stoves, firewood, sarongs, mattresses, buckets and tools were also distributed.

During the first year, World Vision, in partnership with the Word Food Program, provided food aid to 150,000 people a month. As recovery got underway, food aid was slowly reduced and finally ceased in December 2006.

See all maps for this Emergency

FIND RELATED DOCUMENTS

By Emergency: South Asia: Earthquake and Tsunami – Dec 2004
By Country: Indonesia
By Source: World Vision
By Type: Evaluations and Lessons Learned

NOTE BY: Roy van Broekhuizen

Chairman and CEO of Laga Designs International, Inc.

I was the Tsunami Relief Coordinator for Saddleback church (Dr. Rick Warren is our Sr. Pastor & author of the best seller, “The Purpose Driven Life”, which has sold close to 40 million copies worldwide). I was responsible for bringing in volunteer teams and distribution of funds collected by Saddleback church. I was in the tsunami stricken area a week after the tsunami hit Banda Aceh and Aceh province, the worst thing I have ever seen in my entire life (I am 59 years young).

For the first few months we just met the Acehnese basic needs of food, shelter, clothing, medicine and medical help. Saddleback partnered with a local NGO, Yayasan Dinamik Sistim, a non profit organization that has been in Aceh for more than 20 years. We helped setup a window and door factory which employs 90 Acehnese men, rebuilt a quilt factory which was damaged during the tsunami, built boats for fishermen, homes for selective persons we interviewed and knew personally, 3 English language/computer learning centers, a community center, satellite network with 3 internet cafes and supplied internet for NGOs and other government agencies.

We partnered with World Vision in rebuilding a 24 hour medical clinic in Banda Aceh, some of the work was done by a volunteer team from Grace Church, Long Island, New York, working alongside Acehnese and other Indonesian workers.

My contract started January 1, 2005 and ended 14 months later, February 28, 2006.

In June 2005, my wife Louise joined me in this endeavor. Feeling that we needed to continue to help these tsunami survivors in a more long-term way, we opened a handbag factory/training center in Aceh. We started with 12 young women, mostly in their 20′s, who had lost most of their family members and friends. Now, a little more than a year later, we are helping provide sustenance for approximately 150 women, who are making our beautiful one-of-a-kind handcrafted Laga handbags.

Laga Designs International, Inc.’s mission and vision is to create employment opportunities and hope for a better future for tsunami survivors and victims of disaster throughout Indonesia by offering exquisite one -of-a-kind hand-guided embroidered handbags and accessories to the rest of the world.

Please click here to read our story.

Your comments, recommendations and suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Wishing you Happy Holidays and a significant life…..a life with purpose.