Second Annual FedEx Award for Innovations in Disaster Preparedness Submission Form I. Contact Information Name: Happy Suryani Harefa Organization: Holianaa Foundation Address: Desa Gawugawu Bo'uso km 11.4 North Gunungsitoli - Nias, North Sumatera, Indonesia Telephone: +62 82113870980 Title: Email: Ms. happie@holianaa.or.id; learn@holianaa.or.id II. Basic Information on Project Title of Project : Local Emergency Assessment Response Network Location : Sumatra Island, Indonesia which consists of the following provinces: Aceh, North Sumatra, Jambi, Riau, West Sumatra, Lampung, Bengkulu, and South Sumatra, Indonesia Scale (choose one): Local/Community State/Provincial/Sub-national National Regional International Target Population(s) : local NGOs in Sumatra Island Region, Indonesia Number of Beneficiaries: Direct Beneficiaries : 63 local NGOs in Sumatra/130 persons trained In-Direct Beneficiaries : Approximately 50.37 million persons in Sumatra Island Partners : Hilfswerk der Evangelischen Kirchen Schweiz (HEKS)/Swiss Interchurch Aid, Swiss Solidarity, District Disaster Management Agencies in Sumatra Islands, 63 local and national NGOs in Sumatra Island Funders/Donors : HEKS Swiss Church Aid: https://www.heks.ch/en/ Swiss Solidarity: http://www.swiss-solidarity.org/en Total Funding : CHF 229,385 Website: http://www.holianaa.or.id/ ; https://www.facebook.com/learn.site
III. Project Details 1. Intervention background and goals and objectives (maximum 250 words) Please describe the intervention and its goals and objectives. Include details on the intervention s timeline. Background Indonesia has been heavily affected by disasters, and despite considerable efforts in improving government-led disaster management, structures have not reached the lower administrative levels or most communities. NGOs develop preparedness strategies mainly at the grassroots level, but often lack knowledge and resources to effectively do so. The need for effective assessment in the first 24-48 hours is critical; therefore, equipped local first assistance and assessment teams was seen as a good measure to promote local emergency response and disaster preparedness. It is in this context that the Local Emergency Assessment and Response Network Project was established in 2012. Goal Establish a network of strategically and geographically-dispersed organizations all over Sumatra, Indonesia that are able to conduct quality rapid emergency response and assessments Objectives/Timeline 1. Develop the capacity of NGOs through a training of trainers (ToT) approach, which will enable them to disseminate the knowledge in their own communities 8 training cycles with 130 participants from 63 local NGOs have been conducted 2. Establish a network with an end goal of mainstreaming disaster preparedness and initiating collaboration: a. Participants pass on their skills and knowledge and mainstream or initiate disaster preparedness into community-based projects; monitoring displayed a high range of activities and dissemination of knowledge b. Utilize social media platform to exchange information and coordination on DRM or interventions; 2 platform pages have been established, one fan page one internal group page, both with active exchange and participation 3. In case of a natural disaster strikes the LEARN members assesses the situation, acts as first responders and activates the Network several interventions have been accomplished
2. Please describe the project s key activities (maximum 250 words) Please describe the intervention s main activities. 1. Capacity-building for representatives from NGOs which aims to combine standards in international emergency response and the local disaster risk reduction context. LEARN promotes a modifiable and expandable training tool in a variety of emergency-related skills, including rapid assessment and first assistance. The combination of proven practices, trainings, tools, guidelines and the participants own knowledge about local languages, geography, and local networks make the diverse group of participants an important element that bridges the gap between emergency response provided by specialized search and rescue, medical, and emergency teams from inside and outside the country. The modules are flexible and can be modified according to the hazards and local situations, as well as the needs of the partners. 2. Networking and Collaboration. LEARN promotes the use of physical and digital platforms for networking such as skills refresher trainings, exchange visits and relevant information sharing in social media. LEARN aims to establish a network of individuals and organizations capable in emergency response, and in the longer term, provide a good backdrop to initiatives related to disaster risk reduction. Individuals belonging to different organizations are endowed with different core competencies and are located all over the island, making them strategically positioned all over Sumatra to respond to disasters. The project has opened up opportunities for collaboration and knowledge-sharing within and among likeminded non-governmental organizations, and has been engaging governmental actors. 3. Actual response initiatives of the network and its members in case a disaster strikes. 3. Please explain you think this is an innovative intervention. Provide evidence in the following areas: (maximum 750 words) 1. Effectiveness/evidence of success: Evidence is provided demonstrating the impact of the intervention to increase awareness; build capacity and knowledge; promote community involvement; foster collaboration between civil society, local governments and the private sector; and/or mainstream disaster preparedness activities. 2. Sustainability: Information is provided describing the steps taken or mechanisms put in place to ensure that the intervention will be socially, financially and environmentally sustainable in the long-term. 3. Equitable outcomes for women and men: Evidence is provided to document that the intervention enables or facilitates the participation of, and results in, equitable benefits for both women and men. 4. Efficiency/cost-effectiveness: Evidence is provided demonstrating the cost-effectiveness of the intervention compared to traditional disaster preparedness interventions.
5. Replicability/adaptability: Information is provided documenting how the intervention has been or could be replicated or adapted in other settings; or how the intervention could expand operations based on demonstrated success in its pilot or phase one areas of operation. Effectiveness/evidence of success: The trainings demonstrated its effectiveness through an evaluation amongst the participants. Content, methodology and facilitation were highly rated and pre-/post-tests proved the success of the increased knowledge and skills. As for the dissemination within the network partners a monitoring was conducted demonstrating the strong impact of the LEARN training and the network activities by exceeding all project indicators. They embedded parts of the training into their projects and activities such as: Internal trainings and workshops, trainings with the communities and to regional networks. In particular the LEARN training participants conducted events related to the LEARN training modules. Half of the LEARN member organizations now mainstream Disaster Risk Reduction as cross-cutting issue within the NGO program/ strategy and implementing projects with a strong DRR component. This consequently leads to the fact that the LEARN Network also acts as competence network regarding DRR and Emergency Response on request for Trainings and Education Purposes. In terms of promotion and awareness discussion-forums, public campaigns or awareness-raising activities in the field of DRR/ER were initiated or conducted. For further education and continuous knowledge sharing the partners attend national or international meetings, seminar or conferences in or outside Indonesia regarding DRR and Emergency Response. During the project period the situation required several interventions where the team members could prove their achievements in a more effective and more efficient response and assistance to the communities. Several local or regional emergences/disasters such as the Benar Meriah Aceh Earthquake, Mentawai Flood, and Mount Sinabung Eruption. In particular the joint LEARN intervention on Mount Sinabung demonstrated the effectiveness and readiness of the LEARN network. The joint intervention responded with assessment, coordination, sharing of information and a wide range of interventions such as food and non-food-item distribution, WASH, psychosocial support for the most vulnerable, constant advocacy to the government, campmanagement and other activities. It was the first time 13 organizations conducted a joint intervention sharing their resources and coordinated their activities and partially even shared funding. It is likely that HEKS wants to replicate the tool to other disaster prone countries where HEKS is working and therefore ran a pilot project in the Philippines. LEARN conducted a customized training for first assistance to local partner NGOs but also directly to stakeholders of 2 communities. It came directly into effect in a tropical depression in January 2014 and the community took necessary preparedness and response measures. A follow up was conducted in
June 2014. This proved that the training part of the tool is flexible and can be modified and adapted to other local context. Sustainability: The LEARN approach is socially, financially and environmentally sustainable in the long-term. There have been regular exchanges between the LEARN members and also in all relevant forums (local, national) on disaster risk reduction and emergency response in the 2 years coordinated by the Holianaa LEARN coordination office. Besides that, all LEARN members are proactively networking with the local authorities concerning risk analysis, early warning and preparedness strategies. This is also enhanced with the use of popular social media platforms for public information exchange and the setting up of a web based semi-public platform for the exchange of internal network information (files, manuals and documents). Open sources like these will ensure that the all the resources of LEARN are accessible, free and open for modification and suggestions. Equitable outcomes for women and men: From the beginning, one of the criteria in the selection procedure of participants is gender representation, with the end goal of 50% representation from women. After the series of training cycles, 47 % of the participants are women, and 53% are men. Efficiency/cost-effectiveness: The efficiency of the project is based on the multiplier approach through the 63 participating NGOs. As all partners implement projects with communities and conduct trainings, the emergency response and disaster preparedness training is multiple times replicated and every time adapted to the specific local context. Though only 130 participants are actually trained in the 8 cycles, it is further disseminated through all the partner NGOs and guarantees a knowledge sharing on a broad community level. Replicability/adaptability: The LEARN approach has already proven its flexible and modifiable character in capacity development trainings conducted by the partner NGOs. Customized and adapted replicability to the local context was demonstrated in several successful trainings since August 2013 in the Philippines and paid-off after NGOs were able to apply their skills during Typhoon Hayian and succeeding tropical depressions. Recently, a follow-up, tailor-made, 3-day first assistance training was customized from the original modules and conducted with local partner NGOs and their communities in June 2014. 4. Challenges & Lessons Learned (maximum 250 words) Please describe the main challenges or obstacles you faced or are facing in this intervention and how they were addressed. What are the most important lessons that a reader should take from this experience?
Challenges: 1. There is some difficulty in coordinating with governmental disaster risk reduction institutions. The disaster management agency (BPBD) is still in its consolidation phase and focuses on governmental internal structures, while the participation of civil society and NGOs is still a low priority. 2. Contacting and information-sharing is often initiated by the LEARN trainer team. Information flow from both sides still needs to be worked on. Lessons Learned: 1. Collaboration is envisioned to provide maximum support to communities. It is imperative that organizations work with governments. The network s objective lies in engaging communities and governments so that information is received and disasters and calamities can be responded to in the most efficient and effective manner. 2. Institutional arrangements or memorandum of agreement or understanding should be established between the project team and participating organizations and government bodies to facilitate policy commitments from top management of organizations. Also, provincial focal points should be identified so that local networks are established and functional. 3. In order to encourage NGOs to be more proactive in knowledge-sharing, the LEARN team realizes that the approach must maintain flexibility and openness and adapt to the consistently evolving needs of its partners and stakeholders. 4. As a whole, LEARN realizes that capacity building must be practical. It must be conducted in a way that participants are able to understand why skills contained in modules are being taught, and how these can directly benefit the communities that their organizations serve. 5. Please demonstrate how you consulted with the community prior to implementing the intervention. (maximum 150 words) HEKS had been active in Indonesia with a development programme since the 1980s until 2004. Though all long term development activities were terminated sometime mid-2004, HEKS never fully phased out of Indonesia due to the disasters that took place shortly after. Through its three partner organizations LEARN was set up to complement government and international post-disaster initiatives to close the gap between specialized SAR or medical teams even from outside the country and less response and preparedness skilled NGO s on the ground but with significant local knowledge. So the local first responder system shaped up. These long-time partners of HEKS in Indonesia were consulted during the development of the concept, and a sharing of experiences of disaster management and emergency response of several major disasters in Indonesia, especially in Sumatra, were evaluated. Afterwards, these matters were consulted with the public through the network of civil society, government and media.
6. Please provide a testimonial from someone who has benefited from this intervention. (maximum 200 words) Wenny Silaen, female, 37 years old, is the director of Cipta Fondasi Komunitas Foundation. She lives in Medan, North Sumatra. She was a participant of the LEARN Training in 2012. Her foundation is a member of the Local Emergency Assessment and Response Network. It was extraordinary journey. The training is not like usual trainings in which you would just sit and listen the whole day. It was set in a good location, conducive to learning emergency skills; it felt like we were in a real disaster. We practiced what we learned and the trainers guided us alongside. They were very confident in what they were doing and never showed any sign of impatience. The training made me more confident in doing my job. The lessons I learned were very practical and useful. I especially liked how the modules were very practical, such as using radio and global positioning system (GPS) during disasters. I also had the opportunity to participate in LEARN Joint Emergency Response during the 2013 Sinabung Eruption. This scheme makes the response much more effective, and more efficient in terms of financial cost. From this scheme I learned that cooperation between civil society organizations will make the intervention much more comprehensive. 7. If selected, how will your organization use the funds? (maximum 150 words) LEARN plans to strengthen the network by establishing a Disaster Preparedness Centre in Indonesia, located in Sumatra. Through its current network, the institution shall facilitate further knowledge-sharing, and further capacity-building of provincial focal points. LEARN aims to develop its modules based on the experiences of its local partners and in consultation with academic and technical bodies. In the long term, the organizations aims to disseminate the LEARN approach to other areas in Indonesia and other countries in Southeast Asian region. LEARN will organize a national jamboree for disaster preparedness and emergency response. The jamboree aims to display and demonstrate a proper and effective camp management in collaboration with all network members, the communities close to the Mount Sinabung and the respective government agencies in charge. The experiences with the camp management by the government as response on the Sinabung volcanic eruption displayed an enormous lack of capability, coordination, preparedness and even most basic skills. The simulation will be based on good practices and according to the LEARN approach conduct it in a very practical way.