We never stop crying

Jesus, what a…

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/indonesia_earthquake

damn..

Pics from Bali 2

two days intense meeting for brainstorming.
Most of the participants are from the Philipines


horticultural planted by the women farmer group



Raymond explained the whole operation of the farming


Pak Adi explained his Sweet Purple Potato

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Kintamani Lake


Beautiful Mountain



Quality time


Kuta Beach is quiet after the bali bomb blast


Dewa Wisnu


Joel, participant and as photographer as well


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Pics from Bali 1

Bali's Welcoming Dance


Bali Fresh's Project Site


Sub-Regional Participants

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Legian, Kuta, Bali

I always think that I’m very lucky despite all the constraints, challenge and problems that I face day by day. Yes, we have just ended up our four-day conference here in Bali and I gained a lot insight in which widening my horizon on the farmers products and the market. It’s just great due to we are starting our livelihood program and the only constraint that we face is after enhancing the farmer’s productivity in terms of quantity and quality and then what? But now I have some basic ideas and working frame that is clear in my mind. Yes, that livelihood program is important and yet should be started as soon as possible. What we are going to do then is to form new farmer groups and we can start with the community whose houses are going to be built after the quake disaster. We will start this program and at the same time we are going to conduct comprehensive survey; assessment, starting from technical information dealing with the farmer’s product such as cocoa, coconut, rubber or horticulture to market survey. By the way, we will define one of the farmer products in which we will focus on. I’m thinking of the two products that are cocoa and coconut. Attending this meeting always energizes me.

After two days seminar; presentation and discussion, then we went to “Bali Fresh” a profit company taking initiatives to link farmers to market. It impresses how the private sector took initiative for that. And yet Raymond, the owner of the company, combines the strategy of the non-profit and profit for empowering the farmers. His ideas and putting women as the group and only women are accepted to work there is a good combination of the strategy.

Then another lesson-learnt is from Adi “Sweet Purple” combining the local products and other non-local resources to be new products that is; sweet purple.

Farmer..
Farmers as it should be the group community whose prosperity but facts show completely different. Farmers have their own land, the plants to grow for their lives. But farmer in Indonesian context and mostly in Asian communities means the group of ignored and marginalized. Mostly of them are poor is not because of mainly their laziness in which always marked on them. Mostly the poverty is caused by referring to the social science term the structural poverty in which state that should be responsible for empowering them, giving chances for better farming on the contradictorily oppress them. Agricultural department who should train the farmers, opens market resource and decrease the poverty somehow they contribute for the poverty itself. Corruption is everywhere. Government even supports the capitalist to take over the farmer’s land forcefully and very often uses army and cops to force the owners. Most land conflicts force farmers to give their lands away to capitalist backed up by state.

Interesting lessons from Philippine was that the 1990’s new land law allowed farmers to have land, cultivate it and giving freedom to plan what farmers want to plant.


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Bali is getting up
I went to Kuta beach last night along with Vivian, Obi and Arman. We really enjoyed our night there. One of the most interesting spots we visited was humanitarian tragedy monument where the bomb blast not only kills the lives of hundreds people but also the other life’s of Bali depending on tourism. Some crazy people whose mindset was totally insane devastated the lives of others. But now Bali seems getting up from the bomb’s affects after the 7 months.

Kuta is just beautiful with its white wide sandy beach. It’s getting up though not as it used to be and thousands moved away to search new lives instead of depending their lives from the visitors’ humbleness.

Balinese as it is still respect their cultures and keep opening from the international world cultures. It doesn’t close itself from the outside world. It’s the mixing of the local people and international communities.

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Christine and New Changes

I didn’t know that Christine was no longer in IDEP and divorced. It’s surprising me. We spent hours last night for champagne and talked much about lives so far. We worked much closed for the tsunami emergency last years and she also wrote a recommendation letter for me to join APLP. Now, she changes as she admitted that. But a thing that never changes in her what I saw was the full energy of her to face the lives no matter how challenge it is. I talked to Sam in which was still Aceh and surprisingly they were still like before. This friendship that never change although the time changes. They both worked for USAID now. USAID should be lucky to get them.

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Arriving in Bali Today

It's little bit tired. I didn't sleep at all last night. I packed at 7 a.m. and then at 8.30 we had a meeting with my 4 staffs in Medan Office before I left to Jakarta and Bali. We discussed about the drafting of function structure of LPAM, the jobdesk and the next strategic planning. Ida takes the job for that. Then I left Medan to Jakarta at 10.30 arrived in Jakarta around 12.30. My next fly was at 16.00 and I took a nap in the waiting room for an hour. Then at 16:30 I flew from Jakarta to Bali and it took around 1 and half hours. Time zone in Bali and Jakarta is one hour different. The time here is earlier than Jakarta. From airport to the hotel it took half hour. I checked in at Sanur Paradise Plaza Hotel, had dinner, taking my favourite hot bath and now I'm in the hotspot wireless connection. It's pretty cool...

Tomorrow, we will start our new agenda...

Bali, I'm Coming..!

I’m heading to Bali to attend a sub-regional conference on Enhancing Capacities of NGOs and Farmers Groups in Linking Farmers to Markets.
Another interesting journey… let’s see..

Offloading Housing Reconstruction Materials in Lahusa

LPAM works very closely with WFPSS (World Food Program Shipping Service) at the moment to deliver reconstruction materials from Medan to Nias. As the inflation is going up, all the prices just go as high as it can go. And it really affects the process of the reconstruction. The best way then is to purchase the materials from Medan and helped by WFPSS for shipping. UNHCR provides the timber as well. Very good cooperation down here.

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This beach used to be like this


The Two Vessels surprised the whole people on the sub-district


Labrita Nakita is offloading timber for Netherlands Red Cross


Housing Reconstruction Materials for LPAM


The local kid with surprise


It's a big day


Bicycles and the ships


Really good day for all


Local people is going to work


Kids always have their own ways to express their feeling

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Wish to Break for a While

Little bit tired these days.. Things are just coming to my head and I know I need a little bit quality time at the moment. Time for me to be alone, going to a new place for a while where I can find myself lost in the crowd. Being alone in the crowd. And I've just settled down an internal organization problem just now. At least, the peaceful conflict resolution really works here. Thanks for that.

Last three weeks, I went to Banda Aceh visiting Habitat for Humanity and YEU projects for housing reconstruction. Habitat, YEU and LPAM are partners of Christian Aid. Peters, the Medan Representative office asked me to visit the project sites. After a year and still you can find the devastating areas in its place. The same thing happened in Nias, three days ago commemoration of quake disaster in Nias and still no much changes. At that day, I went to Berastagi for workshop met Anthony and Peters there discussing about the new projects of the housing reconstruction and livelihood second phase supported by Christian Aid. But I don't know, after the talking I thought that I might be too confident for doing anything. Too optimistic.. There, I realized that I can't be a single fighter in everything... Yup, they were not doubt on me but for other staffs' capacity. But somehow, I can't accept that judgment still.. I mean, at least we (not me only) can complete the schools reconstruction, almost though.. But yeah, I don't know..

Then, of course we will cancel the building of the whole village of Hiliganowo and only 69 houses there. Well... That's good too. At least, I can take a breath..

But yes, it's not easy to have skillful staffs. I sent Devi, financial staff in Nias but she can't stay longer. She returned to Medan and perhaps she will accept the position in PTPN, a plantation company in Medan. The two engineers will go too due to their company asked them to assist their project in Aceh. I have to find other engineers to substitute them.

My question now is I might just let the other staffs do the job with the risk that it can fail..? But the thing stopped me is the housing project we are handling now can not be a try out though.

Hmm... Any Idea? Gimme one….

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Children of Aceh and Nias

These Pics were taken in Aceh and Nias.
These kind of pics always stop me to think another thing.


Do they still have parents? I don't know but their faces do not show so
and most of the children here lost their parents after the tsunami.


Being alone..

Nias Children are waiting their schools to be used

Closed to be completed..

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This height tree as the height of the tsunami..


And the boat swept away by the tsunami is still there in the middle of the village


Housing projects; some are still on the ways and some are already stayed in without much publication.







This house is already completed and stayed in


From inside the house


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Meeting with the People

Village Meeting in Hiliamaeta along with staffs and the people


Heavy raining swept the bridge away

The only way was the beach. We were almost late for the meeting

Hiliganöwö Village Meeting


Lahusa Village Meeting


The affected people whose houses destroyed by the quake and tsunami


Sorake. We lived here and famous for its beauty and surfing


These days are the time to talk to the people. I mean it’s the time to have intensive village meetings. Last week, we started on Saturday to Monday to have village meetings. We started from Hiliamaetaniha Village in which we will build 20 houses there and then Hiliganöwö Village in which we will probably build the whole village. I’m still proposing it to the funding agency. So far, in this village we promised them to build 72 houses. The last day was in Kecamatan Lahusa comprising of three villages in which we will build 33 houses here.

Here what I learnt. First, though they are Nias people but the way and the customs to have the meetings were completely different. For the first and second places; in the villages of Hiliamaetaniha and Hiliganöwö, the meetings were started by what so called orahu. Orahu or the village meeting is kind of interesting. That’s the way they have meetings from generation to generation. Every speaker mentioned the points of his talking and then someone who was in charged saying aloud “eeee…. “or “yaiahö…” (Meaning yes) with long voice. It’s unique and really very traditional way if you would like to say so. It has the sense of artistic. Then of course, when I had presentations I didn’t have that kind of way. I mean nobody answered me “eeee…. “or “yaiahö…” every points I mentioned. The other place like Kecamatan Lahusa, the meeting was just like usual meeting.

The point here was that the way to have meeting in the South (Teluk Dalam) and Lahusa was completely different. Second thing what I found was that the South people was more spontaneous and alive than the villagers in Lahusa. There was lot questions which were informative and even questioning our decisions of the number of the houses will be built. The meetings were very dynamic. And yes indeed, I was so lucky that I have the frame of “peaceful conflict (problems) resolution. I mean that though there are many debate arising, I kept encouraging them to have what so called the unity as one village. The meaning of being as “one village” was very substantive for their way of life.

The other fact I found was that the gap number of houses we will build and the actual damages houses. I mean we will build less than the number of the houses completely damaged. I can’t blame my team for the early assessment of course as my team assessed the village with blur guidelines. It’s not easy to make the different measurement between total damaged and heavily damaged. Yes, the total damaged meant that the houses totally destroyed and fall down. But then the fact showed that most of the houses even if they don’t fall yet but they can’t be used anymore due to the cracks and closed to fall. Some of the villagers then tore it down.

The way of the head of the villagers convinced the villagers to accept what we plan really encouraged me to find other resources to help them. I’m thinking of it. Perhaps this month, I have the answer for that.

After the meetings, then we had team meeting at office. We designed our next plan and things dealing with the housing reconstruction such as materials survey, personnel job descriptions, land survey and things.

Today, all the team headed to the field and I departed to Medan for having meeting with my treasurer to complete the report and budget request. Besides, I have to buy the GPS Map for the mapping. And I have to talk to Ida as well. I’m thinking of recruiting her to be my assistant. I need an assistant and I think she is capable for that. So apart of my work; such as report, attending coordination meeting, other administrative things, she will handle it. I will talk to her tomorrow. I will talk to Eddy as well. I’m not pretty sure how to involve Eddy on our works but I think I’ll figure it out.


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Housing Project Will Be Started Soon

We’ve just had meeting with my engineering and staffs dealing with the new plan for the housing reconstruction. Well actually, it’s by accident that I made a quick decision to just start the housing reconstruction plan.

It came to happen when we went to Teluk Dalam yesterday, I stopped by at BRR (Indonesian Agencies for Recovery and Reconstruction Board) for sending the pictures of the school to TdH using their hot spot access. The internet access is free by the way and it’s specially set up for NGOs and other humanitarian agencies.

But then I found the head village of Hiliamaetaniha and two guys who introduced themselves from Hiliganöwö talking to BRR staffs about the lateness of LPAM, my NGO, to build the houses and they thought that we don’t keep our promise to build the houses. I was precisely there and spontaneously I just involved in their meeting.

Well, I was little bit upset as they didn’t talk to me first and just directly went to BRR and reported that way. But yes, I can understand their feeling as well. Other houses were just started to be build while we who promised them previously can’t start yet. Then of course I explain what’s going on with our plan. First, we are very busy for completing the reconstruction of the 5 schools we are handling now. Secondly, we agreed that we are lack of communication especially with the head of the village of Hiliamaetaniha as I was away for a while (I was in Honolulu). Except for Hiliganöwö, I keep communicating with the head of the village. So with Hiliganöwö actually no problem of the lateness at all and they can understand what we are still busy for our school program. But then as the follow up of the meeting we agreed that we need to set up a meeting along with the BRR, the head of the village and the affected people whose house will be built.

This current meeting has just decided the schedule for the village meetings; on Saturday 4 p.m in the village of Hiliamaetaniha, on Sunday at 5 p.m in the village of Hiliganowo and on Monday in the Sub District of Lahusa gathering three villages of Bawölato, Bawöfarono and Bawöotalua.

We have figured out the implementing strategy as well; re-scheduling, mapping, and deciding the base camp and warehouses and things like that. I need to talk very intense about the site plan and the budget with my engineering tomorrow. Anyway, we are still finding solution about the handy talky.

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The sea that always brings peace

A Family Depends their income from collecting the stones

One of the areas that threatened by the activity

Reconstruction and the Threat of the Environment

At the moment there are massive reconstructions are being done. Well, it’s a positive sign for helping the people as a part of disaster recovery. Somehow, there is a sacrifice for that. Environment. For the wood, this problem has been solved by importing the wood outside of this island so there is no need to cut the huge number of trees. But for sand and stones are dilemma. As a huge amount of sand from the river and beach and stones as well, people take it from the rivers without any consideration of threatens the environment itself. For the people, there is no any choice, I mean, the easiest way to get the money at the moment is by doing that and reconstruction works need that as well. It’s a dilemma.

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Lahusa, Teluk Dalam and Coordination Meeting

Bawolato IDPs Camp. LPAM-Nias provided four 4 fishing boats for them.
But because their houses are totally damaged, they can't go anywhere
until their houses are built again. Some of the villagers still live here.




SD Hilidohona Unit 1



SD Hilidohona Unit 2


SD Hilidohona Unit 3


Nias West Coast. It was cool. It always reminds me of Hawai'i



SD Orahili Unit 1

SD Orahili Unit 2
That's the tent as classroom before finishing their school.

I’ve just arrived from Lahusa and Teluk Dalam. Well, it’s supposed to come along with Gallaume from UNOPS but somehow he couldn’t join us. He had a meeting with UNICEF talking about their proposal. So, I, Wilson and Bang Manalu went to Lahusa without him. We left office at 8:30. Arriving there, I talked to my field staff and gladly he admitted that there was something wrong in his job and he promised to improve it. Prior to that, I’d cross checked what happened there with the workers. It’s about the worker’s payment. What I saw was Budi, the staff, was honest to tell the truth. That’s a good credit to keep him keep staying on his job. After discussing the progress and the materials they need for the next week’s plan, we headed to Teluk Dalam. Soon I arrived in the school site, Orahili Fau, I briefly checked what’s going on there so far and then left it for Education Coordination Meeting in Teluk Dalam.

Amson from UNICEF was already there when I arrived. The meeting was interesting. There were UNICEF, Save the Children, WFP, Pusaka, PKPA, BRR, Spain Red Cross, PPK and of course LPAM-Nias itself attended by me and two of my staffs. The language in the coordination meeting was Bahasa Indonesia instead of English like yesterdays’ meeting. Most of the INGO sent their Indonesian staffs.

The interesting point was I found that we are the only that has started the reconstruction of the schools and even almost completed. Then, PPK has very good data base of the schools there but still in compilation. UNICEF plans to distribute school kits for all the students in Nias. We are thinking of having cooperation with Save the Children as they only provide mobiler for schools while they don’t have any plan to reconstruct the schools. We are still find any schools to build because for this 2006, we plan to build 5 more schools.

We went back at 10 p.m It’s great day…!

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