American and iNDONESIAN red cross
The Red Cross has worked in conjuction with the Asia Disaster Preparedness Centre which addresses disaster vulnerability in South and Southeast Asia through a strategic regional risk reduction program. It builds a community-level response such as sharing essential disaster response skills, for example, how to safely conduct light search and rescue activities and helping to get wounded people out of the disaster. The project aims to make a community-based decision as a vital part of the emergency response systems making sure that people who are first to respond are those who have links to community preparedness plans in order to make better coordinated decisions. Furthermore, it trains an estimated 5,000 responders to support millions of vulnerable people living across the nine countries which the program covers.
Figure 6.1: This is a line graph showing the annual budget of the Indonesian Red Cross district branches in the East Nusa Tenggara province located southwest of Indonesia between 2009-2013 in Indonesian Rupiah. There is a gradual upward trend between 2009 and 2012 with an increase of approximately 400 million Rupiah per year. However in 2013, there was more income support for the Indonesian Red Cross with an extra 500 million Rupiah being funded.
Source: http://www.redcross.org.au/files/Final_Report_Strenghtening_PMI_in_NTT.PDF
Source: http://www.redcross.org.au/files/Final_Report_Strenghtening_PMI_in_NTT.PDF
Aceh Water and Sanitation Project
The American Red Cross continues to work with the Indonesian Red Cross in order to allow tsunami affected areas to get access to clean drinking water. Trainings, hygiene education and collaboration on infrastructure assessments will allow this project to reach maximum potential. Moreover, the program will improve working knowledge of how to build water and sanitation infrastructure which will promote hygiene as well as encouraging sustainable management by village water committees. More than 45,000 people are expected to benefit from the Aceh Province across the 60 villages.
Coastal Disaster Risk Reduction
Since the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami in 2004, there has been increased seismic activity along the coasts of Western Sumatra and Southwest Java, particularly earthquake damage. Thus huge gaps still exist to alert communities to coastal risks and hazards. The project assures that 15 coastal areas are assessed to see their weaknesses, as well as creating community action plans which will integrate risk reduction activities into formal and informal education which will toughen up these communities as well as dealing with the disastrous consequences of coastal hazards. Furthermore, the project will branch out to coastal areas to strengthen their organisational and management capacities and bonds with the local government, thus helping more than 47,000 people.
Figure 6.2: This is a pie graph showing the type of services provided by the Indonesian Red Cross district branches in the East Nusa Tengerra Province between 2009-2013 as a percentage. Although blood transfusion services is the prominent source of help at 34%, disaster response and mitigation makes up 29% of the Indonesian Red Cross activity showing the impact disasters cause to the local communities and the great frequency in which natural disasters occur in Indonesia. These programs implemented will help to reduce damage and help to deal with these situations more effectively.
Source: http://www.redcross.org.au/files/Final_Report_Strenghtening_PMI_in_NTT.PDF
Source: http://www.redcross.org.au/files/Final_Report_Strenghtening_PMI_in_NTT.PDF
Greater Jakarta Disaster Risk Reduction
Since climate-related disasters are exacerbating a range of social and environmental pressures in Indonesia putting its socio-economic development and environment. Since Indonesia's urban development is one of the best in the world, with more than half of the population living in urban areas. The Red Cross attempts to strengthen the communities' resilience through activities such as river reinforcement, tree plantation, solid waste management and drainage improvement. Additionally, the program will help communities form disaster response teams, create contingency plans as well as conducting practice emergency drills to raise awareness and help prepare before a disaster hits. It will also strengthen relations between the government and the private sector.
Integrated Community Based Risk Reduction Project/ Integrated Health and Disaster Risk Reduction Project
The American Red Cross is working with the Indonesian Red Cross in order to allow communities to be ready for a disaster which strikes a region which is highly prone to these catastrophes. This can be seen through the detailed assessments, planning and coordination in provinces such as Aceh, which allow disaster action teams to solve the problems in each community. Campaigns are a source of enhancing community awareness about disaster risk reduction as well as climate change while Indonesian Red Cross capacities at both local and national levels through developing educational materials and better coordinating with disaster management assistance. From reports by the Government of Indonesia, Central Java is the area most affected by natural disasters in Indonesia. This is backed up by the fact that 580 disasters ranging from landslides to tornadoes were experienced. American and Indonesian Red Cross are preventing this through working with communities to improve health and prevent spread of disease. By visiting households as well as public awareness campaigns and education sessions, people affected by disasters will be able to deal with disasters as well as withstand health issues.
West Sumatra Organisational Development Project
The West Sumatra Province which inhabits more than 4 million people is vulnerable to both man made and natural disasters. The West Sumatra Chapter play an important role ensures that the Indonesian Red Cross effectively addresses the country's catastrophes as well as prominent health needs. The American Red Cross is working with the Indonesian Red Cross to bulk up the West Sumatra Chapter through activities such as resource development polices and financial management and training staff to adapt to these policies. By creating set sharing and communication policies this project will help 550 Indonesian Red Cross members help to improve aid to natural disasters in Indonesia.
Evaluation:
The Indonesian and American Red Cross have implemented these projects on a national level in order to ultimately provide different regions in Indonesia such as Sumatra and the Aceh Province which are the most prone to natural disasters to be able to be more prepared for these natural disasters. Many of these solutions are very effective in addressing these issues as well as providing constant support for those who have been struck by a natural disaster.
In the short term, these projects have a high effect on the community but have little effect on Indonesia's economy as little funding is needed, which is a win-win situation. Basic necessities and sanitation which is provided by the Aceh Water and Sanitation Project, which will directly benefit those who have just been struck by a natural disaster as well as the disaster response teams which are able to both rescue people who may have been injured during a natural disaster or warn those in the affected area so they are able to react appropriately, which will directly benefit those who have just suffered the severe consequences of natural disasters. The implementation of river reinforcement and drainage improvement will have a small but vital effect as many disasters are on a small scale and these small improvements all add up to greatly reduce the impact of natural disasters. If knowledge is broadened about how to build water and sanitation infrastructure this will allow for areas which may have been suddenly affected by a natural disaster to get access to the basic necessities of food and water if they are able to built in a short period of time. These short-term projects are essential to help saving lives as well as they provide quick and on the go solutions, which will help Indonesia react in an appropriate way during an unexpected natural disaster.
In the long term, these projects will reap its full rewards as these solutions are monitored to help reduce the damage of natural disasters over time. The implementation of infrastructure assessments especially the working knowledge on the construction of water and sanitation infrastructure will help see how vulnerable certain buildings are to natural disasters and thus can be strengthened so it is ensured they will not be affected during an incident. Secondly, creating community plans and integrating risk reduction into both informal and formal education will be a big step into preventing natural disasters in the long run. The plans will help greatly during a natural disaster because a community will work together in order to help each other out and adhere to each other's instructions and commands. Integrating risk reduction into education will mean that people will know about the risks of natural disasters and how to prevent themselves from getting injured, for example, finding shelter in a nearby emergency centre. Campaigns are also a great way to raise awareness about the effects of natural disasters, which in turn will make people living in prone natural disaster areas to be more wary of they prepare for such events. Finally, developing policies such as financial management and resource development will help train Red Cross staff which will help with communicating and sharing protocols meaning they can help affected areas more effectively and efficiently, limiting the damage caused. These long term solutions all benefit the communities of Indonesia greatly and will help sustain help to natural disaster affected areas and thus have reached our criteria with ease.
Overall, these projects are both cheap and effective, thus meeting our criteria of cost in proportion to effectiveness. These projects seem very simple, but at the same time are essential in order to give aid to those who are affected by these catastrophes. Developing policies, educating people about risk reduction and implementing sanitation systems are not costly things, but they are all very effective in helping Indonesia overcome the destruction of natural disasters both in the long term and the short term. This can be seen by the fact that nearly 116,800 people benefit from just the Integrated Health and Disaster Risk Reduction Project, which provides activities such as education sessions and household visits. If these projects can be sustained for a long time, with it still being cheap, it will come a long way in solving the issues of natural disasters in Indonesia.