Providing disaster preparedness training and sanitation in Indonesia

In Sumatra Indonesia, an innovative centre of learning is building the capacity of churches, community groups and local organisations to deliver effective community-based programs. It is called the Centre for Disaster Risk Management and Community Development Studies (CDRM&CDS), and it’s supported by Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS).

A focus of the centre’s work is helping communities in Sumatra prepare for natural disasters, such as tsunamis. The Mentawai Islands Tsunami washed away entire villages, but thanks to this training, many lives were saved.

Another focus area is supporting access to clean water and sanitation.

“Before we were supported with clean water I felt really sad because it was so difficult to find clean water. Sometimes we had to go to the river that was seven kilometres away,” says Hezisokhi, a Mentawai Islands farmer.

“My children often had diarrhoea and skin disease from the dirty water and they felt shy and ashamed because they did not have clean clothes and bodies. Now my family is happy and healthy after support from CDRM&CDS in getting a clean water filter system.”

The centre not only supports families, but also encourages personal input and ownership.

Hezisokhi continues, “CDRM&CDS support us for 500,00 IDR [$50] and then we use the money to build the latrine. If the cost goes over we have to pay the difference. For this latrine the complete cost was 800,000 IDR [$80] so I had to raise the extra money. I felt having a latrine was important for the health of the family, so I saved from my income which is 200,000 – 300,000 IDR/month [$20-$30].”

ALWS is supported by the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program.