Enormous funding flowing into Aceh due to extensive publication on tsunami victims. It brought 124 International NGOs, dozens of UN organizations and 430 local NGOs flocked to Aceh. All of these parties have their responsibility in relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction of Aceh. And off course they have their responsibility as a channel of their donor who poured the funding through them.
Around mid of 2005, in big cities like Banda Aceh and Meulaboh, the presence of NGOs made these 2 cities looks like getting smaller. These 2 towns are crowd of organizations. Nearly everyone are in the high spirit to run their program. If everyone is getting hot and the area is crowd the issue is who will be the beneficiaries of the huge funding? The nasty thing to do is persuade the beneficiary to receive someone’s program and in the same time reject others.
For instance is in permanent shelter work. There is a competition of the size and the completeness of the house. Some NGO to win the heart of the beneficiary’s they built 2 stories houses. Some provide kitchen set. Some endow with cash to move in the new house. The beneficiaries were spoiled that they can choose on one NGO and refuse others. Or they can bargain with some NGO in order to seize the best they can get.
This is utterly awful, the mission to reach many people shifted to put the flag of the organization on higher ground. If everyone’s mindset is to provide decent house to as many tsunami victims can get, the competition as mentioned above will not happen. The bigger house, the more complete house built or even more beautiful house, will reduce the number of beneficiary.
Other example from permanent shelter reconstruction works is as happen in Meulaboh, Aceh Barat District. Most of the NGO are prepared to build 36 m sq meters houses. But there was a day, when one NGO came to the local authority told all their houses will be 45 sq meters. Concerned with the jealousy will spread amongst the citizens, the local authority instructed all NGOs to build the same size with that NGO. Same as above based on the budget availability the number of the beneficiary decrease.
But the jealousy already reaches to other district. People of Aceh Jaya District which the closest area of Aceh Barat District receive smaller houses. Most of the NGO here build the 36 sq meters house.
Yesterday evening, a group of villagers came to our office in Rigaih, Aceh Jaya. They asked me, why we treat them differently. They knew that we build 45 sq meters house in Aceh Barat but here the 36 sq meters. In anger they forced me to build same as we build in Aceh Barat otherwise they will kick us out. I told them, we will only build the 36 sq meters. We will not persuade them to receive it. They who are willing to get the 36 sq meters house they can have it freely otherwise they can go to other NGO to receive bigger house. And I told them, if all of them agree to refuse us, we will leave that community.
NGO competition brings bad attitude to the beneficiaries. It made them spoiled. At the end of the day can dictate the NGO who helped them to fulfill their unreasonable needs. Our mission is not only building a house. More than that, we have to share the noble values which are embedded in every NGO entity.
Arwin Soelaksono - Disaster Response & reConstruction
