On 30th June 2007 we handed over the 1,500 houses we have been built in Aceh Barat District and Nagan Raya District. The celebration took place on Kuala Tuha village in Nagan Raya District. That number completed the 4,500 houses in which we have built in our Tsunami Disaster Response Project.
In this 2 years project we learned how to manage the massive reconstruction in disaster affected area. The challenges and difficulties are huge, which I have written in my previous posts in this blog. Some of the topics can be seen on the right column of this blog under title “Blog HOT Topics”. Despite the intricacies we have to find what strategies should be implemented. The strategy for sure can help our team to excel and surpass the challenges.
In one of our monthly senior meeting which happened on June last year, I shared the 5 points should be implemented in our work. In brief it can be describe as follows:
1. Create budget and stick to it
Creating budget is a must to do before any commencement. There is no guarantee that all operation shall succeed. In this disaster area we might surprise with wide devastation of infrastructures or challenges come from the nature. Click here These difficulties may increase the costs such as transportation cost. Another challenge is due to massive reconstruction, we expected that the construction materials will sky rocketed. Click here
We have to carefully lay out the plan, methodology and strategy and supported with budget. With clear plan and budget, the Finance Department can help the operations in terms of guidance also check and balances. This condition can create cost consciousness on the ground on any aspects.
2. Good team delivers good resultsFor me this is the most interesting and most challenging. In our work entire Aceh we worked in 4 areas or we call it Disaster Response Technical Centers (DRTC). Each DRTC leaded by a manager. I remembered on mid of December 2005, we did the reorganization and we carefully selected on who to be positioned in each DRTC. We were lucky that we got smart, committed and dedicated managers to help us They performed well so we can deliver the 4,500 houses for the tsunami victims.
Not only managers and engineers, our work is to find the best labours to work in our sites. This was tough. Due to enormous construction work in Aceh, workers usually pirated to work to other organization which doing the same project like us. But we already prepared our self with this kind of challenge. Click here.
In our operations in Aceh, we do the construction by our self which gave the work to labour, labour contractor, through construction company and mixed of all those methodologies. Finding a good contractor has became a big issue in Aceh. There so many un-experience and even bogus contractor that was. So we set up method to choose the right one. Click here
3. Enhance procurement and logistic team
Huge construction work in Aceh is a business opportunity for many people including building suppliers. The were flocking to Aceh not merely from other area of Indonesia but also from overseas. When we started the project, some suppliers shocked us with their requirement. They needed fully upfront payment for material which they sell, which is laughable in normal condition. The worst condition is some of them offered commission to many NGOs staff to buy their material.
Proper strategy needed when to purchase material and how to handling them. Stock piling in huge number doesn't proof as a good idea. But lack of material because to small purchasing is create more problem and also made the price higher. Our team trained to handle those things.
4. Strong Community Organizer team
Our basic methodology is Community-based Disaster Response. If we don't have strong team to handle the community development work, our work will be messed up. Many NGO who do the project in Aceh, fell in the community problems. Many problems like land tenure, resettlement, community participation and many other things should be taken good care by the strong community organizer team
5. Community acceptance and accessibility
“Please do no harm the NGO worker”said Kuntoro Mangunsubroto, Head of Badan Rehabilitasi dan Rekonstruksi NAD dan Nias on June 23, 2007. In front of many Aceh local leader in Calang, Aceh Jaya District, he stated his disappointment since some NGO worker taken as hostage and beaten by the community.
There is a dilema for the NGO. Still working in a difficult community, hoping that they can be changed and adopt the program. The question is how long the NGO have to wait? Please see the point number 1, there is a budget that limited our time line. If we don't careful about this the admin cost will totally consumed just to wait they will be changed.
I believe that we can not help everybody. We just have to work and help people that willing to accept us and agree with our program. This kind of community can help us to achieve our best to help them.
Arwin Soelaksono - Disaster Response & reConstruction
