CFK Newsletter Apr-Jun 2012

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Quarterly Report & Newsletter

April - June 2012

Committed To Training & Mentoring Local Language Facilitators

CFK are committed to training and capacity building Indonesian field workers, enabling them to deliver

effective disaster preparation & response programs as well as development initiatives that are holistic,

integrated, sustainable and trulytransform the communities in which we serve.While some level of

development is starting to be

achieved in Indonesias

industrialized cities, with a

population of over 230 million

people, this nation is still

struggling to alleviate poverty

and attain justice for all

especially in the isolated rural

villages and amongst the urbanpoor.

Poverty is a pronounced

deprivation of well-being, poor

people in Indonesia - and other

countries - are particularly

vulnerable due to poor health,

low education, lack of facilities

and infrastructure. They are

often effected by adverse eventsoutside their control such as

natural disaster and social

political manipulation. They

have little opportunity to

express their opinions or have

any real voice in decisions that

effect their well-being.

Indonesia is also geographically

vulnerable to a high risk ofnatural disasters, 27% of the

worlds active volcanos are

located in this nation which is

made up of over 17,000 islands.

Floods, landslides and

earthquakes occur regularly, but

the one of the biggest risks due

to the intense pressure that is

constantly building up on the

tectonic plates that lie beneath

Indonesias oceans - this means

that the threat of another

devastating tsunami is alwayson the horizon.

Indonesia's large population and

rapid industrialization also

present serious environmental

issues including large-scale

deforestation and over-

exploitation of marine and

natural resources. Environment

issues are often given a lowerpriority due to pressing poverty

related issues and ineffectual

local governance.

Unfortunately, training facilities

to educate and capacity build

people in Community

Development and Humanitarian

Aid are generally located

outside of Indonesia in moredeveloped countries. These

facilities are not easily

accessible to the majority of

Indonesian national field

workers. Financial restraints,

language barriers and visa

requirements all inhibit most

Indonesian workers from having

the opportunity to improve their

capacities and become leaders

in the development of their own

communities.

CFK is currently developing a

Pilot Program for a Training

Course & Internship. This

training course will enable

Indonesian national workers to

gain theory and practical

expertise that is in line with

international standards. The

Training Course and Internship

is aimed at empowering them tomeet the challenge of Disaster

Response, Poverty Alleviation

and Advocating to attain justice

for all. After completing the

training and internship these

Indonesian workers will have a

better understanding and be

more equipped to take

responsibility in finding

solutions as well asimplementing initiatives that

meet their own disaster relief

and development needs.

!

Partnering with the COMMUNITY to transform their LIVESthroughholisticcommunity development & disaster response.


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With so many disaster recovery and

rehabilitation issues to focus on, the

rights and needs of children are

often overlooked or given a lesser

priority.

To ensure that children are not

only considered but are activelyengaged, CFK are adopting a

Child Rights approach in

delivering our Mentawai Tsunami

Recovery Initiatives. As well as

advocating to establish early

childhood development facilities

such as Kindergartens and Well

Baby Clinics in the IDP

(Internally Displaced People)

Camps, over the past 6 months

CFK has also been working

alongside the elementary age

children to improve the quality of

their lives and help them adapt to

their new living environment.

Program activities were aimed atbuilding the childrens awareness

of a healthier lifestyle and a

healthy environment. This has

been achieved by involving the

children in CFKs organic

agriculture initiative, through

growing their own vegetables the

children have learned about

personal hygiene, sanitation and

nutrition as well as the

importance of protecting their

natural environment. At the end

of the school term, the children

participated in evaluating the

program activities. They gave

input on what they had learned

and what they liked about the

program as well as how they

thought the program could be

improved. They also offered

their ideas on the types of future

after school activities they would

like to be involved in, their ideas

included a community library,

rubbish recycling, sporting

activities as well as dance and

music lessons.

Mona and Yesi (pictured right) are two of CFKs local language facilitators, together they

have been working in the Child Rights Sector.Mona (left) who is originally form the Mentawai Island of Seiberut, says Working

in CFKs Childrens Sector has been full of new experineces for me as I have had

the opportunity to learn about project management and team work as well as child

rights, participation and protection. Ive really enjoyed working with the children,

its so rewarding because all of the children are so eager to join the activities.

Before the tsunami their villages were in very isolated locations where the children

had limited access to join in creative activities, in fact many children did not attend

school as their villages did not even have a school. Now all of the children have

access to a school, even though the facilities and teachers are limited. CFKs

elementary school activities has helped to inspire the children, Im amazed at the changes that are taking placein them, they are healthier as their hygiene habits are changing, they are becoming so creative and are full of

new ideas about activities that they want to have in their next after school activity program.!

Quarterly Report & Newsletter April - June 2012

Mentawai Islands - Tsunami Recovery Initiative

Engaging Children In Disaster Recovery


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The CFK team continue to work

towards improving the community

health conditions of the tsunami

survivors living in the IDP (Internally

Displaced People) Camps. The

lack of a permanent clean water

supply is still a problem which

impacts the hygiene and sanitation

situation and access to medical

facilities is still limited. However,

working on the old adage that

prevention is better than cure,

CFK have been providing

awareness building in the IDP

camps to improve the overall

health, hygiene and nutrition of the

people. To improve the pre and

post natal care of children and

mothers, CFK have also been

providing capacity building

training to the traditional

midwives and village healthvolunteers as well as advocating to

the Dept. of Health to provide a

monthly Well Baby Clinics at

each IDP Camp.

In May 2012, CFK facilitated

Family Health Promotion Days at

3 of the IDP Camp locations. with

competitions, a health quiz,

entertainment, a puppet show and

prizes. The Promotion Day was

attended by over 70% of the

village members who had a great

fun family day that really boosted

the moral in the IDP Camps.

Competitions included The Best

Menu based on nutrition, taste and

the use of locally grown organic

produce and The Healthiest Babies

(per age group) based on national

standards for height & weight,

physical response,

maneuverability, immunization

and regular attendance at the Well

Baby Clinics.

Reda & Noel (pictured left) are two of CFKs local language facilitators, they

have been working in CFKs Community Health Development Sector.

Reda (far left) has been working with CFK since the tsunami, she says

I never get bored working with CFK, every day I learn something new

about community development and every day I also learn something

new about my own personal development. As a CFK facilitator I have

been helping to deliver Community Health awareness sessions in the

Mentawai language. Using the local language is really helpful

because it makes it easier for the community members to understand

the materials. Ive really enjoyed working with the Traditional Birthing Women, seeing them learn and

then use the new techniques that are safer and more hygienic has been a blessing for all of the mothers and

babies in the IDP camps. I am so happy working here because the CFK team has become my extended

family, we really care about each other and the people in the communities where we work.

!



Dealing With Community Health Challenges In DisasterRecovery


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The Mentawai peoples traditional

diet consists of fish, bananas and a

starchy root vegetable called tallas.

After the tsunami the people were

moved from their costal villages to

inland IDP (Internally Displaced

People) Camps in the middle of thejungle. It is planned that they will re-

build new villages at these new

inland locations.

CFK have been working

alongside the tsunami survivors

teaching them how to grow their

own vegetables using

environmentally sustainable

organic methods. CFK initially

sent a group of local Mentawai

facilitators to Java Island to be

trained as trainers in organic

vegetable growing. In this way

these Mentawai facilitators have

been able to provide trainings to

the tsunami survivors in the local

Mentawai language, which isquite different to the national

Indonesian language.

CFKs local Mentawai facilitators

have since established a small

organic vegetable demonstration

plot near our office where they

first try out the new techniques

before taking them into the

villages. They have also

successfully mentored the tsunami

survivors to establish their own

organic vegetable demonstration

plots at 2 of the IDP Camps.

Now men, women and even the

children are enjoying growing

their own vegetables. CFK planto start to introduce chicken and

fish farming trainings at the

demonstration plots. Also as the

tsunami survivors start to build

and move into their new

permanent home sites, CFK plans

to help them to further establish

vegetable farming and animal

husbandry to supplement their

household incomes.

The boys from CFKs Organic Agriculture Team are pictured with some of

the women from the IDP Camp at Km 8, who have been learning toestablish organic FAITH (Food Always In The House) Gardens.

Binsar (back row, second from left) is one of CFKs local

Mentawai language facilitators, he says Im so blessed to be able

to work with CFK, because at CFK I can keep growing and

learning. I feel like Ive gone back to school - but at the same time

Im working so I can provide for my family. One of the best things

is that I am now able to help other Mentawai people because I can

teach them everything Im learning about organic agriculture.

Before I started working with CFK I couldnt see any opportunities

for me or my family here on the Mentawai Islands, but now every where I look I see there are opportunities,God has done his part and provided everything we need, so if we want to prosper its now up to us to do our

part. My dream is to establish an organic agriculture training center right here on the Mentawai Islands.!



Tackling Food Security & Livelihood Development In Disaster Recover


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One of the most beneficial post

disaster initiatives that CFK has

implemented is to help the effected

communities bring order out of the

chaos and destruction.

Most disaster survivors are so

over whelmed by their personallosses that they have difficulty in

think about the mountain of

rehabilitation issues that need to

be consider so that they can start

getting their lives back into order.

They have lost their family

members, their homes, their

livelihoods and often dont have

the will to try to start all over

again.

In the Mentawai Islands where

prior to a disaster the people were

already living in chronic poverty

recovering from the disaster has

been very challenging. The

people usually live from season to

season, only focusing on trying to

meet their own personal and

family needs, they do not have

much experience in coordinating,

planning and working together for

the good of the whole community.

If disaster response and

rehabilitation initiatives are not

handled correctly, initiatives that

are intended to have a positive

impact can create negative

situations such as aid dependency

and feuds amongst the disaster

survivors. On the Mentawai

Islands, CFK have been working

alongside the disaster survivors

facilitating participatory village

planning workshops and

coordination meetings. In this

way all of the disaster survivors

have the opportunity to voice their

opinions, identify their resources

and prioritize their needs. They

are empowered to be active

participants in finding solutions to

their rehabilitation problems.

!



Participatory Village Plaining In Disaster Recovery

Neldi and Gonggom (pictured right) are two of CFKs local language facilitators,together they have been working in the Village Planning Sector.

Neldi (far right) says Village Planning is crucial in developing the local

communities and CFKs Training of Trainers method has been very effective as

all of the programs are delivered in the local Mentawai language, now instead

of just a few people making all the decisions, the whole village can participate

in the village planning process - they really appreciate that CFK have made it

possible for their voices to be heard when important village decisions are being

made. On a personal level, Neldi says I have really changed since I

started working with CFK, I have learned so much about being responsible, team work, about facilitating

community development and breaking poverty cycles. I am amazed that our village elders now come to me forguidance and I can contribute positive advice to them. I am so grateful to God and CFK for the opportunity to

help bring about a positive transformation in the lives of my people here in the Mentawai Islands.

CFK Newsletter Apr-Jun 2012

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Transcript of CFK Newsletter Apr-Jun 2012