HEALTH SERVICES
Singing, Dancing, Greets Opening of IOM Clinics
The first two of 55 Satellite Health Clinics (SHC) the International Organization for Migration is building for the tsunami-affected population of Aceh province opened on 12 May to traditional dance performances and the sounds of singing children.
The clinics, located in government-built temporary living centers (TLC) in Lambaro and Darussalam sub-districts near the provincial capital Banda Aceh, will serve as the primary centers for basic health care for roughly 1,800 people.
"The tsunami did great damage to the medical infrastructure in Aceh," says Dr. Zenaida Nihill, IOM's Health Coordinator. "In many cases there are few fully functioning clinics left in the areas around the TLCs so the satellite health clinics will meet the basic medical needs of all the people living in the TLCs."
Clinic construction has begun in six other locations in Pidie and Bireuen districts in the past weeks. The Indonesian government initially requested the construction of 51 SHCs, but the Provincial Health Office has since increased the number in recognition of the great need for health services among the IDP population. Roughly 50,000 tsunami-affected people will be eligible for medical care at SHCs, which are staffed around the clock, by the time the project is completed.
A children's choir formed by residents of the Lambaro barrack complex welcomed representatives of the provincial and national health ministries, the Japanese government which funded the construction of both new clinics, AmeriCares, the WHO and other international aid partners attending the ceremony.
Mr. Hiroshi Nawata, First Secretary of the Japanese Embassy, noted in his speech that Japan has also experienced many earthquakes in the past, that they understand the suffering of the Acehnese people well, and thanked IOM and its partners for their hard work in this joint effort.
IOM is also providing each clinic with a motorcycle and three mobile phones in order to help the doctors and nurses make their rounds.
Mental Health Training
IOM held the sixth in a series of mental health training sessions at the main Police Hospital in the provincial capital Banda Aceh from 12 to 14 May.
The program was developed with the Indonesian Ministry of Health to train medical staff on basic counseling and early detection of mental health disorders so that appropriate solutions may be offered to victims suffering from tsunami or non-tsunami related mental illness. In cooperation with the Provincial Health Office community mental health trainers, more than 130 public health center workers from 10 different puskesmas (primary health centers), recent graduates from medical schools and selected community leaders have successfully completed the training.
Assessment of Permanent Health Facilities
In recognition of the damage done to Aceh's medical services infrastructure, IOM, at the request of the Indonesian government has embarked on a community health facility rehabilitation and revitalization program.
Working closely with the Ministry of Health and its local counterparts, IOM will repair and rebuild permanent community clinics (puskesmas) in five sub-districts in Aceh Barat and Nagan Raya.
Site assessments to puskesmas, and community health posts run by mid-wives and nurses are continuing in both districts.
LIVELIHOOD PROGRAM
Aceh Assessment Report on Needs and Aspirations of Displaced Persons
Aceh's 600,000 tsunami-affected people want to return home, resume their jobs and reestablish their communities, according to a newly released IOM survey of the needs and aspirations of people displaced by the disaster, and the communities that host them.
The multi-agency USAID-funded study, "Settlement & Livelihood: Needs and Aspirations Assessment of All Disaster Affected & Host Communities in NAD," conducted in March, was designed to determine the needs and aspirations of both groups primarily in relation to resettlement and livelihood issues. The findings will help the government, international agencies and local NGOs to develop appropriate humanitarian aid and reconstruction programs in the province.
The report concludes that despite the devastation, the desire for self-sufficiency and a return to normality has led some people to go back home already, without assistance from the government or aid agencies.
Most people said that if return was not feasible, they would like to be relocated as close as possible to their original homes providing the government can guarantee them legal title to the land on which their new homes will be built.
The majority said that they did not want to stay in government-provided barracks, preferring transitional or permanent houses.
Many said that they were dissatisfied with the amount of assistance that they had received to date and what they saw as unequal distribution. A third of them had been given tents, but most aid had been in the form of food (90%), medical services (47%), non-food items (39%), and water and sanitation (35%).
Only 4% had received assistance to re-activate their livelihoods and more than half said that this made them heavily dependent on external help to meet their daily needs.
Almost all the respondents listed a stable source of income as their top priority, and most said that they needed help in the form of capital, tools and training to start new livelihoods.
The report may be downloaded directly from the IOM website at http://www.iom.int/tsunami/documents/indonesia=5Fneeds=5Fassessment.pdf. The study was based on interviews with 2,111 respondents in 12 districts of Aceh province. Researchers also held focus group discussions with 10-person groups in each of the 71 disaster-affected sub-districts.
SHELTER PROJECT
Shelter Construction Begins at Cut Paya for 210 Families
On 2 May, construction work began at Cut Paya, Darussalam, Aceh Besar, which will accommodate approximately 210 homes for displaced persons.
The occasion was marked by Iman Tengku Zakaria, who led the blessing of the grounds and tools. According to village chief Akli Muhammad, the families who lost their homes to the tsunami have been living in nearby barracks, or with friends and families. Because everyone is dispersed, their village and sense of community has been disrupted, he said.
"We are really anxious to get back to our land and we are committed to live here like before the tsunami disaster," he said.
The village, which is located close to the water's edge, was home to a mixture of fishermen, farmers and bricklayers.
The village, which is located to the water's edge, was home to a mixture of fishermen, farmers and bricklayers.
Shelter construction for displaced persons is underway in three other locations in Aceh Besar including Punge, where 117 units are being erected, and a second site at Tingkeum village where IOM is erecting 32 new homes.
The 26 December tsunami killed an estimated 125,000 people in Indonesia's northernmost province. In the weeks following the tsunami, the government asked IOM to provide 11,000 of the Indonesian-designed units for displaced persons. The first of the homes were handed over to their new owners in a ceremony in Tingkeum village on 26 April.
Accelerating the Construction Process
Less than two weeks after its creation, the joint IOM-Public Works Task Force, has already identified promising construction sites suitable for more than 500 new transitional homes.
Based in the Public Works office in Banda Aceh, the Task Force is charged with identifying suitable new land and pairing it with needy communities. In addition to the formal joint operations, IOM is also working with local government officials and community leaders to identify and select new shelter recipients.
All the shelter units will be built by eight Aceh-based contractors, two of which have already started supplying construction units for the Pung Blang Cut shelter site and Bireuen satellite health clinics.
In addition, IOM's partner in its on-going satellite health clinic program, AmeriCares, has donated 2,000 Tupperware kits which will be given to families as they move into the shelters.
Providing Housing Support to Civil Servants
At the request of Aceh's acting-governor, IOM has also committed itself to providing up to 1,000 transitional homes for civil servants. The construction of the first 30 shelters started at Dinas Pertanian, Banda Aceh on 8 May. IOM is clearing land at five other sites and will be ready to start construction work shortly.
COUNTER TRAFFICKING UNIT
Assisting Children with School Transportation
IOM distributed thirty-two bicycles to children living in a temporary living center (TLC) in Lampineung village, Aceh Besar on 5 May. The bicycles replace the school bus service IOM has provided village children since February 2005. IOM transferred the bus from Lampineung village to Naga Umbang, Aceh Besar, on May 6, after learning that children living in a local TLC have to walk 2.5 kilometers overland in order to reach their school.
IOM is conducting assessments in other locations to see if there is further need for school transportation assistance.
Livelihood Training for Vulnerable Women
The livelihood program launched in April 2005 continues to benefit vulnerable women living in TLCs in tsunami-affected Lancang village, Junib, Bireuen. The three training sessions per week in sewing and embroidery will continue for three months.
Participants in a three-daylong duck husbandry training initiative facilitated by IOM held a brainstorming session in Lancang village to solicit feedback about the course and suggestions about follow-up activities. IOM will continue to closely monitor and assist these women as they establish their own farms.
Community Women Discuss Measures to Prevent Human Trafficking
IOM's partner, Koalisi Perempuan Indonesia (KPI), held a follow-up discussion on human trafficking in Lamlagang village, Banda Aceh, which focused on possible prevention measures local women should take to counter human trafficking. They unanimously agreed to form a women's group, have regular meetings, link up with women's groups from different areas and improve dialogue about women's issues with the local government.
IOM is expanding the counter-trafficking information campaign to other areas of Aceh province. The first community discussions were held in Lambaro and Cot Goe, Aceh Besar, last week and a second round of discussions will follow shortly.
28 MARCH EARTHQUAKE EMERGENCY RESPONSE
Information Campaign on Disaster Preparedness Begins
IOM, in collaboration with the Indonesian Institute for Disaster Preparedness (IIDP), is carrying out a comprehensive information campaign on disaster preparedness in areas affected by the 28 March 8.7 magnitude earthquake that badly damaged areas of Nias and Simeulue islands, and mainland Singkil sub-district. Through this educational program, IOM aims to build the capacity of the communities to better respond to natural disasters, particularly earthquakes and tsunamis.
Information materials, including 15,000 posters and flyers, will be widely distributed across Nias and Simeulue. In addition, IOM and the IIDP will jointly organize a pilot training on disaster preparedness and mitigation for approximately 250 displaced persons in Sibolga, North Sumatra. The 5-day training is expected to take place next month.
IOM Continues To Deliver Earthquake Relief
IOM has delivered more than 3,900 metric tons of relief goods to the earthquake-affected areas, particularly Nias and Simeulue islands. The organization has 44 trucks in Nias to support the logistical operations of IOM and its partner agencies. Most of the trucks were locally hired or transported from Medan. IOM will enhance its ability to deliver aid over the next two months by leasing a landing craft (LCT) large enough to carry up to 15 trucks between Sibolga and Gunung Sitoli, the capital of Nias.
Needs and Damage Assessment Completed
IOM's field monitoring team completed a comprehensive needs and damage assessment of approximately 600 villages on both Nias and Simeulue islands. All the data was sent to IOM's partner NGO, LP3ES, based in Jakarta. Once the data is compiled, results will be incorporated into the soon-to-be released province-wide damage assessment of close to 1,300 tsunami-affected towns and villages around Aceh.
Rehabilitation of Market Kiosks
IOM Medan has purchased the construction materials needed to begin the organization's market rehabilitation project in Nias and Simeulue. In Nias, the kiosk design was shared with and approved by the District Head. The IOM shelter team in Nias will begin site preparation and construction work for the initial 350 market kiosks this week.
IOM also discussed the kiosk design with the District Head in Simeulue and agreed to adjust the size from the original four to nine square meters to reflect the local needs. The District Head lauded IOM's initiative and allocated three sites to rebuild market kiosks. The IOM shelter team continues to conduct site visits to assess other market places affected by the earthquake.
The market revitalization program will result in the construction of 800 stalls by locally trained carpenters on both islands.
Medical Evacuation and Assisted Return to Nias
At the request of the North Sumatra Governor Rizal Nurdin, IOM continues to track the progress of more than 350 patients and their family members evacuated by air and sea to hospitals on mainland Sumatra following the 28 March quake. IOM has so far provided return assistance to 272 people, including 146 patients and 126 family escorts, from Medan to Gunung Sitoli, using a chartered flight provided by Croix Rouge Françoise (CRF).
IOM has also helped 412 people hospitalized in Nias or treated aboard the USNS Mercy ship to return home.
As the CRF has halted flights between Medan and Mias, IOM has chartered six commercial flights to facilitate the return of approximately 96 patients still remaining in Medan. At present 31 patients have been discharged and are waiting to return home. IOM aims to complete the program by the end of May.
TRANSPORT
IOM Overland Truck Convoy Routes:
Medan - Banda Aceh
Medan - Meulaboh
Medan - Lhokseumawe - Bireun - Sigli
Medan - Sibolga - Nias
Medan - Singki - Simeulue
Medan - Samosir
Medan - Sidikalang
| AID |
Quantity
| Status |
| Relief supplies (food and non-food items.) delivered by overland convoy from Medan to Banda Aceh. |
19,196MT
| Arrived in Banda Aceh and distributed in Tsunami affected persons camps and host communities in Banda Aceh and Aceh Besar. |
| Relief supplies transported by overland convoys from Medan to Meulaboh. |
4,538MT
| Arrived and distributed in Meulaboh. |
| Relief supplies transported by overland truck convoy traveling a distance of 2,726 km from Jakarta to Banda Aceh and Meulaboh. |
2,272MT
| Arrived in Banda Aceh and distributed as requested by the consignees. This service has been discontinued untill further notice. |
| Relief supplies transported by overland convoys in response to the 28 March Earthquake |
2,432MT
| Delivered to Sibolga for further shipment and distribution to the devastated Island of Nias, Samosir and Simeulue. |
| Relief supplies transported by overland convoys from Medan to Biruen, Pidie Lhokseumawe, Sigli, and Deli Serdang. |
830MT
| Arrived and distributed at the destinations as requested by the consignees. |
| Total overland aid delivery |
29,268MT
| Humanitarian Relief items distributed for over 100 different organizations (Government of Indonesia, UN Agencies, international and national NGOs, intergovernmental and governmental organizations). |
FUNDS RECEIVED
To date, IOM has received generous contributions for its Indonesia Emergency Response for Aceh Programme from the following countries: Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States, in addition to private contributions.
For further information please contact:
Anita SHARMA
Information Officer
IOM Jakarta
Tel: +62 21 3983 0991 (office) / +62 81 1947 505 (mobile)
Fax: +62 21 3983 0990
Email: asharmaina@iom.int
OR
Paul DILLON
Press Officer
IOM Banda Aceh
Tel: +62 651 741 0690 (office) / +62 812 6988 035 (mobile)
Fax: +62 651 43554
Email: pdillonaceh@iom.int