One year has passed since several regions in Central Sulawesi were affected by an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 on the Richter Scale that triggered tsunamis and liquefaction, especially in Palu City, Sigi Regency and Donggala Regency. The emergency disaster relief phase was immediately issued with priority to provide basic living assistance for survivors, such as interventions for managing emergency shelters, fulfilling clean water needs, cleaning and sanitation equipment, improving infrastructure and public services.

One of the activities to fulfill basic needs and rights is to provide emergency shelters for survivors, especially with the frequent occurrence of aftershocks and the extent of the affected area. Management of emergency shelters, both in the form of concentrated and independently built camps, has a broader purpose than to protect survivors from weather conditions. This activity also ensures protection for groups of children, women, the elderly and persons with disabilities from all forms of potential violence, as well as facilitating access to humanitarian assistance.

Entering the recovery period, YAKKUM Emergency Unit (YEU) has special attention to the construction of shelters that have a perspective of protection and accessibility to vulnerable groups. This effort also became a learning medium for the surrounding communities that the needs of vulnerable groups could be integrated in recovery programs, such as inclusive housing.

Inclusive housings are designed to ensure maximum accessibility for people who have limitations in mobility or other obstacles. Compared to the usual house design, in inclusive houses are added components such as ramps, doors that open to the outside, handrails and standard door handles. In addition to these special components, it is also necessary to ensure the quality of sand, cement, wood and other materials to ensure a strong and quality building.

The number of inclusive houses built by YEU through the support of the ACT Alliance is 50 units, which at present the work process has reached 44% of the total target. The process of selecting beneficiaries has gone through a selection and verification process with criteria for families with severely damaged houses, families with one or more family members with certain vulnerabilities, and clear land status.

Prior to the implementation of the building of inclusive housing, 242 local builders were trained to ensure the transfer of knowledge related to safe and healthy buildings after the disaster could be practiced in more locations. Learning materials and practices obtained include rules of inclusion building structures, circulation or space, to a universal design to minimize physical barriers to the environment. In addition, training for masons also emphasizes the importance of local knowledge and character content in building safe and healthy construction. Routine supervision during the construction process is not only carried out by the YEU technical team but also by families to ensure compliance with needs and design.

YEU with the support of ACT Alliance will conduct humanitarian services until 2020. The achievements to date are:

• distribution of 5,450 packages for housing (in the form of tarpaulins, mattresses and blankets),
• distribution of 3,300 carpentry and hygiene kits,
• distribution of 2,750 kitchen tool packages,
• construction of 19 emergency toilets,
• distribution of 3,000 hygiene kits,
• health campaigns for 298 village health cadres and activists,
• Provision of assistive devices in the form of crutches and wheelchairs to 7 persons with disabilities
• psychosocial assistance to 759 children,
• and training of 209 child cadres on community-based child protection mechanisms.

The next program will be directed to the disaster risk reduction program through strengthening the village preparedness system, and capacity building for village preparedness actors.

Contact:

Anastasia Maylinda T.
Secretariat, Information and Communications Manager
+62 812 1560 898
maylinda_yeu@yahoo.com