On 9 March 2023, innovators of the IDEAKSI Project^[i] and members of YAKKUM Emergency Unit (YEU) gathered at the Prime Plaza Hotel in Sleman in order to update each other and one of the partners, ADRRN Tokyo Innovation Hub, represented by their regional innovation coordinator, Miss Ikue Uchida.

The innovators also prepared themselves for the next step in the project. They refreshed and sharpened their pitching skills to find new ways of collaboration with wider stakeholders: the local government, private sector, media, and academe.

Below are presentations of  various good practices and lessons learned from some of the projects.

 

Lingkar Association (Development of Inclusive Early Warning and Evacuation Planning System for Merapi Eruption Through the Radius App)

A lot of progress has been made in this project in the last couple of months, for example persons with disabilities have been encouraged in disaster risk reduction (DRR) efforts in their communities and following from this, they were able to demonstrate to local stakeholders that people with disabilities can also participate more meaningfully in activities in the village. Lingkar themselves experienced how to implement an inclusive program.

 

Gunungkidul DRR Forum—FPRB GK (Inclusive Digital DRR Discussion Platform for Persons with Disabilities)

So far, great improvements have been made, for example accessibility to the public health center (Puskesmas)in Nglipar and to the Bejiharjo art building was created, an access road from Kuwon village to Kapanewon (sub-district office) was built and an access road from Dusun Gelung to Kapanewon Nglipar has been repaired. Furthermore, the Siraman Village Hall in Wonosari got a new ramp.

 

CIQAL Foundation (Wukirsari as Sister Village of Kepuharjo to Prepare for Merapi Eruption and Ensure an Inclusive Evacuation Process)

In this project, a lot of progress has been made, too. For example, the urban village officials and social institutions have supported their? activities, people with disabilities are starting to have the courage to open up to interact with devices and there are results of knowledge products which are made together.

 

Ngudi Mulya Farmers’ Group (Smart Mist Irrigation)

In that project, Ngudi Mulya received good feedback from all of the involved young and elderly farmers. In addition, they also received support from the village administration and from related agencies e.g., the agricultural advising agency of the Purwosari sub-district and the agricultural agency of Gunungkidul.

 

PB Palma—Disaster Management and Community Service Unit of Ambarrukma Javanese Christian Church (Effective and Inclusive Emergency Response for Gadjah Wong River Flooding)

The application of early warning systems (EWS) for floods in settlements around rivers needs to consider (participation and protection? of) all residents in one watershed area, not just residents on one side of the river. In order to realize this, communities on other riverbanks are involved because they are aware that residents across the river are also at risk of being affected by flooding and can take advantage of the same EWS. Moreover, this innovation can serve as an example on the role of faith-based organizations (FBO) in the community and have humanitarian programs in inclusive DRR.

 

Sekoci Sasana Inspira (Orientation of Emergency Host Family Relationships—SINARKARAT)

Through IDEAKSI, the Sekoci Team has learned to enhance its capacity as an organization. It successfully submitted a request to be formally recognized as an organization by the government. Despite the innovation being in hiatus, Sekoci has also gained learnings in their innovation process. They organized a community of students and teachers at a school for persons with disabilities to gain more DRR knowledge. Sekoci has maintained its commitment to look for new opportunities to support the community they partnered with.

 

Merapi Rescue Community—MRC (Visual and Sound-Based Self Evacuation Guidance System)

A lot has been learnt in the past, e.g. there was a need for a direction guide system for self-evacuation because the residents tend to panic, lose their focus and be confused towards the gathering point. Also, there must be an independent power supply that can last a long time since the power goes out and the area tends to be darker even during the day. Besides, the system must support the familiarization process so that the evacuation process takes place intuitively and independently because the residents tend to be shocked and unable to remember the evacuation procedures.

 

Persons with Disabilities’ Task Force for Disaster Response—DIFAGANA DIY (DIFGANDES Difagana Disaster Emergency Support App as Inclusive Disaster Mitigation Mobile Application)

DIFGANDES application has now reached version 2.0 with added features, such as the provision of segregated data, evacuation routes, and assembly point information. The innovation process has enabled DIFAGANA DIY to get more national and international exposure in various engagements, such as being invited as speakers at Asia–Pacific regional meetings and awarded as Top 45 public service innovation at the national level.

 

Winongo Asri Communication Forum—FKWA (Organic Waste Management Using Black Soldier Fly Larvae)

In this project, learning progress can also be recognized. The waste problem is still a strategic problem in the city of Yogyakarta but the government is promoting a massive waste management in areas up to the neighborhood/community (RT/ RW) level with its waste bank. As a result, an opportunity to also introduce an organic waste bank by managing BSF (Black Soldier Fly) maggot bioconversion arises. The market is open and there is already a cooperation with various parties for the final result of processed organic waste and also with SLB (schools for persons with disabilities) to provide training in schools.

 

Written by: Christine Damboeck

Edited by: Lorenzo Fellycyano

 

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[i] The IDEAKSI (short for Idea, Innovation, Action, and Inclusion) program is a part of the Community-Led Innovation Partnership (CLIP) run by the YAKKUM Emergency Unit (YEU). The partnership supports the emergence and development of locally-driven solutions to humanitarian problems in the Democratic Republic of Congo (deferred), Guatemala, Indonesia, and the Philippines. As part of the partnership, IDEAKSI seeks to find innovative and inclusive solutions to disaster management for most-at-risk groups, including persons with disabilities and the elderly.

Through the support provided by Elrha, Start Network, the Asia Disaster Reduction and Response Network (ADRRN) Tokyo Innovation Hub, and funding by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), YEU is able to organize IDEAKSI as its CLIP project in Indonesia.