Sustainable livelihood recovery in Nias and Aceh

ACTED set up in Indonesia in 2004 through an emergency response to the tsunami.

Throughout post-Tsunami and earthquake reconstruction efforts in Indonesia, the main focus of all the stakeholders involved was ensuring that the rehabilitation undertaken was of a high standard thus leaving the devastated communities with better facilities than those prior to the natural disasters... ACTED in Indonesia made this a key priority of its rehabilitation efforts whilst also considering the vulnerability of Aceh and Nias. With this in mind, the actions of ACTED were focused primarily on Nias.

ACTED has worked in Northern Nias since 2005. Reconstruction activities included the construction of shelters, water and sanitation facilities and schools. Special attention was also paid to developing local capacity through training in marine carpentry techniques and hygiene education. Since then, ACTED Indonesia has expanded its role through multisectoral interventions that address relief, rehabilitation and development.

With many of the major rehabilitation tasks coming to an end, 2008 marked a shift towards addressing Nias’ long standing development issues. ACTED is implementing a comprehensive livelihood recovery project to replace lost agriculture and fishery assets and to build local capacity. The transfer of peer-to peer skills is an important component of the project and for this reason self-help groups were created and training sessions organised.

Recent projects include the construction of roads and bridges in the Tugala Oyo region to improve humanitarian access and school construction, forest management, training of boat carpenters, an integrated disaster preparedness initiative and expanded development programmes in Sumatra are planned.

Today ACTED Indonesia has over 150 staff and two offices in Nias and Meulaboh. There remain many other areas of Indonesia similarly in need of development assistance, particularly in the east of the country. ACTED is working to understand what these needs are with a view towards extending our reach to other areas of the country.