Rebuilding in many Aceh communities has meant starting from scratch

Damage and losses:

• Current estimates suggest that up to one million people were affected by the tsunami and the 28 March earthquake.
• Total cost of the damage is estimated at $4.5 billion--BAPPENAS/Government of Indonesia
• More than one-third of the 173,000 hectares of settlements hit by the tsunami were completely destroyed. 116,880 private dwellings were damaged or destroyed.  Some 460 health facilities, 665 school buildings, 1,110 religious buildings and close to 1,000 government offices were destroyed. More than 1,525 kilometers of roads were either completely or partially destroyed. Over 1,880 bridges were washed away.
• Over 100,000 wells were contaminated with salt water or left in need of repair.
• 600,000 people (25 percent of Aceh’s population) lost their source of livelihood, including 130,000 farmers, 300,000 fishermen and 170,000 small businesses.
• The disproportionate death toll among women in Aceh is particularly striking, with male survivors outnumbering women by a ratio of almost 3:1.
• Many Achenese women generate income from home-based industries or local trade. Over 70 per cent of female IDPs interviewed stated that they must return to their homes to begin income-generating activities.

Providing temporary employment  

UNDP has carried out cash for work programmes in 162 villages, 20 sub districts, 5 districts (Aceh Barat, Aceh Besar, Pidie, Bireun, Aceh Jaya) and 2 cities in Aceh province. The activities are being done by five NGO i.e. Project Concern Indonesia (PCI), Mercy Corps Indonesia, Matahari Foundation (local NGO), ALISEI and Terre des Hommes Italy.

The whole cash for work programme has employed close to 30,000 people. Projects include small-scale fisheries activities, rehabilitation of paddy fields, livelihoods revitalization for disaster-affected women and children in Aceh, and other productive activities.

Four further contracts totalling US $4.8 million are currently being finalized with International Relief and Development, Samaritan's Purse, Yayasan Kata Hati, and Islamic Relief, that that will employ an additional 10,000 people. 

Restoring livelihoods  

UNDP is working to restore livelihoods in the affected areas.  In addition t coordinating activities by NGOs and UN, UNDP is designing small-scale livelihoods recovery activities and support for small and medium sized enterprises in Banda Aceh city.

UNDP has agreements with ILO totalling $2.7 million to support the rebuilding of livelihoods and employment opportunities through:

• Network of Employment Services Centres in five locations across Aceh Province (Employment Services Network for registering job seekers and job opportunities in Banda Aceh and Meulaboh, which has registered over 10,000 skilled people from all over the province for employment placements);
• Providing demand-driven short-cycle vocational skills training;
• Providing basic support to micro enterprises, especially facilitating access to financial services through capacity development of micro-finance providers.

Clearing debris, managing and recycling waste   

UNDP has provided more than 100 pieces of heavy equipment and trucks to local authorities and operators for tsunami waste clean up efforts, supporting sanitation departments in Banda Aceh and Aceh Barat for management of municipal solid waste during the disaster transition process.

UNDP has also established a pilot for collecting and sorting waste. The programme has provided heavy equipment and employment for 250 tsunami survivors.  To date approximately 8000m³ of waste has been removed from the Municipality of Banda Aceh. This pilot project has recently been expanded to Meulaboh.

Rebuilding vital infrastructure  

UNDP is commencing a first port rehabilitation project focusing on Ulee Lheu port in Banda Aceh. As part of the project, UNDP is supporting a hydrographic survey to pinpoint both the location and quantity of debris in the harbour and will provide a barge and excavator to remove the debris from the harbour. Rehabilitation works to get the port operational again will follow this. The estimated value of the project is $2 million. A Letter of Agreement is currently being finalized for the project with the Transportation Department.

Housing

UNDP, with UN-HABITAT, is working on a $5.3 million project to design and implement a programme of support to rehabilitation and reconstruction of housing and associated infrastructure in Aceh Province. The programme is designed to assist households affected by the tsunami disaster, and communities will be involved in the rebuilding process at all stages.

Immediately after the disaster, UNDP distributed 4,790 tents and 40 platoon tents, which were used as temporary shelters for those who have lost their houses and to assist communities who are returning to their home locations.

Helping local governments and civil society  

UNDP has supported the planning process for reconstruction of the National Development Planning Agency (BAPPENAS) and the Provincial Development Planning Agency (BAPPEDA), the Indonesian agencies charged with coordinating the recovery efforts.  By providing technical assistance and grant funds to support the working groups, strengthen the Bappenas Secretariat, and to facilitate consultative planning process, this assistance helped in the preparation of the Master Plan. UNDP is currently formulating a next phase of assistance to relevant Government institutions involved in the reconstruction process, including the Agency for Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (BRR), BAPPENAS and BAPPEDA.

Assisting Civil Society

UNDP is helping to strengthen local NGOs.  A UNDP team has conducted an assessment of civil society needs in Lhokseumawe and Meulaboh, and has provided training for local NGOs on sustainable livelihoods approaches.

Recovery of Land Ownership Documents  

UNDP has supported rescue of vital land ownership documents badly damaged by the tsunami in Johan Pahlawan Sub-district. The project will also provide grant funds to the National Archives of the Republic of Indonesia (ANRI) to restore, preserve, register and digitalize the land registration records of the Kecamatan.

Disaster management  

UNDP is planning a joint project with UNESCO to strengthen the national tsunami and earthquake early warning system in partnership with the Ministry of Research and Technology. Together with the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, UNDP is preparing support for community-based disaster preparedness.

Resources

At the end of May 2005, UNDP has expended $18,953,532 for the tsunami response in Indonesia (of which $9,500,380 is disbursement and $9,453,152 is encumbrance).

Vital records to be restored

24 March 2005: Vital land records in the tsunami-devastated town of Meulaboh were thought lost have been recovered. But the records are seriously water damaged and to restore the documents, UNDP is funding the salvaging of land registration documents that will enable tsunami survivors in Indonesia, to reclaim their property and get on with rebuilding. More...

People to help chart rebuilding of communities

2 March 2005: Hundreds of people converged on Aceh's Syida Kuala University for the first of a series of public consultations on the government's plans for the future of Aceh, the so-called "blueprint," for reconstruction. The meeting is an attempt to involve people and communities in the rebuilding efforts. More…

Cash-for-Work efforts help make Aceh hospital usable

28 February 2005: Some 400 tsunami survivors on a UNDP cash-for-work project are clearing mud and debris from Abidin General Hospital in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, making it possible to restore water supply and sanitation at the facility. UN Assistant Secretary-General Hafiz Pasha, Director of the UNDP Asia and the Pacific Bureau, on a two-week tour of tsunami-hit countries, noted that it was time to focus on rehabilitation of infrastructures, and "let people return to their homes and start making a living." More...

30,000 to benefit from Cash-for-Work programme in Aceh

4 February 2005: A tsunami waste management facility that Indonesia and UNDP are setting up will hire up to 30,000 survivors in Banda Aceh and other towns affected by the disaster to collect, sort and recycle waste. More...

Aceh clean-up gaining momentum

25 January 2005: :The Indonesian Government is leading efforts in removing tsunami debris from hospitals and schools and other public facilities in Banda Aceh. The Australian Engineer Corps, with support from UNDP, has trained 300 displaced people. An important step in getting recovery underway. More...

Ministry hires Acehnese to clear tsunami rubble

 13 January 2005: The Ministry of Public Works, with UNDP support, today hired 300 displaced people to remove debris in tsunami-hit Aceh, giving them a source of income. “To get normality back into their lives, people need to be given the opportunity to start reorganizing themselves in ways that benefit them," said UNDP crisis recovery team leader Kristanto Sinandang. More...

UNDP appeals for $71.5 million to begin Indonesian reconstruction

12 January 2005: UNDP has asked for US$71.5 million, including $3 million for security, to help Indonesia recover from the 26 December tsunami, according to updated flash appeal figures available today. Most of the funds—$60 million—will go towards helping over 40,000 households in Aceh clear rubble, rebuild homes and restore basic services. Another $8.5 million will help create immediate employment, repair infrastructure and strengthen local organizations in coastal areas that have lost accommodation and equipment. More...

Homes needed for 80,000 displaced in Aceh

31 December 2004: At least 80,000 people have been displaced by the tsunami and will need temporary shelter, a UN disaster assessment team reported. There was serious damage to public facilities, transport, telecommunications and electricity. Two other UNDP recovery experts will arrive in Indonesia in the next days to help develop a recovery strategy and prepare a country flash appeal. UNDP has released US$100,000 in emergency assistance to the country. More...