Jakarta, 27 October, 2021 — Over 150,000 residents in Lombok, in Indonesia’s West Nusa Tenggara Province will benefit from today’s completion of education and health facilities by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with funds from the Government of Germany through its development bank KfW and in partnership with the provincial authorities.

The reconstruction of the 14 facilities, including four vocational schools, a primary health center and nine auxiliary health centers was completed in a hybrid ceremony with participants attending the event on site observing COVID-19 health protocols.

UNDP, through the Programme for Earthquake and Tsunami Reconstruction Assistance (PETRA) project, has been working in West Nusa Tenggara since 2018 when it experienced a 7.0 magnitude which claimed over 500 lives and displaced 400,000.

Over 2,000 students are set to benefit from the reconstruction of the vocational schools which aim to work on expanding and developing skills for gainful employment as part of efforts to support recovery of livelihoods. The health care facilities in the area will serve the medical needs of the community who, following the earthquake and the ongoing pandemic, have had to travel significant distances to seek medical care.

The reconstruction of vital infrastructure has involved the community during all phases from planning and design to final construction. 70 percent of the total 998 workers involved were from the community. 36 workers were women in key positions in construction and administration, which included women who were heads of their households who took on training and work to support their families or wanted to develop their skills and take jobs to supplement their family’s income. Furthermore, persons with disabilities were also involved at all levels, ensuring that no one is left behind as the region begins to build forward following the natural disaster and the pandemic.

Speaking during the event, Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP Indonesia, Ms. Sophie Kemkhadze said, “I applaud the communities on the incredible resilience you have shown in the face of adversity. You have triumphed – and the success of today’s work owes as much to you as it does to the agencies and organizations that collaborated to get us here,” she said.  “The reconstruction is part of UNDP’s larger and strategic innovation to support disaster-hit communities in Indonesia. Today’s event marks a watershed moment in the community’s history, and I hope that these facilities will pave the way for the community to move forward – bolder and faster,” she added.

Echoing her words, Mr. Antun Hidayat from German development bank, Kfw noted “We have worked with UNDP bring the region back to its feet following the earthquake in 2018. Hopefully the rehabilitation and reconstruction of these facilities will support the provincial government and district heads to support the physical and spiritual development of the community and empower them to compete in the workforce in line with their skills. On behalf of KfW, and the German Government, I would like to convey our congratulations. This reconstruction is an example of a gender-focused and green-focused development perspective, which is line with the values of KfW ,” he said.

Ms. Sitti Rohmi Djailah, Vice Governor of West Nusa Tenggara was present on site appreciated the reconstruction effort. “I have seen, first hand, the developments in this region following the earthquake and we appreciate the work of UNDP and the Government of Germany through KfW for their commitment. We are grateful for this reconstruction and it is now up to us to maintain it and to utilize it optimally in line with the intent of the support we received,” she said.

PETRA has so far completed the reconstruction of eight community infrastructure projects in the area that have been used by the community.

The Programme for Earthquake and Tsunami Infrastructure Reconstruction Assistance (PETRA) project is implemented by UNDP, funded by the Federal Republic of Germany through its development bank, KfW. Under this agreement, KfW on behalf of the German Government has allocated EUR 25 million (approximately USD 28.4 million) to rebuild critical infrastructure facilities in Central Sulawesi and NTB. UNDP manages this multi-year initiative, which runs until 2022 in close collaboration with BAPPENAS, BNPB, and Provincial Governments, and in alignment with the Reconstruction Master Plan and Plan of Action.

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MEDIA CONTACTS

UNDP Indonesia Resilience and Reconstruction Unit Team Leader, Christian B. Usfinit christian.usfinit@undp.org

UNDP Indonesia PETRA NTB Project Coordinator, Zaenudin Zein zaenudin@undp.org

UNDP Indonesia Communication Specialist, Tomi Soetjipto suryo.tomi@undp.org

UNDP Indonesia Communication and Advocacy Specialist, Ranjit Jose ranjit.jose@undp.org