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The earthquake, measuring 8.7 on the Richter scale, badly affected the water supply on Nias as it lifted coral reefs on the west and south coasts by one to three metres, raising the level of many wells above the water table. Community wells were also destroyed or badly damaged so SurfAid undertook a joint Watsan (water and sanitation) program with UNICEF and NZAID, which started in 2007. “Awesome, though much overused these days, is really the only single word that can describe the achievements of the Watsan team,” SurfAid Program Director Alan Rogerson said. “There are now communities who have clean water for the first time in more than three years, and other communities who have it for the first time in their history.” + UNICEF recruits SurfAid to help implement the Water and Sanitation Program |
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SurfAid’s
Malaria Free Mentawai (MFM) program resumes in September with
distribution of specially treated mosquito nets, malaria education and
parasite testing on the island of Sipora.
The
MFM program completed work on the other three Mentawai islands of
Siberut, and North and South Pagai in March, rolling out the program to
nearly 53,000 of the approximate 70,000 population.
Distribution of about 3,500 nets will be targeted at Sioban, Mara,
Matobe, Saurenuk, Berliu and Betumonga, an approximate population of
10,000 people, and is scheduled to be finished by December.
“This will complete our coverage of Sipora, and we should have covered
close to 90 per cent of the Mentawai by the time it ends,” SurfAid
Program Director, Alan Rogerson, said.
Dr Saiful Sofjan appointed as SurfAid Medical Director
SurfAid is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Saiful Sofjan, from Padang, West Sumatra, as SurfAid’s medical director.
 Dr Saiful Sofjan. Photo: Kirk Willcox/ SAI |
Dr
Saiful, who is a medical doctor as well as an expert in health
management, has been working with SurfAid as a consultant since last
year and has now taken up a full-time position.
SurfAid Program Director, Alan Rogerson, said he considers it a great privilege that Dr Saiful has decided to join SurfAid.
“He
has a unique mix of technical skill, hands-on experience and local
knowledge. You can read all about his qualifications and work
experience in his CV, but that will not tell you what you really need
to know,” Rogerson said. “Despite all he has achieved in his career, Dr
Saiful remains driven to reduce suffering among his own people,
especially those living in poverty and isolation.”
Rogerson
said Dr Saiful has the respect of everybody who knows him, from senior
members of government ministries to the SurfAid International Board and
SurfAid staff, to the local people who live in SurfAid’s partner
communities. “He shares SurfAid’s vision and he wants to be a key part
of what SurfAid is trying to achieve.”
From all at SurfAid, welcome Dr Saiful!
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| Katiet Centre workers Edisi, Matt, Dadang and Filemon plant sweet potato (ubi jalah). |
While building the Quiksilver SurfAid Community Health Training Centre, site manager Matt King has also been establishing the fruit and vegetable gardens. He is finding some unique challenges.
“We knew this was a difficult site when we took over the lease of the land,” Matt said. “It is positioned right on the beach, with a river skirting the edge, and is obviously very sandy with poor soil.
“But we want to demonstrate to the local community, not just here in the hamlets surrounding Katiet, but also in the wider Mentawai and Nias regions, that it is possible to create productive soil to grow healthy food if you build up the organic matter in the soil through composting.”
The Centre gardens are integrated with the chickens, the composting toilet, the water management systems and the kitchen so that all wastes become resources for another element. This is part of the approach to demonstrate a living system where all parts are linked.
Program News:
Community Participation Increases
Results from the field data of our Community Based Health Programs (CBHP) in the Mentawai and Nias suggest an increase in community participation on all levels – Care Group meetings, household visits, Representative Village Group (RVG) meetings, health messages delivered in churches and mosques, and nutrition gardens. This shows recognition by the community that they have health issues that they need to address.Posyandu Revitalisation Underway
Our training has focused on posyandu revitalisation (the community-supported monthly health clinics for pregnant mothers and children under five, who are assisted by local health centre staff) – this presents a unique opportunity to build relations with communities and to start work on sustainability. And our sharing of information re community health has engendered a greater sense of urgency among community leaders.High Malnutrition Rates in the Mentawai
There is a growing sense of community ownership of the Quiksilver SurfAid Community Health Training Centre at Katiet and it is being used for a range of Community Based Health Program (CBHP) activities such as meetings and cooking demonstrations. Further SurfAid research, on top of last year’s extensive KAP (knowledge, attitude, practice) survey, has shown a malnutrition rate among children in Katiet of almost 60% and there have been some deaths reported throughout the Mentawai due to malnutrition.E-Prep Disaster Risk Analysis Completed
In our Emergency Preparedness (E-Prep) program, Participatory Disaster Risk Assessments (PDRA) were completed in all Nias villages. As a result 100% of our target villages in the Mentawai and Nias have completed disaster risk analysis.Earthquake and Tsunami Museum Opens
Indonesia’s first Earthquake and Tsunami Museum was officially opened in Sirombu, Nias. The museum was a joint initiative of E-Prep staff and the local community. A local community member donated a small bamboo house for the museum that includes information on health resilience, nutrition in disasters, etc.E-Prep Launches Training Videos
A professional set of disaster preparedness and management training videos was produced and officially launched. SurfAid and Oxfam GB jointly funded this project undertaken by IDEP Foundation. The films are an important training resource and cover first response, community participation, community analysis and what is community-based disaster risk management. 5,000 DVDs and 5,000 VCDs will be distributed to target communities and stakeholders in the Mentawais, Nias and throughout Indonesia.SurfAid Field Staff Move To Safer Office
Our Tuapejat staff, which includes our Mentawai field staff when in town for training, have moved to a safer office high on the hill – safer in terms of a tsunami hitting town, which is a distinct possibility according to all the world experts. The staff had to temporarily abandon the old office, which is nearly at sea level, after the September earthquakes last year.