Rationale for the various entry points to communities

4.3 Rationale for the various entry points to communities

The road map mentions relief operations, existing CBOs, faith-based organisations, schools and village heads as possible entry-points in the community to initiate a CBDRM process.

Relief operations – Rendering relief is a very common entry-point to new communities to get to know community leaders, to explore local conditions and the capacity and motivation of existing CBOs. Based on experiences with this new community the NGO can decide to initiate a long term CBDRM process or not. It is also a way to expand CBDRM coverage in an area.

Existing CBOs – CBDRM promotes the view to recognize existing CBOs, community institutions and structures instead of creating new ones as we observed in many instances during the field visits. In Indonesia, key CBOs are the traditional farmers’ groups (kelompok tani), fishermen’s groups (kelompok nelayan ), women’s groups (Pembinatin Kesejahteraan Keluarga - PKK) and youth groups (Karang Taruna - KT). These CBOs are old institutions established during Suharto’s administration, used to channel top-down government program mes under strict military supervision. These CBOs were Existing CBOs – CBDRM promotes the view to recognize existing CBOs, community institutions and structures instead of creating new ones as we observed in many instances during the field visits. In Indonesia, key CBOs are the traditional farmers’ groups (kelompok tani), fishermen’s groups (kelompok nelayan ), women’s groups (Pembinatin Kesejahteraan Keluarga - PKK) and youth groups (Karang Taruna - KT). These CBOs are old institutions established during Suharto’s administration, used to channel top-down government program mes under strict military supervision. These CBOs were

Faith-based organizations – These organisations play an important role in everyday life of Indonesian people. Religious leaders play an important role in the community and can be used as a channel to convey new ideas like CBDRM. Faith-based organizations enjoy a large network linking grassroots to higher administrative levels through their constituency in parliament and government. Nahdlatul Ulama, Muhammadiyah, the Catholic Church and the Protestant Church of Indonesia have their specific structures to implement DRM activities. They differ in DRM practice, however, and how they relate to grassroots and government.

Schools – This entry-point is particularly effective in communities prone to earthquake and tsunami (Helvetas, 2009). Schools are widely accepted platforms for development and reform initiatives. By imparting DRR knowledge and skills, schools prepare children to cope with future disasters and to help the community plan and implement disaster preparedness activities. Schools play a very important role in dissemination among communities: in particular children and youth can lead awareness campaigns. It is important to partner with education authorities to have DRR incorporated in school curriculum.

Village head and authorities – An important entry-point into the community is the village head who should always be informed about the reasons for engaging with the community. Experience learned that when NGOs lean on village heads to mobilize community members for CBDRM activities, it will most likely be the better-off part of the community that will participate. It is recommended for NGO field staff to not affiliate with village heads, or village authorities during the trust-building process, but to move around the village and to engage with all different groups to understand the social relationships between them.