Semarang, 2 November 2010 – The successful implementation of the Java Reconstruction Fund (JRF) is entering its last phase. With the JRF mandate ending on December 2011, and projects closing by June 2011, projects are now meeting remaining needs and developing exit strategies to ensure sustainability of reconstruction investments beyond the life of the JRF. As highlighted in the JRF Progress Report 2010, almost US$74 million has been allocated for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of housing and community infrastructure, and around US$15 million to the recovery of livelihoods.
As part of ensuring sustainability, the JRF has incorporated disaster-risk reduction and preparedness into on-going reconstruction efforts. This will help to ensure that community resilience is enhanced and that JRF interventions can guide disaster responses long after the program ends. Thus the JRF is now focusing more on activities aimed at the recovery of livelihoods and mainstreaming disaster risk reduction (DRR) through the Community Settlement Planning (CSP) process for longer term impact.
“The JRF offers important lessons for future post-disaster response programs. The participatory approach used in the JRF housing project for example, combined with the Javanese concept of gotong-royong has been widely successful, delivering good results with 99% beneficiary satisfaction,” said Dr. Max Hasudungan Pohan, Deputy Minister for Regional Development and Local Autonomy Affairs of BAPPENAS in his remarks during the launch of the JRF Progress Report held today in Semarang.
The highly acclaimed community-driven approach in housing reconstruction used in Aceh was successfully replicated by the JRF and has now been adopted by the Government of Indonesia as a model for future post-disaster reconstruction efforts. Under the JRF, the housing project implemented by the Ministry of Public Works, known as REKOMPAK, has completed over 15,000 core houses. Earthquake-resistant construction methods and building standards were introduced and implemented in 270 villages in West Java, Central Java and Yogyakarta.
The JRF livelihood recovery projects, which operate in 43 villages across Central Java and Yogyakarta, support innovative solutions to post-disaster challenges for livelihood recovery. Implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Deutsche Gessellschaft fuer Technische Zussammenarbeit (GTZ), these will be assisting more than 13,000 micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in improving their business and production skills as well as in increasing their access to finance and markets. These projects are making strong impacts on the livelihoods of women affected by the 2006 disaster. Close to 50% of beneficiaries under both the IOM and GTZ projects are women, who are enjoying increased incomes as a result.
“We are very grateful for the training provided by GTZ. Not only has it provided us with new insights but also helped us in increasing our family income,” said Ibu Sanikem, Chairman of the Tenun Sari Group in Grogol village, Sukoharjo district, Central Java.
JRF Manager, Shamima Khan when presenting highlights of the report, reiterated that JRF projects continue to perform well and are on schedule to complete activities by the JRF closing date of December 2011. Approximately 81% of allocated funds, or around US$72 million, have already been disbursed to projects.
In her closing remarks, she said “The JRF remains committed to the recovery of Java until the end of its mandate in the earthquake and tsunami affected areas. We will work closely with the local governments to ensure that exit strategies are being developed to sustain impacts of the JRF.” She noted that the recent Merapi eruptions have illustrated the importance of building strong and more resilient communities which would be better prepared to face natural disasters of this kind.
About JRF: The Java Reconstruction Fund (JRF) is a multi-donor trust funded grant facility that was set up in response to the earthquake in May 2006 which hit the provinces of Central Java and Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY) and the tsunami in July of 2006 that struck the southern coast of West Java. The trust fund was established at the request from the Government of Indonesia to support the government’s efforts and priorities in reconstructing and rehabilitating the affected areas. The JRF mandate ends in December 2011.
The facility, with the World Bank as the trustee, has seven contributing donors. These donors are the European Union, Government of Netherlands, Government of United Kingdom, the Asian Development Bank, Government of Canada, Government of Denmark and Government of Finland. The JRF pools a total of US$94.1 million from these donors.
