Based on the scale of destruction and the hope of earthquake affected communities in Pidie Jaya to return as soon as possible to normal, there is a clear need for the recovery effort to be guided by the principles of community empowerment, community participation and leadership of the recovery response. At the same time, it is important to learn the lessons of the 2004 tsunami response, which had limited success in empowering local communities affected by the disaster. In this light, Geutanyoë Foundation’s community-based recovery programme proposes Acehnese tradition and philosophy of “Beudoëh Meuseuraya” (reviving and rebuilding together) hopefully will help to lay the foundation of participatory rehabilitation and reconstruction.
Marking the end of the emergency phase and beginning of the transition phase, on 20 December Geutanyoe Foundation launched its community-based recovery programme “Beudoëh Meuseuraya”. Geutanyoe Foundation’s earthquake recovery programme, built on the Acehnese tradition and philosophy of working together. The programme will focus on three areas: trauma healing and attention of vulnerable groups including women, children, persons with disabilities and elderly; community empowerment and participation in the recovery process; disaster preparedness and risk reduction; and community livelihoods recovery.
The programme started on 20 December with a “duek pakat” gampong in Gampong Rawa Sari, Trienggadeng subdistrict, to mobilise earthquake-affected communities to play an active role in their recovery. The meeting was attended by more than 100 people, and was opened by the Keuchik of Gampong Rawa Sari. Many challenges to recovery were discussed in the meeting including the urgent need for trauma healing for women, children and elderly persons, inadequate tents for displaced families, concerns about the level of compensation for families whose houses were destroyed or heavily damaged by the earthquake, and the fact that many homes had multiple households living in them before the earthquake. The outcome of the meeting was the agreement to establish five village-level groups (kelompok) to focus on vulnerability, debris clearing, rehabilitation, reconstruction, and livelihood recovery.
International Director, Lilianne Fan, stated in the village meeting, “the most important stakeholder in disaster recovery is the community itself. The people of Aceh have long practised the local tradition of “meuseuraya”, helping each other to build their communities, and this must be revived to strengthen community resilience, to ensure that the recovery process is fair and to build back better and safer.
Geutanyoë Foundation’s activities in the “Beudoëh Meuseraya” programme include:
Tapuwoë Roeh (trauma healing): supporting recovery from trauma for affected communities,in particular children, pregnant women, persons with disabilities and the elderly.
Tapeubeudoëh Keulai Hareukat (recovery of livelihood activities): re-establishing community work activities after the disaster, in order to recover from the economic impact caused by the disaster.
Tameupakat Ngoën Masyarkat (community involvement): to empower and facilitate public participation in the process of recovery from the earthquake.
Tameseudia Keu Bala Ukue (preparing for future disasters): integrating disaster preparedness and risk reduction into all earthquake recovery efforts and holding village and Mukim-level trainings on community disaster preparedness with a focus on vulnerable groups.
Geutanyoë Foundation also launched the first video of its Beudoëh Meuseuraya video series, which will document community recovery from the earthquake.
Be part of us!
“Beudoëh Meuseraya”
Yayasan Geutanyoë
Pidie Jaya Earthquake Response Team
+62 852-6142-0385 (Local)
+62 811-6701-551 / WhatsApp +62 852-6197-6900 (International)
yayasangeutanyoe@gmail.com