Pekerti Foundation

The earthquake left long-lasting traumatic feeling for the victims. Generally, there was positive movements occur in daily lives of earthquake victims, economically-disadvantaged groups, artisans, laborers, and farmers. To date, the communities of earthquake victims are pursuing their livelihood to continue their lives and business, with assistance in the form of, asset replacement, bank loan, loan fund in cash or material loan from shops and refund after fund from government was accepted. Victims have started to re-run their businesses, both new and reestablished old. Reconstruction programs have opened windows of opportunities provide new sources of livelihood, where reconstruction activities required skilled laborers and materials which employs idle hands.

At the end of 2006, Pekerti reached a final stage of negotiation with a Germany-based NGO, The Johanniter to fund the building of 500 temporary houses in Jogjakarta. To realize this and to accelerate the recovery of communities that were affected by the earthquake, PEKERTI foundation has formed a consortium that consists of PEKERTI FOUNDATION, APIKRI FOUNDATION, KLINIK KONSULTASI BISNIS (KKB), GERAKAN NAUNGAN HIDUP (GNH), in cooperation with THE JOHANNITER. The consortium shared the common goal to assist the bottom level craft producers and poor farmers, the two groups who had the least means to recover post earthquake. The plan that 150 houses would be constructed every 4 to 6 weeks in cluster construction of 15 houses group per field worker and at a cost of approximately US$350 per house.

Pekerti managed to keep to the price budget and was still be able to build above the original expected standard. By this project’s end, 2,471 people were housed and thus this helped speed the emotional and economic recovery.

This program activities started in November 2006, were specifically contributed to build temporary shelters and renovate houses for earthquake victims, especially for the economically-disadvantaged group, artisans, laborers, and farmers. The temporary shelters built followed the concept of economic funding, simple, good quality building and basic reinforced construction that was to standard of earthquake-resistance.

Compared to similar projects done by other NGOs, the building of temporary houses done by this consortium was different in the aspect that this project involved participatory and gender equality approach, as well as making effort to apply fair trade principles and object oriented.

The activities were done collectively and from one district to another district, from one village to other village, involving participatory stages and role of community from the stage of social preparation (survey of need, planning), local self support, building process until evaluation.

The early target of the project was to build building temporary shelter and renovation for 550 houses in 6 subdistricts, 9 villages and 33 sub-villages.