Climate change is a key driver of displacement in the Indo-Pacific region. The World Bank predicts that 49 million people in East Asia and the Pacific will be forced to flee their homes due to climate impacts by 2050.
In Indonesia, Act for Peace works with local partner, Church World Service (CWS), to help local communities prepare for disasters and ensure they can respond and recover effectively. In the urban region of Makassar, South Sulawesi, the Community Led Early Action & Resilience (CLEAR) program helps communities prepare and respond to climate impacts through training and technical assistance.
CLEAR also supports the community to access alternative livelihoods so they can have reliable sources of income to meet their families’ needs.
The CLEAR program builds on the success and learning after six years of CWS working with rural communities through the Disaster Resilience through Enhanced Adaptive Management (DREAM) program which laid the foundation for empowering the communities in South Sulawesi to better prepare for the impacts of climate risk and disaster.
According to Head of Partnerships and Programs at Act for Peace, Geoff Robinson, the program helps reduce displacement by working with the community to shape solutions together.
“We knew that there were highly vulnerable communities who are frequently displaced by climatic, driven events – mainly flooding, in urban areas in Makassar” says Geoff.
“These are communities that are marginalised, living in the poorest areas that are most at risk.”
“They are regularly impacted by climate-driven disasters, often having their entire homes and goods washed away in floods.”
Making a CLEAR difference
People like Rita and her family who relied on farming to earn an income but had to find new ways to earn an income due to the changing farming landscape due to climate change.
“[We moved here] …because we saw that the soil was better, more fertile,” says Rita. “But, as time goes by, from year to year, it has turned out that the current soil is not the same as when we first came. Now there are a lot of changes.”
They experienced multiple natural disasters, and their harvest of fruit and corn decreased dramatically – from three tons of corn in one hectare to just one.
Through the DREAM program, Rita became the treasurer of the savings and loans group, and the women learned how to make tempeh which they can sell to have a reliable, alternative source of income. The money they make increases the group’s cash which can be used by the members as a savings and loan business.
According to Rita, the benefits are significant.
“The first goal is to improve the economy, the second is to get better friendship, the third is to gain more knowledge such as making tempeh. We hope that in the future there will be more training.”
Supporting communities sustainably
Following the success of the DREAM program, the CLEAR program provides similar opportunities for urban community members in Makassar to build their resilience to climate impacts and earn sustainable incomes.
“The program supports communities to assess and understand their needs and vulnerabilities, with a particular focus on disability inclusion,” says Geoff.
“Communities establish a village or community-based emergency preparedness committee and then connect those committees with government disaster management processes.”
CLEAR supports communities to start and expand small-scale, local climate change adaptation initiatives which provide alternative income sources, so communities are more resilient to disasters.
“The other part is helping people to go through a planning process of livelihood and resilience. This includes identifying opportunities and initiatives that they can start so they have an ability to generate income and prepare for reestablishing income post disaster” explains Geoff.
Recognising women
CLEAR recognises that women are especially vulnerable to the impacts of disaster. When an earthquake hit the region in 2018, investigations during and after the disaster showed that women played a huge role in dealing with the earthquake, but they were at significant risk because they lacked access to important information and they were severely impacted from a lack of resources, social isolation, trauma and financial hardship. To overcome these challenges, the program aims to ensure women have access to meet their basic needs, have social cohesion and other important aspects of wellbeing and access to resources.
Through these programs and partnerships, Act for Peace is committed to reducing displacement in Indonesia by backing local organisations and working alongside communities to shape solutions together.
Funding acknowledgement:
Act for Peace gratefully acknowledges the support of the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP).
