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development Programmes
Handicrafts
This unit continues to receive the bulk of our attention at the
present time. Markets are being consolidated and local
residents of Kelbung are taking over more and more
responsibility for the business. In early 2006, these
residents began
to receive local orders for bags which enabled them
to develop systems and skills for running the concern
on their own. Overseas marketing still requires the
assistance of foreign consultants, but it is our desire
that, as
quickly as possible, we might have all key positions in the
handicraft unit filled by Madurese so that the
consultants can do just that – consult.
Click here to
view the Madurese Handicrafts catalogue-
Clean Water Programme
This programme
is very much a felt need - especially in the dry season. Dams
constructed in Kelbung, Glintong and Gangsean continue to fill a critical
need. In the future, we hope to enhance the Kelbung dam,
thereby increasing its
capacity by about 20%. With this, local residents
should be able use some of
the water for farming or any of their other needs. To
this end we are working with IDPs to determine how they might best
make use of surplus of water in their village – whether for farming,
purifying for drinking and cooking, or distributing it to
homes and thus making up for the shortfall during dry season. We are
seeking to enlist the help of consultants to empower the
residents of Kelbung and other villages, diversifying their
agricultural engagements and thereby providing increased incomes and
enhanced livelihoods for a greater number of people.
 Medical Assistance
This
unit
continues with bi-weekly
visits to the two villages where we are welcomed warmly – Katol
Timur and Kelbung. These visits are made possible through
the involvement of volunteer student doctors from the
universities of Airlangga and Kusuma Wijaya in Surabaya.
A volunteer team has been making dental visits to the same
two villages every two months for the last two years, giving
much needed dental care to the residents.
We are looking to recruit a person with community
development background as well as medical training and experience
to assist us in providing long-term and preventative medical
care for the communities we work in.
Administration
This
is becoming more important as we consolidate our programmes,
as we seek funding and as we get ready to expand in response to
additional initiatives we discover in partnership with local
residents - applying the
principles of 'participative learning and action' in the
villages. We hope to employ an administrator for our office
who can also assist us in understanding the local situation,
all the while making our
office run more efficiently and effectively.
Education
is
one
sector the villagers would like to see addressed, especially as
this relates to the future
of their children.
Efforts aimed at
agriculture
have great potential to increase quality of life as well as
to enhance local income-generating opportunities.
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