Indonesia

*Plus seven community buildings

Indonesia: Tsunami-recovery Construction

Most of the tsunami-recovery houses Habitat is building in Aceh are 411.72 sq. ft. (38.25 sq. m.) including an attached toilet with an outside entrance. The houses are designed to provide a high degree of protection from earthquakes. They are made with fired brick and reinforced concrete posts and beams; walls are plastered and painted. Roofing material is reflective aluminum or a zinc-aluminum alloy.

To some families, these are the first “permanent” masonry houses they have ever lived in. To others, these are modest replacement homes, less space than they had before the tsunami, but better construction.

Emperom, Banda Aceh

Habitat constructed 117 houses on scattered sites in the Emperom community of urban Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Most community members relocated to barracks, tent camps or stayed with relatives after the tsunami. To aid in their reintegration, Habitat encouraged them to participate in community redevelopment.

With government support and social, educational and livelihood development from international nongovernmental organizations, Emperom is moving toward economic recovery. So are the new homeowners, many of whom lost nearly everything they owned to the tsunami, as well as family members, employers and friends.

Lhok Kruet, West Coast

Habitat is constructing approximately 430 houses in the Lhok Kruet area south of Banda Aceh on the west coast of Sumatra. Though less populous than Banda Aceh, it has been more difficult to reconstruct. Complete destruction of roads and bridges hampered transport of construction materials into the area and all brick-making factories and sawmills were destroyed. Nevertheless, Habitat has built more than 80 houses around Lhok Kruet and is ramping up the pace of construction.

Some of the families of Lhok Kruet live in barracks or temporary housing in Lham Noh, a two-hour drive away. They look forward to returning when houses, public services and livelihood opportunities are available.

Pante Tengoh, Sigli

In Sigli, on the north coast, families in three communities chose from several paint colors and designs of pre-cast concrete vents. The ability to make choices about their new home gave them a greater sense of participation in the project.

Finding certified sources of legally-obtained timber was a challenge to the staff at Sigli and actually delayed construction. After considerable research and price comparisons, steel roof trusses will be used in future projects.

A list of project sites and donors is available.

Indonesia: Going Forward

The gap between housing needs and supply in Indonesia has remained very large due to serious resource limits and the poor performance of the housing sector. For the poor, who often find it impossible to obtain land and construction financing, substandard housing is the norm whether in rural areas or urban slums.

More than 50 percent of the labor force of Indonesia earns the equivalent of less than US$2 a day. This sets the stage for substandard housing and a wide variety of social ills. Forty-five percent of households lack access to improved sanitation. Twenty-two percent of the population is without access to piped water; though in urban areas that number increases to one-third of the population.

In its first five years, Habitat for Humanity Indonesia built or repaired more than 4,400 houses through 12 local organizations. Its goal for the next five years is to help 25,000 families to have a simple, decent home.

By the end of September 2006, the management of the North Aceh and Banda Aceh Habitat resource centers will be handed over by the tsunami-recovery program staff to Habitat Indonesia national office and a finance and administration office will be operational in Medan. Habitat expects to complete current projects in Meulaboh and the west coast of Aceh by the end of June 2007. Habitat for Humanity Indonesia will continue to serve families on the west coast of Sumatra through Habitat resource centers.

Indonesia: Family Experiences
A New House Means Independence
“When the village chief told us we would get a Habitat house, we were so glad,” says Dedek Faisal. “In September that happened and by the end of October our house was finished and we moved in. Thank God for that! I could not afford to build this house by myself.”

Dedek Faisal, 30, and his wife, Rizky Utami Sari, 26, live in Emperom, a neighborhood of Banda Aceh where Habitat built 117 houses in September and October of 2005. Dedek and Rizky are the parents of two children. Daughter Dresiska Faisal is eight and in the second grade; son Muhamad Audrey is five.

Dedek was a bank security guard before the tsunami, but he was laid off because of the economic downturn. Then he got a job as a minibus driver working six days a week from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. for 40,000 rupiah a day (about US$5).

Said Dedek:

“After the tsunami, we lived in a tent for two months. The tents were very hot and it was too crowded. We had to queue for food and the toilet. I hated to have to stand in line after dark to take a shower, but if I didn’t I was sweaty and the mosquitoes were bad. It was a miserable way to live, so I built a temporary house on our land.”

Dedek and Rizky are very proud of their permanent house. They’ve chosen new colors and painted the house, put rugs on the floor and added a storage room and kitchen. They’ve planted trees and keep everything tidy.