 On
May 27th at 6.15am an earthquake hit the Province of Yogyakarta.
5,773 people were killed, 45,000 were injured and an estimated
400,000 homes were destroyed or severely damaged leaving
nearly 2 million people officially classified as refugees.
The worst hit areas were in the Kupaten of Bantul where,
in some villages, up to 95% of houses were destroyed.
Aid
agencies responded quickly providing medical assistance,
food, clothing and rough shelter for a population who lost
virtually everything.
Yayasan Peduli has been formed to
address what we see as the next major issue – livelihoods.
If the people can get their businesses going again they
will have regular incomes and will be able to rebuild their
homes and their lives.
 If they are not able to get back
to work they face a bleak future of poverty. Once poverty
sets in they will be trapped in a cycle that is very difficult
to escape, they will be left vulnerable to health problems,
malnutrition, poor education and social unrest. Eventually
the people will lose their spirit and become susceptible
to the exploitation and manipulation of influential people
such as religious extremists.
60% of the income of the Bantul
district came from handicrafts industries.
The pottery industry based in the villages
of Kasongan and Pundong had around 300 different small
to medium enterprises, directly employed 2,200 people.
This thriving industry exported 1,100 containers a year
all over the world and yielded around US$ 5 million directly
to the local people. It is estimated that indirectly up
to 50,000 people depended on the pottery industry.
Pottery
is all that many of these people know, they carry on a
traditional craft they learned from their parents. It has
always been a cottage industry often with whole families
employed in their own small businesses. It is an old established
industry with a world wide reputation.
 Their industry is
now devastated. The potters depend on their kilns to fire
their pots and it has been calculated that nearly 160 of
the 200 kilns in the area have been damaged or destroyed.
In addition finished stock was lost and workshops and warehouses
damaged. Tools and equipment were also lost under the rubble.
Most
people are living in tents and are not able to finance
building activities to start earning an income again.
Current
production is only around 11% of the pre earthquake levels
of output.
This Project aims to rebuild the kilns and
workshops so that the people can rescue their livelihoods.
It is an urgent project that must start resupplying customers
before they start to source their products from other regions
and countries. The urgency is compounded by the coming
of the rainy season in October.
- To rebuild 160 kilns
- To rebuild 120 workshops and
storerooms.
- To engage a marketing consultant to keep the
established markets live.
- To find new markets to replace
those lost.
- In the process to motivate and support the
people and help them to rebuild their shattered lives.
The primary purpose of the project is the
rebuilding the kilns. Many were destroyed because they
are traditionally made from red brick with little structural
strength. Each kiln has a roof supported by a independant
unbraced structure. Examination of kilns has resulted in
the development of a stronger design far more able to withstand
the tremors of an earthquake. This new design has raft
foundations, reinforced concrete support structures of
columns and beams and an integral roof structure.
In addition
work areas will be rebuilt where necessary to allow the
pottery industry to continue operating through wet seasons.
These workshop/ storerooms are needed not only to work
out of the rain but also to store completed pottery while
waiting to be fired. It is important that unfired pots
are kept dry before they are fired.
Once again these buildings
will be rebuilt using solid foundations and reinforced
concrete structures providing considerable earthquake resistance.
The
project only provides the materials to rebuild improved
kilns, and workshops the rebuilding work must be carried
out by the potters themselves. The work of rebuilding is
seen as an important part of the communit rebuilding process.
Another key aspect of the project is to support
a marketing consultant with expert knowledge of the pottery
industry who will work between the local people and their
established customer base.
If customers can be reassured that the industry is being
rebuilt and pursuaded to continue their support for the
Yogyakarta region precious markets can be retained and
the people’s
livelihoods can be secured.
This project is considered urgent
for two reasons:
- Every day that passes is another day in
which established customers find new suppliers for their
products and more of the industry’s established
markets are lost.
- The rainy season is approaching which will
make it very difficult to work in the open.
It is planned
that the project will be completed in 4 months from the
time of commencement.
- An initial survey has been
carried out to identify all businesses or households
in the pottery industry and to determine their previous
output levels, number of people employed and earthquake
related losses.
- The dinas of Pindankop has provided an office
in Kasongan village as a project base.
- Yayasan Peduli has
been formed to run the project.
- Offers of assistance have
been received from several private individuals totalling
Rp 240 million.
Implementation.
Yayasan Peduli is now requesting funding
assistance. Once this is secured Pottery families will
be assessed for priority and then provided with materials
and technical assistance to rebuild their kilns. The first
priority will be for the most disadvantaged families.
The
project will be implemented in the villages of Kasongan
and Pundong both in the Bantul District.
Since the earthquake the price of materials such as cement
and steel has increased. The project team will source materials
at the lowest possible prices bringing materials from outside
the area if this is cost effective.
Each Kiln will cost approximately
Rp 5.5 million (US$610) including the roof structure and
160 are planned to be built. Each workshop/store will cost
around Rp 7 million (US$770) and 120 are planned to be
built.
It is estimated that a further Rp 350 million
will be required for tools, equipment and new pottery materials
and administrative and transport costs will be a further
Rp360 million.
A total sum of RP2,430 million (US$270,000)
is needed to complete the project.
The project is being
undertaken by Yaysan Peduli, an Indonesian based non profit
organisation created to carry out this project. Yayasan
Peduli is based in Bali and supported by FOCUS Indonesia,
Mott McDonald Praha, the dinas of Industry and Production
(Pindagkop) in Bantul and a number of concerned individuals.
Donations are now being sought for
assistance for the project and can be paid to the Yayasan
Peduli bank account as follows:
Bank: Bank Permata, Sanur branch
Jl. Danau Tamblingan, Sanur Bali 80228
Swift Code: BBBA IDJA
Account name: Yayasan Peduli
Account No: 5801239929
For further information please contact:
Yayasan Peduli
Jalan Danau Poso No 92, Sanur, Bali
Tel: 0361 271 323 Fax: 0361 271 320
email: info@yayasanpeduli.org
website: www.yayasanpeduli.org
Or:
FOCUS Consulting (Pt
Citra Perniagaan Bali)
Philip J. Wilson OBE – Project Director
Tel: 08155 8000 860
email: pw@focus-indonesia.com |
Rebuilding Kilns
and Workshops