BANKING ON BANDA ACEH’S GREENEST SCHOOL

One elementary school makes environmental impact the focus of its educationTsunami Recovery Waste Management Programme (TRWMP)

SD 67 sits back off the main road in Banda Aceh’s west side. Stepping inside its gates, it’s quickly apparent that this is a special place.

The grounds are immaculate, lush with greenery and tempat sampah (garbage bins) at every turn. Students and teachers at this elementary school rank the environment as important as ABCs and 123s.

“Our mission,” says grade three teacher, Ibu Nurrahmi, “is to keep our school clean and save our environment.”

Each classroom has two bins; organic and inorganic, and according to Ibu Nurrahmi, the children not only know what waste goes where, but they use them every day.

UNDP’s Tsunami Recovery Waste Management Programme (TRWMP) selected SD 67 as a recipient of its School Garbage Banks project, which trains students and teachers of the importance of waste segregation and recycling whilst cashing in on the efforts.

Recyclable material is money in the pocket of those who take the time to sell it on. TRWMP linked SD 67 with a local buyer. Since it started in late 2010 the school has earned over 500,000 IDR, which it uses to buy school supplies.

The students are dedicated to the project and to the mission to save the environment at school and at home.

“We collect the garbage to keep the school clean,” said 11-year old Cut Aura. “We also do community work on the weekends.”

It’s this dedication that impresses the Head of the Sanitation Department for Banda Aceh, Pak T. Iwan Kesuma.

“The spirit comes from the school,” Pak Iwan said. “They will keep going from kindergarten all the way to forever.”

Pak Iwan is one of Banda Aceh’s champions of cleanliness, environmental sustainability and knowledge sharing. He takes pride in the fact that this city won the prestigious Adipura Award for Environmental Excellence from the Indonesian government two years running (2009 – 2010). The Adipura committee visited SD 67 in its search for the country’s cleanest cities.

“This school is an icon,” Pak Iwan said. “It’s very beautiful here.”

Even the school cafeteria is a point of pride. Ibu Zurha owns the canteen where hundreds of children flock to each day for lunch and snacks. Usually, school canteens are sites reminiscent of locust swarms; hungry and excited children inundate the small spaces, eat quickly and depart leaving behind a giant mess; but not at SD 67.

“The kids eat and then they throw out the garbage,” Ibu Zurha said. Cardboard boxes line the floor next to the tables where the kids segregate their waste according to organic or inorganic material.

After lunch, there’s little left for Ibu Zurha to do but sweep up and prepare for tomorrow.

For more programme information, please contact:

Nigel Landon, Chief Technical Advisor

Nigel.Landon@undp.org

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“I never think it could grow as big as it is now”

Before starting in the waste recycling business, Sulaiman Yacob (35) was a truck driver between Takengon and Medan, transporting vegetables such as carrot, tomato and chiliHe learnt about the recyclable goods business from his brother (also a scavenger) and after seeing the potential of other scavengers. His brother also introduced him to his boss: the bigger waste collector in Meureudu.

Sulaiman Yacob started work as a scavenger in Meureudu in 2003. Initially his becak and business capital was provided by the local waste collector, and for that reason, Sulaiman was obliged to sell his recycled goods to that collector. At this time, Sulaiman bought recyclable goods with IDR 150,000 and sold them for IDR 250,000 (average value, depending on the type of waste): he also bartered for extra recyclable goods with basic plastic goods. Business grew as he received funding for a small warehouse and IDR 3,000,000 loan capital from the bigger collector, which he was able to repay in only one year.

In 2007, Sulaiman received assistance from UNDP through YCAP for 1 unit becak, 2 unit scales and IDR 4,000,000 business capital. He also received training included sharing knowledge on recycling and financial management by YCAP. With this assistance, Sulaiman was able to become more independent, and stop being effectively ‘tied’ to the single larger collector for capital and sales.

Sulaiman’s business model was to increase his own pool of becaks and scavengers. Armed with the assistance from UNDP, Sulaiman initially bought (on credit) one unit second hand becak. He continued to buy second hand becaks until in less than 2 years he had 11 becaks (by the end of 2008). He has strong spirit to develop his business and very grateful he that he also got support from his former boss. Sulaiman said: “when I planned to have a bigger warehouse and sell the goods directly to Medan, I discussed it with my former boss. I believe my boss will support me instead of consider me as his competitor”. To attain his plan, he borrowed capital from the larger collector for IDR 70,000,000 as the initial capital to open bigger warehouse.

With persistence and a clear business model, he was able to repay this loan within a year. At the same time he also set aside some profits for becak driver’s credit. By 2009, he had 20 becaks and 3 pickups. Over the years Sulaiman has overcome many business challenges including the Global Economic Crisis that impacted many waste collectors in Indonesia. He claims that this is due to the personal connection he has to a single “agent” in Medan, who arranges the best prices with recycling factories. Through this connection he got early warning of impending drop in prices of recycled goods (3 days before others) and this helped him to avoid significant impact.

Afterwards, when TDH implemented WML Round 3, Sulaiman was shortlisted to received further assistance. TDH visited Sulaiman on a number of occasions before asking him to submit a proposal for requested grant items. Through WML Round 3, Sulaiman received an additional warehouse, scales, pressing machine and 2 becaks.

Currently Sulaiman has 26 unit becaks and 3 pickups, and extra land for further business developments. He sends the goods 3 times/month in average with 18 tons/truck/trip. Sulaiman also has a secure lease on his main warehouse property for the next 3 years.. Future plans are to move onto his own land, which he has just bought with a bank loan of IDR 150 million. At his new site he would also like to invest in plastics grinding machine. With the support of the UNDP TRWMP Sulaiman is able to support his wife and 5 children (3 of school age, 2 toddlers), and directly employs 5 workers plus the 26 scavengers with becaks.

He says “when the first time I switched to this business in 2003, I never think could grow up as nowadays. I really thank to UNDP for twice assistance through YCAP and TDH that has helped me expanding this business. I wish I could repay the bank loan on time and move to my own land”. Sulaiman had a wife and 5 children, 3 of them have been sent to school and 2 other are toddler”

 

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Pulling the Purse Strings: the economic liberation of women in Aceh Barat

The women of An-Nisa’Wal Athfal meet every day in three locations across Aceh Barat. These women gather to make handicrafts from recyclable material such as coconut fibre, cloth, and pandanas leaves.  There is an abundance of home cooked treats, sugary cakes and savoury pockets of vegetables and children roam freely occasionally snagging the busy fingers of their mothers.

An-Nisa is much more than simply a business to sell handicrafts; it brings together women to improve their lives and the lives of their families.

“Our focus is on the housewife,” said Dasni Husin, 48, founder and executive director of An-Nisa’Wal Athfal. “No one is concerned for them. We give them knowledge and training so they can help themselves.”

The foundation in Aceh’s west coast was selected for support under UNDP’s Tsunami Recovery Waste Management Programme (TRWMP), which in part seeks to restart and/or establish the livelihoods of Aceh’s people after the 2004 earthquake and tsunami.

TRWMP’s implementing partner Terre des Hommes (TDH) handpicked An-Nisa in 2010 for support because of its dedicated service for disadvantaged women in one of the hardest hit areas from the disaster.  In November 2010, the Yayasan (Indonesian NGO) was given training on art design, effective business practices and entrepreneurial management.

Soon after the training, the women were buzzing with the new opportunities ahead of them. One woman reported that her husband is very supportive of her new venture as she’s now bringing money into the household. That’s exactly what Dasni envisioned when she launched An-Nisa’Wal Athfal in June 2000 on the foundation of helping women rise out of poverty, urging equality in an otherwise patriarchal society.

She fought for the rights of women during the Aceh conflict that took a devastating toll on women’s lives. In 2000, Dasni travelled to Banda Aceh across dangerous roadways and through armed barricades to reach a large meeting on women’s rights. The need to attend the meeting was bigger than the risk of travelling along treacherous routes at that time. Then on December 26, 2004, the earthquake and tsunami doubled Dasni’s efforts.

“The tsunami brought NGOs and influenced local women. Even now women are becoming leaders in their families,” she said.

According to UNDP’s Human Development Index for Aceh 2010[1], women are not only underrepresented in the workforce, but when they are employed, they are paid substantially less than their male counterparts. An-Nisa is making strides in changing this trend.

Among its mandate to improve the lives of women, the Yayasan is mindful of the meaningful inclusion of men in its operations.

 

 

“Jobs are open for men too,” Dasni said. “Some need equality.”

Today, orders are pouring in for the handicrafts. Coconut fibre mats are their most popular item, but pandanus leaves tissue boxes come in a close second. The demand was so great for the handicrafts that the women have opened a new store with a prominent showroom and visibility in the community.

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[1] Provincial Human Development Report Aceh 2010, United Nations Development Programme:  http://www.undp.or.id/pubs/docs/Aceh%20HDR%20-%20English.pdf

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Thanks to All Partners ans Associates

www.terredeshommes.it

In the end of December 2010, UNDP’s Tsunami Waste Management Livelihoods Project – Round III implemented by Terre des Hommes Italy in the post-tsunami area of Aceh ended. Thanks to all partners and associates, the project was successful. More information about the results and follow-up is available by UNDP Indonesia Headquarters in Aceh.

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Supporting the Recycling Chain in Aceh

www.terredeshommes.it

In Aceh, within the framework of UNDP’s Waste Management Livelihoods Project – Round III and during the period from September 2010, to January 2011, Terre des hommes Italy has supported a total of 35 SMEs of the recycling sector, 13 on the West Coast of Aceh and other 22 on the East Coast. Most of the support has consisted in the delivery of small grants for technology and facility improvement. A few NGOs and CBOs were also supported to help improve livelihoods restoration and micro-entrepreneurship development. After three months, the first results are already visible. Most of the beneficiaries have steadily increased the volumes and quality of recyclables collected in their area of competence – and their incomes as well.

Two cases of ‘good practice’

Aceh East Coast

Block Blank is a waste collection and recycling center that was established in year with concern about the waste problem in Pidie district, on the East Coast of Aceh.  The project had 3 main objectives, including the collection of valuable waste material produced locally, the strengthening of income generating activities for the poor, and the creation of new jobs. The sustainability of the project is based on a strong partnership between various actors, mainly: scavengers and itinerant buyers, existing junk shops, local businesses, NGOs and CBOs.

As explained to us by Terre des hommes Italy’s local Area Coordinator, Mr Hamdani,” The idea in supporting Block Blank was to help its promoters to develop a model for the collection of valuable waste material that is usually burned or buried, or thrown in the environment. Recycling collecting points have been established in a selected number of rural villages around Kota Sigli. Local communities perform the collection, sorting and cleaning of the waste material, which is regularly purchased by Block Blank at a fair price, using itinerant buyers affiliated to the company. In urban centers, Block Blank is targeting local businesses (shops, kiosks, i.e. Pante Pirak) in the city. Affiliated scavengers come regularly to collect recyclables. A working partnership has also been established with several big collectors / junk shops of the district. Because most of them do not have plastic grinding machines and compactors, they chose to sell their recyclables to Block Blank. Here we speak of plastic and cardboard already sorted by type and quality, which have higher market value. For further sorting and cleaning, Block Blank is collaborating with a local NGO, the Nagata Foundation, which involves women self-help groups.

I believe that this is an interesting model, especially if we consider there was no collection of recyclables in Sigli before the intervention of Terre des hommes Italy. Cooperation between the various actors is very successful.”

Aceh West Coast

Yayasan Paramadina Semesta (YPS) is an environmental NGO with headquarters in Meulaboh, on the West Coast of Aceh. Within the framework of UNDP’s Tsuunmai Waste Livelihoods Management Project, the NGO was supported by Terre des homes Italy to help scavengers develop micro-entrepreneurship skills. The idea of YPS was to give a concrete follow-up to the training of scavengers that were organized by Terre des homes Italy during the Spring of 2010.

From the point of view of Mr. Dimyati Thoyyib, Terre des homes Italy’s local area coordinator “ YPS had a very clear idea on how to support scavengers. Within the framework of the project implemented by Terre des homes Italy, they organized four groups of scavengers spread out in the districts of Nagan Raya, Aceh Barat,and Aceh Jaya, involving a total of one hundred scavengers. They provided each group with a working space, a shelter for cleaning and sorting plastic, a drying floor, and a crushing machine. They also trained scavengers about business planning, organizational management, and how to run the plastic collecting points and use the crushing machines.

Because of the working partnership YPS has established in the past with a recycling company in Meulaboh, namely Plastic Waste Recycling (PWR), the groups of scavengers are able to sell shredded plastic to the company. By sorting, cleaning and semi-processing the plastic they collect, they can easily increase their incomes.

On the other hand, because of the support received by Terre des homes Italy to acquire a new plastic grinding machine of high-capacity, PWR is processing larger quantities of plastic purchased from scavengers.  Through a new deal with Samudra Plastic, a big agent in the city of Medan, they are now able to sell a minimum of ten tons of shredded plastic per month at a fair price. They are also thinking to producing plastic pellets in the future. Pellets have a better price on the market and Samudra Plastic is a potential buyer because of their strong links with plastic recycling plants in China. There is a huge market for plastic pellets in China and the prices are good. “

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Socioeconomic Survey of Scavengers in Aceh, Indonesia

www.terredeshommes.it

The Socioeconomic Survey of Scavengers in Aceh is now available for download.

This paper explores details of the research work carried out on the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) recycling sector in Aceh by Terre des Hommes Italia in the framework of UNDP’s Waste Management Livelihoods Programme – Round III (2009-2010). The aim of the survey was to get a better insight of the informal recycling sector and socio-economic situation and role in municipal solid waste management of « recyclists » in Aceh.

The findings of the survey go to confirm the increasingly important role those « invisible entrepreneurs » – waste pickers, scavengers, itinerant buyers and sorters – are playing, both in economic and environmental terms.

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Recycling Manual for Aceh Available Now



www.terredeshommes.it

 

The recycling manual for Aceh published by Terre des Hommes Italy/Indonesia in Bahasa is available now for download.

Click here.

It will soon be available on paper format (4000 copies). To receive your copy, please contact

Terre des hommes – Italy
Indonesia
Address: Jl. Wedana No. 146 Lam Ara – Banda Aceh 23238, NAD,

Phone:+ 62(0651)40527

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Garbage Banks in Indonesia: A Discreet Start Up.

www.terredeshommes.it

Within the framework of UNDP’s Waste Management Livelihoods project -Round III, Terre des hommes Italy has supported three local NGOs in Aceh to implement a Pilot School Garbage Bank program. While the concept of Garbage Bank has not been widely diffused in Indonesia, some examples can be found in Yogyakarta, Bogor and Jakarta.

YOGYAKARTA

In the village of Bandegan near Yogyakarta, there is an operational garbage bank under the name of Garbage Bank Gemah Ripah (Prosperous Garbage Bank). This garbage bank has been established in 2008 by the community members themselves. The first idea for this bank came from Mr. Bambang Suwerda, who teaches at the Health Polytechnic in Yogyakarta. The bank collects four types of waste: plastic, paper, cans and glass. Some of them are used locally to produce handicraft such as bags and wallets made from recyclable plastic. This gives the village women an extra source of income. At the moment the garbage bank has 150 members and 5 volunteers that manage the bank. Each time the members bring their waste they save about IDR 20,000 to IDR 30,000. Since members are tempted to withdraw these small amounts of money for consumption, the bank allows them to withdraw their deposit only once every three months. “Through this manner the members can withdraw between IDR 100,000-IDR 200,000 at a time, which stimulates their savings” said Bambang Suwerda. The Garbage Bank takes a margin of 15%, which is used to manage the bank. The bank is opened three days a week, namely every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 4 to 9 p.m. According to Panut Susanto, the banks manager, the amount of rubbish collected can reach 60-70 kg per week.

Information:

http://bantulbiz.com/id/bizpage_perajin/id-277.html

Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5LXqqne0-k

Pics:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/danuprimanto/3214700262/in/set-72157612810738434/

Address:

Dusun Badegan, Bantul, Bantul, Bantul, DIY
Agus : 081 579 075 97
Bambang : 081 227 568 71
Bimo : 081 904 151 061
E-mail : suwerda2006@yahoo.co.id

JAKARTA

In the neighborhood of Keluharan Semper Barat, in Jakarta, one can find  another successful garbage bank named Karya Mandiri. Here, the members don’t need to bring their waste to the garbage bank. Recyclables are picked up every day at the member’s houses. The garbage bank employs ten people who get paid according to the amount of recyclables they collect at the rate of IDR 500/kg.  In practice, their salary depends on the number of households engaged in the collecting scheme. In January 2010, five hundred households had joined the bank. Since its opening, the Garbage Bank has started several branches in other neighborhoods as well, which led to a big increase in membership. Besides the fact that the garbage bank became an important and easy way to save money, the neighborhood also looks much nicer and cleaner.

Video :

http://www.beritajakarta.com/2008/id/video_play.asp?vid=1503

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hue6PqrPwKw

Article:

http://us.detiknews.com/read/2010/06/30/110152/1389924/159/ketika-utang-dibayar-dengan-sampah

BOGOR

In the beginning of 2010, the Bogor Nature School launched their School Garbage Bank. The aim of the Garbage Bank is to increase the student’s awareness on their environment. Students bring recyclables from home every morning for a total of ten cubic meters/day. Students receive points in exchange of the recyclables they bring to the bank. Those points can then be traded for money. Part of the recyclables is used to produce handicraft from waste. The remaining part is sold to local waste dealers.

The Bogor Nature School is part of a new generation of schools. It has a special focus on nature and ecological sustainability, with 60 to 70 percent of classes conducted outdoors. The idea is that children should grow up close to nature in order to become environmentally-friendly. The existence of such schools echoes a global concern about the future of the environment, especially climate change.

Article:

http://bataviase.co.id/node/185633

http://koranbaru.com/bank-sampah-siap-terima-setoran-sampah/

 

Article courtesy of Liselotte  Heederik, Tdh-I Project Officer

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Aceh Coastal Clean Up Initiative.

www.terredeshomes.it

On October 17th, Yayasan Lamjabat (YL), KUALA (Koalisi untuk advokasi  laut Aceh) & IKAPALA (coordination network for MAPALA environment youth/student groups) have joined forces to support an International Coastal Cleanup. This was a local volunteer initiative for beach clean up and compiling data on the trash collected at 4 popular beach recreation areas in Aceh Besar. Despite the rain, the initiative was successful. Some pictures are available here.

The idea of this initiative, which was supported by Terre des hommes Italia within the framework of UNDPs Tsunami Waste Management Livelihoods Activities-Round III, came from Yayasan Lamjabat (YL) and KUALA (Koalisi untuk advokasi  laut Aceh)  as both organisations focus on coastal environment issues and action to increase awareness of the importance of healthy marine eco-systems and the condition of the coastal areas of Aceh today. Also YL has been working on waste management issues at the community level for some years now and doing local beach clean ups.

Data collected will be send to Ocean Conservancy who will compile a worldwide report for all data collected by the volunteer teams during the 2 months of September and October 2010.

Contact&Info: northlinda@gmail.com (Yayasan Lamjabat)

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Recycling guidelines for Aceh, Indonesia.

www.terredeshommes.it

The English version of the 3R Manual on recycling “ACEH CLEAN” is available for download now.

 

Click here for download

 

Published by UNDP Indonesia and Terre des hommes Italia in the framework of UNDP’s Tsunami Waste Management Activities – Rond III supported by the Multidonor Fund, the version in Indonesian will be out soon. Spread the word and come back to us.

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