Wahyu Setyawan Minarto
Safety Practitioner, Indonesia
Title: The challenges of disaster risk reduction community education: An overview of community groups role in Indonesia
Biography
Biography: Wahyu Setyawan Minarto
Abstract
Located on three active tectonic plates, Indonesia has to cope with the emerging risk of many natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions and many types of tsunamis. Including the deadliest recorded tsunami (2004) that strikes Banda Aceh and surrounding coast of Indian Ocean with the dead toll up to 228.000 lives in 14 countries. In volcanic eruption threat alone, Indonesia has the most active volcanoes in the world with estimated almost 130 volcanoes. So it is an obligation for Indonesian to be more aware of these threats. Although the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) education has been inserted in curricula and the robust role of the authority bodies such as BNPB and BMKG, nevertheless DRR education need to be strengthen in the family or community level. This is where the community groups come in to complete. As like many other issues that the society is facing, DRR issues also require wider collaboration across different sectors so as to initiate discussions and awareness for disaster preparedness to lower the impact and victim from disaster. This acknowledges several non-profit community groups are emerging in Indonesia to deliver non-formal education/community education focusing on the DRR. As self-initiated, self-funded, non-governmental institutions, these groups struggle with issues which could threaten their existence. Research carried out by surveying 12 community groups in Indonesia. These are self-initiated group that are focusing on DRR, or has a program related to DRR or at least have done one activity related to DRR. The survey indicates their role as source of information, capacity builder, consultant, collaborator and executor. With several benefit such as utilizing popular and family friendly content in the communication, high flexibility and easiness to be contacted. However, Community Groups also faces some challenges such as insecure revenue income, lack of professional management and competency issue.
Biography
Wahyu Minarto has his Expertise and passion in Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) and Child Safety. As an OHS practitioner he is restless of the fact that safety is not yet adapted in the individual and family level. He is also interested to connecting the OHS community with the DRR expert community because he believes that both communities share the common goal and can work together better to support DRR education.