Building Capacity : Experiences from Post-Disaster Aceh and Nias

The Multi Donor Fund for Aceh and Nias
(MDF) and the Java Reconstruction Fund (JRF) have played
significant roles in the remarkable recovery of Aceh, Nias
and Java, following some of the worst disasters in Indonesia
in recent years. The MDF and the JRF, which is patterned
after it, are each considered a highly successful model for
post-disaster reconstruction. This paper discusses the value
of a phased approach to post-disaster reconstruction as a
successful means to manage short-term expectations while
delivering long-lasting, results of high quality. The
natural disasters of late 2004 and early 2005 left a trail
of human loss and destruction in Aceh and Nias. In such a
scenario, capacity building efforts related to individual
and community level investments yielded large returns. Aceh
and Nias have emerged from the reconstruction experience in
a better position to address these challenges as a result of
the capacity building achieved through the recovery process.