Tsunami remembered: The sad truth about the compassion industry<\/p>\n
Thang D. Nguyen
\nNias, North Sumatra<\/p>\n
One year ago, the Asian tsunami happened. Of all the affected
\ncountries, Indonesia experienced the worst human losses and
\nphysical damages caused by the tsunami of Dec. 26 and its related
\nearthquakes.<\/p>\n
More than 130,000 persons died, and about 40,000 remain
\nmissing, while about 500,000 were made homeless in the province
\nof Aceh and the island of Nias, both in northern Sumatra.<\/p>\n
As we look back at this tragedy, it is heartening to see the
\nassistance that the world has been giving Indonesia since last
\nDecember.<\/p>\n
First, many countries sent aid supplies, volunteers and
\ntransport and heavy equipment to help with the immediate relief
\nefforts. Next, the international community pledged about US$7
\nbillion to help Indonesia rebuild its tsunami-affected areas.<\/p>\n
And since last December, about 200 international aid agencies
\nand non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have been working in
\nAceh and Nias building homes for tsunami survivors and helping
\nthem rebuild their lives.<\/p>\n
The good news is, as of now, 16,000 homes have been built in
\nAceh and about 8,000 in Nias, according to the Aceh and Nias
\nReconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency (BRR).<\/p>\n
But, the bad news is 67,500 families still live in tents both
\nin Aceh and Nias. In other words, only 15 percent of 308,000
\nhomes that need to be built in affected areas have been completed
\nor are under construction.<\/p>\n
For the less fortunate families that are still living in
\ntents, the tsunami is far from over as they continue to live in a
\nmixture of fear, hope and frustration.<\/p>\n
\"We know a lot of money is going to Aceh, but where is it?
\nWhere are the buildings? Where is the construction?\" asked Mr.
\nZoelfitri, a tsunami survivor who lives with his family in a
\nshanty in Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh, as quoted by
\nAssociated Press.<\/p>\n
Zoelfitri is right: The slow progress in the reconstruction of
\ntsunami-affected areas is not because a lack of financial
\nresources.<\/p>\n
Thus far, Indonesia has received about $4.5 billion out of $7
\nbillion pledged by the international community to rebuild
\ntsunami-affected areas. The Indonesian government estimates that
\nit needs between $5-5.5 billion over a period of three years for
\nthis.<\/p>\n
The main problem, rather, is a lack of coordination, or
\nmanagement, of financial resources among all NGOs and other
\nparties involved in the rebuilding of Aceh and Nias. Seriously,
\nwho is monitoring the aid among parties that receive it?<\/p>\n
Answer: Not the BRR! In other words, BRR serves as a
\ngovernment-appointed umbrella that all NGOs and parties working
\non the Aceh have to register with and report to, and that is
\nabout it.<\/p>\n
So long as these organizations report regularly to BRR
\nofficials, give them a tour to see some sample houses, let them
\nshake hands with the victims and smile for the camera, everything
\nis fine. What they actually do with aid money -- whether from
\ntheir own budgets or international donations -- is their
\nbusiness, something which, according to BRR, it does not
\ninterfere with.<\/p>\n
But the question remains, what has happened to the $4.5
\nbillion that has been collected for the rebuilding of Aceh and
\nNias, aside from what has been used to build new homes for
\nsurvivors?<\/p>\n
The answer to this question is three-fold. First, bureaucracy
\nin all organizations -- private, public or otherwise -- delays
\nthe delivery of aid money to recipient parties, who need funds to
\ndo their jobs.<\/p>\n
Second, aid money in Aceh and Nias -- and other parts of the
\nworld, for that matter -- are not fully delivered to tsunami-
\nrelated projects due to corruption among officials and other
\nindividuals involved in the process. This means that, from the
\ntime donors deliver their pledged aid to the time when it reaches
\nthe funded projects, it has been skimmed.<\/p>\n
Third, and finally, a big chunk of aid money is spent on NGOs
\nthat get funding for their projects in Aceh and Nias. It is
\ntypical that NGOs bill donors for their administrative and
\noverhead costs as part of the aid they receive for their work.<\/p>\n
But, alas, aside from their salaries and fancy offices, NGO
\nworkers, mostly foreigners, get driven around in fancy cars; use
\nexpensive laptops; fly in either on first class or business
\nclass; stay in five-star hotels; and get lucrative allowances and
\ncompensation packages for their \"work-related\" travels.<\/p>\n
These luxuries -- you guessed it -- do not come cheap. And
\nguess what, they are all billed as part of projects that NGOs get
\nfunded for!<\/p>\n
This means that the money that NGOs spent on such luxury items
\ncould have gone to tsunami victims and their families, who have
\nbeen getting by on international handouts and living in tents.<\/p>\n
As former Economist correspondent Graham Hancock pointed out
\nin his book Lords of Poverty, this is the sad truth about the
\ncompassion industry, which includes NGOs, aid groups and
\ndevelopment workers.<\/p>\n
Tsunami victims and their families have already suffered
\nenough from this tragedy. And, therefore, the last thing they
\nneed now is to see NGOs and aid workers, who are supposed to help
\nthem, benefit or make a profit from the aid money that the
\nAcehnese people deserve.<\/p>\n
The writer is a Jakarta-based columnist. His writing can be
\nread at www.thangthecolumnist.blogspot.com.<\/p>",
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