Swiss govt launches new project for tsunami victims in Aceh
Swiss govt launches new project for tsunami victims in Aceh
Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
Switzerland, one of the richest countries in the world, launched
a new program for the tsunami victims in Indonesia's Nanggroe
Aceh Darussalam under which each family that hosts homeless
people will receive financial assistance, the Swiss Ambassador to
Indonesia said.
The governments of Switzerland and Indonesia on Friday signed
a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the "Cash for Host-
Families Project"
At least 130,000 people in Indonesia, mostly in Aceh, were
killed in the Dec. 26 tsunami disaster.
Ambassador Georges Martin said that the cash-for-shelter
project was aimed at covering the increased expenses of host
families who hosted tsunami victims.
"This is a special kind of aid. What we are trying to do is to
provide financial incentives for host families giving shelter to
homeless people. We will provide US$40 per month for the family
if they take one person," Ambassador Martin told The Jakarta Post
after the signing of the MoU on the project with Coordinating
Minister for People's Welfare Alwi Shihab in Jakarta on Friday.
"With this project, we are working on the ground with the
local people trying to see how many people still have their own
houses after the disaster," he explained.
He said that during the first phase, the Swiss government
would allocate about $850,000 to the project.
He said that the project would help increase the purchasing
power of local people.
"I have been to Aceh, I see that this project is very good for them
because there are still big cities (which are not destroyed by
the tsunami) and markets, so with this money we will let the
economy work in Aceh," Martin said.
Under the agreement, the Indonesian government will provide
lists of host families obtained from district administrations,
including the names of the householders, their addresses,
identification numbers, number of family members and the number
of victims living with them.
The Swiss government retains the right to verify the lists,
and to determine the people who will be eligible to receive the
cash and the amount to be given to each individual. The money
will be disbursed by designated local banks.
The project will be subject to an independent audit after the
end of the project. The Swiss side, which will cover the cost of
the audit, will be entitled to select the auditors.
The ambassador said that his government had applied this
humanitarian aid concept two years ago in the former Yugoslavia.
As of Jan. 20, the Swiss government had contributed about $9.6
million in aid to Indonesia. It has also sent 160 tons of
medicine, tents and water purification and disinfecting kits,
together with doctors.
The embassy said that based on the assessment of the Swiss
delegate for humanitarian affairs, who was in Aceh from Jan. 6 to
Jan. 7, the Swiss government had decided to focus its relief work
on the cleaning of domestic wells, and repairing essential water
supply equipment and treatment stations in order to provide more
clean drinking water for the people.
The Swiss government also supplied 3 Super Puma helicopters to
a UN agency operating in Aceh.
The Swiss government and public have donated a total of $157.6
million to all the tsunami-hit countries.