On July 13-14, extreme floods affected eight sub-districts in the North Luwu Regency, on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island. The floods had a particularly devastating effect in the Masamba and Baebunta sub-districts, displacing over 3000 people, including 480 families from the Meli village. Over 4200 houses, 9 schools and 13 houses of worship were damaged by floods, in addition to 13 km of roads and 9 bridges.
North Luwu is a region of South Sulawesi where INVEST Indonesia project is working with local milkfish and shrimp farmers to increase their production, boost revenues and strengthen local aquaculture cooperatives.
INVEST Indonesia and our local partners – KOPIHITAM Coop and Credit Union – were quick to respond to this emergency. Our local project team raised over 6 million Indonesian rupias ($550 CAD) through the generous donations of staff and volunteers. In addition, the team supported KOPIHITAM’s overall fundraising efforts helping bring the total contribution to over 10 million rupias ($1000 CAD). KOPIHITAM was quick to mobilize support through Facebook and other social media platforms, and has dedicated its office space to set up a flood response centre. INVEST Indonesia’s North Luwu Coordinator, Dandi, is coordinating flood response efforts on behalf of the project in partnership with local cooperatives and members.
The combined effort of INVEST and KOPIHITAM teams has contributed to the purchase of over 350 kg of rice, 150 kg of milkfish, 36 kg of cooking oil, diapers for babies, 84 pieces of essential clothing, 5 tents, 12 mats, alongside candles and mosquito repellent. The supplies are critical to help meet the basic needs of people affected by the floods. A total of 87 families in the villages of Radda and Meli received emergency support in the aftermath of the floods, which was distributed on July 17th and 27th.
INVEST is a 5-year project supported by Global Affairs Canada and the Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada. The project is implemented in four countries – Indonesia, Malawi, Mongolia and Peru – and works with farmers to increase their incomes and strengthen their local cooperative structures. Although the project has an economic and developmental objective, the project team’s response in Indonesia demonstrates the importance of working with beneficiary communities to support them in times of crisis and strengthen their long-term resilience in the face of external shocks.