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TaiwanICDF and World Vision assist earthquake-affected households in Indonesia in livelihood recovery

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Indonesia
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TaiwanICDF
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In response to the severe earthquake in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, the International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF) and World Vision commenced a cooperative project—Sigi-Biromaru Livelihood Support Program—in December 2018. This project aims to assist the earthquake-affected households in Sigi District in agriculture and livelihood recovery.

On September 28, 2018, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck Central Sulawesi, also triggering a devastating tsunami. The death toll has reached over 2,000 people and 1,300 more are missing. Sigi village is one of the most affected areas in which 80 percent of households’ livelihoods depend on agricultural activities. The disaster has caused tremendous damage on agricultural land, irrigation systems and agriculture tools, jeopardizing the livelihoods of local farmers. To assist the disaster-affected households, the TaiwanICDF and World Vision have cooperated to implement a one-year project in Lolu village in Sigi district. The project will construct shallow water wells to support agricultural water sources as most irrigation systems are not functioning after the earthquake. The project will also hire locals through Cash-for-Work (CfW) program to remove earthquake debris from land and to conduct plantation preparation. Agriculture inputs and technical assistance will be also provided to improve farmers' access to livelihood recovery. Approximately 500 earthquake-affected households will directly benefit from the project.

A noteworthy aspect of the project is the application of Last Mile Mobile Solution (LMMS), developed by World Vision, during implementation. It is a beneficiary-registration system which registers households’ information on an electronic database. Beneficiaries could then access the services through a photo identity card. It not only effectively delivers humanitarian aid at the ‘last mile’ between the organization and end-beneficiaries, but also efficiently integrates the beneficiaries’ data among different projects.

The TaiwanICDF will dispatch short-term experts for agriculture to participate in the project, sharing Taiwan's expertise in this sector to further enhance the exchanges between the two sides and reinforce Taiwan’s visibility in international aid. In line with the New Southbound Policy, the project will leverage Taiwan’s warm power to improve the quality of life in partner countries, and to strengthen the relationship between the two countries.