Aceh Rehabilitation

Current activities within the Aceh Rehabilitation program:

Following the devastating tsunami of December 26, 2004, the Australian Government established the Australia Indonesia Partnership for Reconstruction and Development (AIPRD), an A$1 billion five-year partnership to support Indonesia's reconstruction and development within and beyond tsunami-affected areas.

The goal of the Aceh Rehabilitation Program, funded by the Australia Indonesia Partnership for Reconstruction and Development (AIPRD) and managed by AusAID, is to support the restoration of essential infrastructure and services that will assist the people of Aceh and North Sumatra to re establish their lives. Decisions regarding allocations of AIPRD funds are made by a Joint Commission overseen by the Australian Prime Minister and the Indonesian President and comprising the foreign ministers and economic ministers from both countries.

The AIPRD Joint Commission has approved A$181 million (IDR 1.2 trillion) for various Aceh reconstruction projects, and together with emergency funding, this brings Australia's total commitments to Aceh to over A$254.7 million (IDR 1.7 trillion). As of December 2006, almost A$180 million (IDR 1.2 billion) had been spent.

Major activities include:

Major infrastructure - Australia has committed A$10.6 million (IDR 71 billion) to rebuild Banda Aceh Port at Ulee Lheue and building up to 180 village halls and offices across tsunami damaged coastline.
The A$10 million (IDR 67 billion) Housing Assistance Program is helping build houses for people left homeless by the tsunami and providing technical assistance in water and sanitation and logistics to help NGOs and the Government of Indonesia meet the challenges of housing construction.
Australia provided A$10 million (67 billion IDR) to the World Food Program (WFP) to ensure that internally displaced people continued to have access to food.
The A$32 million (over IDR 214.4 billion) Health Assistance and Rehabilitation - Aceh Program (HARAP) is rebuilding health infrastructure and training nurses, mid-wives and doctors so that health services can again function. This includes A$10 million (nearly IDR 67 billion) for reconstruction of Zainoel Abidin General Hospital
The A$40 million (IDR 288.1 billion) Local Governance and Community Infrastructure program (LOGICA) is working alongside 200 villages to re-establish land boundaries, plan reconstruction activities and rejuvenate village planning and decision making.
A$33 million (over 288 billion IDR) Education Rehabilitation for Aceh (ERA) program is building schools and training new teachers after the tsunami killed nearly 2000 teachers.
The A$10 million (IDR 67 billion) Community and Education Program in Aceh (CEPA) is working with schools and school communities in the conflict affected regions in Aceh in order to re-establish quality education services and repair damage to school buildings caused by the conflict.
A$12 million (IDR 80.4 billion) of assistance in the livelihoods sector includes a A$5 million (IDR 33.5 billion) program with ACIAR (Australian Centre for Agricultural Research) to rebuild the prawn hatcheries centres, develop aquaculture activities, and conduct salinity mapping. It also includes A$7 million (almost IDR 47 billion) for Regional Enterprise Development with the International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Australia has provided A$10 million (IDR 67 billion) to assist in the task of re-mapping Aceh to assist with proper planning for reconstruction.
The A$10 million (IDR 67 billion) Nias Reconstruction Program will help people in Nias rebuild community infrastructure following the dual impact of the tsunami and the March 2005 earthquake.
Australia is helping to build skills and expertise in the tertiary sector through the 3 million (IDR 21 billion) Aceh Research Training Institute (ARTI) program.

Additionally Australia is providing up to A$3 million (over IDR 20 billion ) in technical assistance to strengthen the vital donor coordination and strategic planning functions of the Government of Indonesia's Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority for Aceh and Nias (BRR).

Aceh also benefits from other AusAID and AIPRD-funded programs. For example, in 2005, 29 Australian Partnership Scholarships (APS) went to Acehnese students for post-graduate study in Australia - around 10% per cent of the first intake. In 2006, a further 33 APS scholarships went to Acehnese students - 14% of the second intake.

Program Achievements

AusAID is very pleased with the success of Australia's program to date; notable achievements are as follows:

Australia has worked with 70,000 families to help them re-establish their land boundaries so that they can have their houses rebuilt.
We have built over 1,250 temporary shelters for over 8000 people, and teams of Australian funded workers are helping to solve housing problems.
Restoring livelihoods through rebuilding of the fish hatcheries and training centre at Ujung Batee.
Australia has trained over 1,300 community members, half of whom are women, to help their villages rebuild houses, reconnect water, sanitation and electricity, and gain better access to health and education facilities. These are skills that will stay with the community long after the tsunami reconstruction phase has ended.
Our infrastructure development covers more then 200 construction sites. It has seen the emergency ward at Banda Aceh's main hospital become fully functional, and the Ulee Lheue Port, a vital supply link for reconstruction materials, is now servicing 900 passengers every day. 35 village halls have been completed; 56 are under construction, 180 are planned in total.
Australia is training teachers, midwives, nurses and doctors after the devastating loss of life left a gap in health and education services. For example, Over 850 health workers have been trained and more than 4,800 nursing, midwifery and healthcare students have received scholarships or tuition assistance to enable them to continue their studies.
Australia has supported Aceh's Dayahs (Pesantrens or boarding schools) by upgrading and building additional facilities to improve conditions for over 1200 boarding students.
Australia has reconstructed three schools and two education offices. By the end of 2007, another 14 new education facilities will be completed.
Revitalising Aceh's universities has included rebuilding and re-equipping libraries, and providing housing support to lecturers and university staff, and the construction of a teacher training facility at the state's Syiah Kuala University that will train more than 900 teachers every year.
We are helping the Health and Education Departments get back on their feet and plan ahead through supporting the development of the Aceh Provincial Education Plan and the Aceh Health Strategic Plan.

This page was last updated on 25 January 2007