Do Something, Even a Bit

Do something, even a bit. It will become a snow ball, bigger, bigger and bigger. Morakot Typhoon and Aceh Tsunami teach us the way to collaborate all the abilities in a global movement on disaster management. Important lesson for today is how to implement a lot of activities through respect, unity, interest and enthusiasm.

CMCU was implement the activity on disaster relief for help the community who affected by Typhoon in 2009. The activity including: organic farming, building reconstruction, trauma healing and providing information technology. The activities were supported by local artists, independent news reporter and others.

Anyway, the local community is an important part of disaster management, event they affected by disaster. As an example, Bunun People in Taoyuan Indigenous Township help by them self and input more effort to save their self. They work closely with CMCU to develop a better live before and after Typhoon.

Besides, the media workers also important to do their work to report every disaster condition for all people in the world. They done big effort to let us know, to increase our capacity and to make us connected each other. Media reporting could be a part of disaster adaptation and mitigation.

In Indonesia, Air Putih Foundation was providing internet connection and information technology in Banda Aceh. After a major earthquake and tsunami in 2004, they came to Banda Aceh to do something different than a relief program. Information technology became integrated part of human being in the world for years. It will be help people to support the other people even separate by time and location.

Disaster adaptation and mitigation are long term activity. It needs a lot of thing to do such as environmental restoration, public awareness, campaign and also policy advocacy. Orangutan Information Center (OIC) held ecosystem restoration in Gunung Leuser National Park to protect the Sumatran orangutan (pongo abelii). Protecting them means protect their habitat, it also mean protect human being from ecological disaster.

Typhoon Morakok and CMCU workshop became an important part of NGO leader forum in Taiwan. Sharing experience is a one way to improve the capacity; also it will give a productive input to develop a collaborative action on disaster management.

Speakers from, both Taiwan and Indonesia share their experiences base on their real activity and expertise. One day workshop was held in September 23, 2010 in Chi Shan Culture Center, Kaohsiung County, attended more than 30 people.

Next challenges to disaster adaptation and mitigation are including: How to engage all parties support to the action? Also how to engage the local community to implement the activities base on their local knowledge and cultures? How to develop more creative activities with long term affected? How to develop a better public policy addressed to environmental restoration and public participation on disaster management? And how to engage global community to do something (even little bit) for global movement on disaster management? Base on the workshop, it still needs us to do something. And then, what will you going to do? Just share in this forum, please put your opinion and start your action.

The speakers:

1. Bay Shu (CMCU)
2. Savi (Bunun People)
3. Niny Kung (Indigenous People Action Coalition of Taiwan – IPACT)
4. Okta Setiawan (Air Putih Foundation)
5. Panut Hadisiwoyo (OIC)
6. Fey Feng (Independent News)
7. Munch Kuo (Public TV-Reporter)
8. Chung Shin-Shiung (Reporter)

Moderators:

1. Andrew Lim (CMCU)
2. Istanda Ibu Zuzui (CMCU)
3. Apple Jia (Bamboo Community University Alliance – BCUA)
4. Wang Min-Chou (CMCU)

Interpreters:

1. Da-You Lin (CMCU)
2. Liou, Yi-Zih (CMCU)