Indonesian Church Trains Volunteers for Flores Earthquake Response

Caritas Indonesia and the Archdiocese of Ende are strengthening the capacity of young volunteers to assess the needs of communities affected by the recent earthquake on Flores Island, part of Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province.

Twenty-eight young people from three vicariates, Ende, Bajawa and Mbay, participated in a needs assessment training session on August 31 at the PSE Formation House of the Archdiocese of Ende.

The one-day training, held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., was organized to strengthen the assessment team supporting the Flores Earthquake Emergency Response Post, established through the Caritas Indonesia network and the Archdiocese of Ende.

Ende, the capital of East Nusa Tenggara’s Flores Island, is home to the Archdiocese of Ende, Reginaldus Piperno, chairperson of the Archdiocesan Commission for Justice, Peace and which serves Catholic communities across the central part of the island.

Fr. Pastoral Care for Migrants and People on the Move (KKP-PMP) opened the training. He also serves as head of the emergency response post.

Reginaldus said the training would help participants and the response team improve their ability to collect accurate information on the needs of disaster-affected communities.

“For me, this training is an opportunity to learn, not only for the participants, but also for the post team, so that we can know precisely how proper data collection should be carried out according to the standards that need to be followed and what results are expected from the data collection process,” he said.

He thanked Caritas Indonesia for sharing its knowledge and expertise with local volunteers while the emergency response effort continues.

The training was facilitated by Rudy Raka and Toufin of Caritas Indonesia. Participants learned principles of needs assessment, data collection and analysis, identification of priority needs, and sectoral assessment.

Needs assessment is a key component of humanitarian response because reliable information helps response teams identify the most urgent needs and determine where assistance should be directed. It can also help reduce duplication and improve coordination among organizations responding to a disaster.

The organizers expect the trained volunteers to strengthen the emergency response team’s ability to produce accurate, systematic and accountable data on affected communities.

The information gathered will support the Caritas Indonesia Network and the Archdiocese of Ende in planning and implementing humanitarian assistance for communities affected by the Flores earthquake.

The initiative reflects the Church’s effort to strengthen local capacity for disaster response, enabling volunteers and Church agencies to provide assistance that is targeted, effective and responsive to the needs of affected communities