UNITED OF NOTHING REPORT UPDATE (12/06/06)
This all about UN and story of some program in Yogyakarta
PROFILE & HISTORY
UN was founded right after the earthquake happened in Jogja (May 27th, 2006). Soon after dealing with the shock, destruction caused by the earthquake and taking care of the family, we united and discussed things what we can do to help the victims.
Why ‘United of Nothing‘? Because we are nobody, not a foundation, and never think of becoming like one. It’s just pure, spontaneous response, and expression of humanity. ‘United of Nothing’ was formed by many elements, few of them are Whatever Shop community network, friends from FISIPOL UGM, Performance-Fucktory, Friendship Futsal for Fun (FFF), and many others. The name of ‘United of Nothing’ itself came from one of Performance Fucktory t-shirt design, which was produced a week after the US invasion to Iraq without UN mandate.
Despite of the history, it doesn’t mean we’re not accountable. We are trying to give our best performance, building good, effective and responsible system.
In the case of this natural disaster, at the beginning we were affiliated to local Search and Rescue (SAR) DIY team. We were taking function as their public relation for SAR, helping them to evacuate and rescue, try to reach the territories that haven’t got any help at all, distributing logistics that we have, becoming ambulances to bring paramedics, collecting and synchronizing data to any other organization/institution concerned with the aid process. By coincidence, SAR DIY Operation Coordinator, Asep, is the defender of FFF who often playing ugly and makes lot of blunder in our match.
SAR function itself is actually very specific; to search and to rescue victims. After the evacuation process considered done, some of them do other function as mapping-team, by collecting data and also distributing logistics. As a matter of fact it is the government’s responsibility to give information and coordination for the logistic distributions. Unfortunately, their data about these areas isn’t accurate, and that makes some areas are overloaded with the supplies, while others haven’t been touched yet. Otherwise, actually SAR doesn’t have anymore budget for their operation, because they themselves had jumped out from their main job; to search and to rescue. Mostly SAR member is a volunteer come from the universities that joined the group of nature lovers and out bond activist, few part of them have got lot of experiences in Aceh. Related to this case, United of Nothing try to supports SAR, that have 200 volunteer members, by donate some money for the operational budget.
On June 4th, 2006, we stopped our partnership with SAR DIY and started to full concentrate on different method, foster village.
It’s still our fluky condition that we have son of Sleman’s Major in our team, who is also in watchful and attentive condition on preparing the possibility of Merapi eruption. His name is Wira a.k.a Lekir (Lemah Pikir) or ‘slowly in thinking’. He is assigned for special task to make a research how to overcome disaster problem. What’s wrong with the government’s system? Why there’s a lot of miss coordination in the process? How come those bureaucrats and local celebrities ’so feel obliged’ and allowed to reach the devastated areas with their arrogant ‘fore raiders’ which still in chaotic and emergency situation, disrupting ambulances in evacuation process? And try to resulted the most wise reconstruction program policy.
We don’t know the result yet, because Lekir it’s mean ‘slowly in thinking’
THE DESCRIPTION OF THE COMMUNITY THAT FORMED UNITED OF NOTHING
Whatever Shop: a distribution outlet (distro), specially for fashion and local recorded music products. Their promotion budget focused on social activities, such as children education and helping kids who lives in the street.
Friends from FISIPOL UGM (Social and Politic Faculty Gadjah Mada University), which used to work together with Performance Fucktory in organizing Parkinsound and many other happenings.
Performance Fucktory: Started as performance group in the beginning, creating many performance art project and organized Parkinsound, an underground electronic music festival (since 1998) and other events like Manifesto 2004, which held right after Aceh Tsunami, and then donated all the profits to Aceh.
Friendship Futsal for Fun (FFF): Indoor and Street Soccer Community, most of their members are from FISIPOL UGM, Whatever Shop, and Performance Fucktory.
VISION
• Helping is our expression
• Humanity is our religion
• From nothing become something
MOTTO
• We aren’t the brightening candles, we also burnt together with the fire
• We may saddened, but not victimized
• We’re a group of happy and free people
METHOD
Our method base on disaster classification status that we tried to make ourselves Emergency Alert Respond
(1st week) – Rescue and evacuation
- Mapping and data collecting
- Food supplying Emergency
(2nd week) – Food and logistic supplying
- Disaster area mapping and data
- Specific observation for upcoming foster village program
Reconstruction
- Choose a village to be a foster village
- Involving people from foster village to do the reconstruction in participative way with local wisdom and socio
-cultural approach
- Reconstruction with priority on public facilities Rehabilitation
- Identify the potentiality of their natural and human resources on foster villages
- Together with village people working on all potencies to eliminate dependence on aid
- Saying goodbye, hoping that your life will all be happy, like our happiness on helping your village…
NETWORKING
Looking at our limited abilities, we have only human resources, our dad’s cars, method, and work system. Our daily operational cost for gasoline, lunch, phone bills, are all from Whatever Shop sponsorship, the selling of United of Nothing merchandise, and also from our own money.
With this condition, we tried to open networks for getting aid based on friendship, trust, and accountability principle. Our network we have right now are: SAR DIY, PT Djarum, Kompas & Indonesian Off Road Federation (IOF), Agus Suwage Networking, Butet Kertaradjasa Networking, Azimuth Adventure Tour, Bandung Crisis Center, Network of Friends Bandung, Sawit Sari Squad (SSS), Elizabeth D Prasetyo Networking, Dominique Networking, Feillard Hellene Networking, Garin Nugroho Networking, Hanung Bramantyo Networking, Cemeti Art House, and so many other persons which have helped a lot on distributing aid through us.
We are very aware that as an institution, we are not registered as anything, not even an NGO, therefore there will be more less difficulties on getting fund. Even though, United of Nothing will never be an NGO. Helping is not our profession, thus we are a bunch of happy and free people.
FOSTER VILLAGE
United of Nothing along with our partners have already had three foster villages:
• Pereng, Prambanan, Klaten
• Nawung & Lemahbang, Gayamharjo, Prambanan, Sleman
• Bebekan, Gilangharjo, Pandak, Bantul TARGETING CONSENTRATION
• Young generation and non-formal education; extra-curricular workshop
• Empowering all local potencies to be more independent from outsider aid
• Interaction between United of Nothing and foster village people is a natural process, hoped that an open-minded generation and able to respect the diversities will be raised
Thanks to all donator and participants who donate through us, also big thanks to all villagers participation in foster village to keep their spirit to rebuild their life.
This report send to me by Zuki