The Yogyakarta - Central Java Community Assistance Program (YCAP) phase 2 just started following a successful phase 1 which has assisted more than 100,000 affected families in Yogyakarta and Central Java area.

The program will focus on the districts of Klaten (Central Java), Bantul, Gunung Kidul, Sleman and Kulon Progo (Yogyakarta Special Province) as agreed by Program Management Group (comprises of Bapenas, Provincial Government, and AusAID) or Steering Group (DIY Provincial Government, District / Kabupaten officials and YCAP Secretariat).

There is $5 million available for direct implementation split as follows: $2.5m Central Java Province (Klaten); and $2.5m DIY Province (Bantul, $1.25m; $0.416m each for Sleman, Gunungkidul and Kulon Progo).

Given that livelihoods assistance to affected communities has been limited, with only YCAP (approximately 7000 small enterprises reached) and a few other NGOs providing assistance, this second phase of YCAP aims to meet current community needs of: improving disaster risk reduction, enhancing livelihoods and small-scale community infrastructure.

These components have been changed from phase 1 in response to changing community needs post-earthquake which was focusing on sustaining household life, restoring incomes and school readiness.

Through a partnership approach with Bappeda, Implementing Partners and the communities there will be increased focus on Quality at Implementation, drawing on strength based community assessments that better target assistance and build on types of interventions that proved to be successful during the first phase. The program will continue to be community based, along with stronger Bappeda partnerships.


Livelihoods

The types of livelihoods work identified as being the most effective in phase 1 are those that focused on people’s strengths, crossed traditional divides between rural and urban areas and various sectors, supported small to medium enterprises in building skills and capacities, recognised role of the private sector, government bodies and the community and community based organisations.

These types of activities remain at the core of Phase 2 approach. As identified by Bappeda, those types of activities are being sought in proposals from Implementing Partners for phase 2, including: community/private sector partnerships, networking, facilitating access to credit and soft loans, drawing on the corporate social responsibility requirements of the private sector, using existing cooperatives and collective marketing.


DRR and small scale community infrastructure

Activities will be more strongly integrated, with Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) mainstreamed throughout livelihoods interventions to promote resilience and with small construction outputs aiming also to support community resilience. As requested by the co-chairs of the Program Management Group, specific selection criteria will be developed for DRR activities and the approach will be in line with Bappenas’s and AusAID’s DRR strategy.

A strong theme coming through all districts identified by Bappeda is the need for water, sanitation and irrigation. The program will pick up on this focus and build upon work done in the first phase. To be sustainable small scale community infrastructure must be identified, planned with and maintained by the target communities; therefore this will be refined through Community Action Plans.