2012 YTS Annual Report-Ss

8/12/2019 2012 YTS Annual Report-Ss

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ANNUAL REPORT

2012

Yayasan Tambuhak Sinta


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Chapter I

Introduction

This year marked a major turning point for YTS, as exploration activities opened up in both propertiesfor the rst time in over two years. The immediate impact was renewed nancing for two projects theKahayan Project and the Jelai Project. We were able to recruit very experienced personnel for Jelai andstrengthen existing personnel in the Kahayan and get on with the new tasks right away. Otherwise, we

continued in a similar vein in Bukit Batu and with the Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Project, building onthe prior trend of activities. This was the rst full year for our new Governance Strengthening Project, whichstarted up in November 2011.

In 2012, we managed ve major projects:

a. Kahayan Project: This is our main, agship project, and we were able to intensify existing activities andexpand into two more communities. We ended up working in 21 villages spread fairly evenly in the threesubdistricts of Damang Batu, Kahayan Hulu Utara and Miri Manasa. We maintained close communicationwith the subdistrict and district governments, and managed to link them more closely to the 21communities.

b. Jelai Project: Unfortunately, we just got up and in full stride in this project and then were forced to shut

it down when the joint venture partner pulled out. Up til then, we had rejuvenated village institutionsthat had been in hibernation for two years and had three very active livelihood programs in eachcommunity, plus a small health program running in the community next to the exploration camp.

c. Governance Strengthening Project in Gunung Mas: This project had a very successful year, largely dueto the persistent eorts of our highly-experienced Project Coordinator. Initially, the district had beenreluctant to engage because of bad press about KSK that some ocials were inuenced by. But afterthat hurdle, things ran very well and a lot was achieved.

d. Bukit Batu Project: We continued our focus on micro-enterprise, using funding for a biochar project toengage local farmers in learning the related technologies and experimenting with crops to measure themost eective ingredients for enhanced crop growth. Worked continued with the Credit Union and aconsiderable amount of credit was loaned out over the year.

e. Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining Project: This project continued to make major ground in curtailingthe release of highly toxic mercury into the environment, by intensifying and expanding the area of itsawareness-raising and technology support.

Other initiatives were undertaken in 2012, including hosting a seminar on Human-Centred Development, andmaking preparations for a conference on the same topic later in the year. We decide to move this event tothe following year, as we needed more time to prepare.

Our three support service divisions performed exceedingly well in 2012, coping amazingly well with therapid increase in demands and workload. Our HRD & Training unit and our Information & Communicationunit work together quite closely in supporting all our other activities. We started a series of intensivecapacity-building programs for all our sta, as well as for our partners in villages and in government. Our

training unit is working fulltime in supporting all project sta and partners.


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We continue to document all of our activities through writing, interviews and photos. We occasionally usevideo as well. The information group worked hard on turning out our quarterly publication Kabar Itah and instarting to update and upgrade our website. We have been supporting PT Kalimantan Surya Kencana withmonthly reporting, presentations and other media.

Our Finance & Admin Ocer has made great eorts to manage our burgeoning nances and prepare

monthly reports to help us keep on top of our expenditures and budgets. He has also helped us throughanother oce move the second in two years!

Our overall expenditures for 2012 were $514,000 against revenues of $521,000. We spent a considerableamount on upgrading our sta and our facilities to meet the challenges from our expanded program andchanging circumstances.


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Chapter 2

Projects

2.1. Kahayan Project

Achievements

Governance and Institutional Capacity Building

Our new program Improving the Quality of Governance in Gunung Mas Regency is working to improve thedelivery of the district governments annual planning and budgeting process as it relates to the allocationand disbursement of village funding. It is also pursuing a path of rights-based advocacy and stakeholderparticipation. In practice, this involves providing advice and individual mentoring for governmentocials; as well as conducting trainings and workshops, both for government sta as well as communityrepresentatives; in an eort to make the existing government processes more meaningful and eective.

At the district-level, we provided Technical Assistance with Annual Planning to three agencies: Health,Education, and Planning & Budgeting. We also facilitated a Workshop on the Revitalization of the Village

Allocation Fund. This important event involved many decision-makers in policy delivery, and led toimplementation of a new district policy on this issue. In addition, quarterly monitoring events resultedin transfer of knowledge from the village cadres and village government to many other villagers in thebroader target group.

As a result, several government agencies have been willing to revise their annual planning based on ourinput. In addition, the Project Coordinator held meetings with the technical team and government agenciesin Gunung Mas regarding the nalization of the Standard Model of the Village Development Plan as wellas the criteria for the Village Prole. The results of these activities will be the basis for developing AnnualVillage Development Plans during the Musrenbang planning process in 2013.

YTS program ocers also coordinated with the sub-district government sta to keep them updated onthe ongoing activities in villages. Program ocers also worked closely with village government ocials,

constantly informing them of upcoming activities and progress.

In January, YTS facilitated the village-level planning forum in eighteen villages (Musrenbang Desa).Strengthening village governance through support for the annual village development planning process(from village to subdistrict and district level) is an important step in our annual cycle. In 2012, the eld staassisted the process by facilitating the forums in each village. There was greater attendance than usual,and villagers were more enthusiastic, as YTS had informed them of the budgetary increases possible dueto the governments adoption of our recommendation to adopt the Indicative Budgetary Ceiling Method.Another form of support provided to the village was the dissemination of basic information about theforms that are used to convey village data to higher levels of government.


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In February, YTS coordinated further with Bappeda at the district level, and assisted the subdistrict heads toprepare for the subdistrict planning forum (Musrenbang Kecamatan). We also assisted village delegationsto attend these events. As a result, participation rates were much higher than in previous years.

In March, our focus was on capacity-building for the VMGs as well as conducting training in our six pilotvillages in Participatory Planning & Budgeting, and Building Constituent Relations with the Legislative

Body.

By April, Livelihood Interest Groups (LIGs) had been formed in twenty villages across three sub-districts,and the program ocers went on to provide technical training in four dierent livelihood programs. In2012, there were 427 people enrolled in the sh program, 254 people in the vegetable program, 177 peoplein the rubber program, and 66 in the pig-rearing program.

The Village Management Groups (VMGs) were responsible for notifying the community about the trainingschedules and for nancial administration of the technical support activities, and they carried out theseduties with the support of the YTS Program Ocers. Revitalization of the VMGs was carried out early in theyear in all villages; and three new Village Management Groups were elected during the course of the year,in the three villages that are new to our Kayahan program: Batu Tangkui, Hamputung, and Marikoi.

Technical Support

As usual, each of the training programs was conducted by local experts, using local Dayak language,and each training session was facilitated by YTS eld sta. All training events were held in the village,and consisted of a theoretical session held indoors, followed by a practical session in the eld. In linewith the respective training curricula, technical handbooks were prepared for each level of training andthese new learning materials were provided to Livelihood Interest Group (LIG) members at each trainingevent. The Village Management Groups (VMGs) contracted local experts to provide training for each ofthese programs, and these experts went on to assist all of the respective LIG members to establish newshponds, vegetable gardens, and rubber plantations according to best practices.

Prior to all training activities, the YTS trainer, technical director, and our information and communications

team, met with the local experts to nalize the upcoming curricula and to prepare technical handbooks andlearning materials for each set of training. The local experts rst made an initial visit to each community toexamine the existing conditions in each village and to meet with the VMG and LIG members to scope outdetails of the support programs in each community. Initial training took place shortly after this.

Initial visits by expert trainers took place in May, and training activities had commenced in eighteen villagesby June. The technical experts provided training in four livelihood program areas: sh, vegetables, rubber,and pigs. Training in aquaculture took place in 14 villages; horticulture in 14 villages; rubber cultivation in 9villages; and pigs in 4 villages. The training modules were designed by YTS, based on needs analysis with thevillagers and inputs from the trainers. A total of 41 Livelihood Interest Groups were actively involved. Thehighest interest was in vegetables and sh, as these activities can show results in a relatively short time.The impact of these trainings was immediate, with many vegetable plots established and a large number of(tarpaulin) sh ponds constructed1. Interest in vegetable and sh training has been high and villagers havenow started to use the new knowledge.

In 2012, the aquaculture training focused on management of river cages; building on skills learned fromlast years program which focused on sh ponds. At the end of the training, thousands of ngerlings weredelivered to the villages to stock the ponds. Program ocers in Kahayan Hulu Utara also worked togetherwith the government extension workers, to facilitate sh distribution from the Fishery Department to twovillages in Kahayan Hulu Utara. This was a direct result of YTS having submitted village proposals to thegovernment immediately after the communities received the aquaculture training last year. Our rubberprogram focused on the importance of hybrid rubber, and included the distribution of 1,100 hybrid rubber

seedlings for two demonstration plots in Damang Batu as well as three villages in Miri Manasa.


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In addition, the YTS program ocers facilitated a basic training in nancial management. This new programlinks villagers directly to nancial services provided by a local Credit Union, to provide support for theirbusinesses and livelihoods. In 2012, YTS supported the Credit Union to conduct a basic training courseand membership drive in ve villages in Damang Batu subdistrict. Membership of a nancial organisationwill enable the villagers to start saving and eventually have access to credit for basic needs or productiveactivities.

Environmental Protection (Mercury and Small-scale Mining)

The mercury program was quite active in Gunung Mas district in 2012, working in the major towns of KualaKurun, Tewah and Tumbang Miri as well as many smaller villages. In all, 87 gold shops were tted withcondenser systems, and 112 retorts were distributed to miners.

We calculate the mercury recapture resulting from these interventions has now reached more than 1,000kilograms per month, having an economic value of $200,000 per month. Although this is often the primarymotivation for adoption of our equipment, the most signicant benets are surely for the health of themercury users and the thousands of aected citizens living in the vicinity. Lastly, the environmental benetsof such a reduction of emissions should not be underestimated.

2.2. Jelai ProjectIn January 2012, YTS returned to working in the subdistrict of Sekatak in Bulungan District in EastKalimantan, primarily in the villages of Bunau, Terindak and Tenggiling. This coincided with the re-startof operations by PT. Jelai Cahaya Minerals. The program in 2012 was a continuation and development ofthe program undertaken from 2007 to 2009. Community support was not limited to implementing thevillage Musrenbang or livelihood programs alone. A health program was also given, especially to peoplein the Mewet area, because of the following considerations: 1). Health Department declared that thehighest incidence of malnutrition occurred in the subdistrict of Sekatak, 2). The diculty of access fortransportation from Mewet to health centers in the subdistrict; and 3) Increasing number of mothers andyoung children living in Mewet, since the company has commenced operations.

Activities that have been implemented during the year 2012 Facilitate village Musrenbang and village preparation to follow in the subdistrict Musrenbang

Coordination with the government or SKPD at district and subdistrict level

Rejuvenation of Village Management Groups (VMG) in Bunau and Terindak

Administration and nancial training for VMGs

Extension of a Livelihood Interest Group by Bulungan Department of Agriculture and the Department ofFisheries and Aquaculture

Field visit to a successful shpond farmer at Apung village in Tanjung Selor

A comparative study visit to a successful rubber farmer in the subdistrict of Kelay, Berau District

Two stages of shpond training, two stages of rubber growing training, three stages of vegetablecultivation training for the Livelihood Interest Groups

6,060 catsh ngerlings have been distributed in Terindak, Bunau and Tenggiling villages for 48members of a rubber growing group

Vegetable cultivation groups in Terindak village have managed to benet to the amount of Rp.2,800,000 from August to November

Vegetable cultivation groups in Bunau village have managed to benet to the amount of Rp. 1,000,000from September to November

Besides working in the group vegetable garden, each member has developed a private vegetablegarden in their backyards at home at home. Activities in vegetable gardens have reduced the time for

making and drinking Tuak among vegetable cultivation members


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The vegetables planted are kangkung, mustard greens, spinach, cucumbers, long beans, bitter melon,tomatoes, sweet corn, eggplant, chillies, squash, gourds

10,200 natural rubber seedlings and 20 polybag-grafted type PB 260 rubber seedlings have beendistributed to the 35 members of the rubber growing group in Bunau and Terindak

Technical assistance has been given in the preparation of a LIG proposal to the Department of

Agriculture and Fisheries and for informing the proposal to Bulungan Members of Parliament in theelectoral district of Sekatak

Posyandu was undertaken ve times, following an examination of pregnant women and healtheducation in Mewet; each included a minimum of 15-20 mothers and infants

Training was given in creating healthy and nutritious foods for infants, in collaboration with the Sekatakdistrict health center for Mewets Posyandu cadre

There has been encouragement and facilitation of the health center to provide maximum services atMewet, such as the provision of free Vitamin A for infants and providing additional free food: one boxfor every pregnant and lactating mother in the form of biscuits containing 10 vitamins and 7 minerals

Challenges faced in 2012

Activity Challenge Solution

Dierent approachesto community aidbetween Tiger andYTS

Tiger wanted instant results fromthe livelihood program and put theirComdev team in the same area withYTS, but with dierent approaches.

Working after geographical separation.Tiger Comdev works solely in the Mewetcommunity.

Social communityactivity

The habit of drunkenness iswidespread

Customary activities are time-

consuming

Training is stopped in the face ofdrunkenness

There should be a rule against drinking

during trainingLivelihood activities reduce the habit ofdrinking

Adjust the schedule with the community

Changes in VMGnumbers

Some VMG members resigned dueto an excessive personal workload

Strengthening the capacity of theremaining members of VMG

Mentoring and strengthening VMGinstitutional building, especially for thedetermination of LIG membership, VMGadministration and nancial training, the

agreement between LIG and VMG andcommitment to the program, identifyingand contracting local experts

Changes in LIGnumbers

Some members of LIG assume thattraining is not important

Some members of LIG only expectaid

Some members of LIG work at theJCM camp

There are agreements between VMG andLIG to select members who are inactivein respect of the selective distribution ofseeds, meaning only active members -those and have set up a pond or providedland for planting rubber.


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Vegetable CultivationProgram

There are constraints onvegetable cultivation among thoseunaccustomed to using a hoe tomake plots and are disgusted by theuse of chicken manure

Improve the ability of local experts to trainand regularly monitor the groups

Create dierent plots treated and hoedwith dierent fertilizer so that the groupcan observe the dierence.

Fishpond program Some of the ngerlings in thegroups shponds died

There was discussion among members toreect on the dead ngerlings in ponds

Follow-up sh ngerlings were needed forthe group members, which was proposedto the Department of Fisheries

No technical SKPDprogram (agricultureand sheries) werebrought to the village

Bringing technical services related toactivities within the community

Extension of the Department of Agricultureand Fisheries agencies for the livelihoodinterest group

Create and submit a proposal to the

government agencies by presenting someof the activities that have been carried outin the village

Health Program Mewet has no access to theSekatak Health Center due to atransportation problem

The company is often unable toprovide a vehicle to travel fromMewet to Sekatak for YTS and theHealth Center

Communities often ask for

medication at the camp

Providing transportation for SekatakHealth Center to travel to Mewet

Car rental from Mewet to Sekatak

Bringing the Health Center more often toMewet when a need is evident

Health education for the Mewetcommunity

VMG Membership Data

Village

Number of membersFebruary 2012

Number of active member untilNovember 2012

Male Female Male Female

Terindak 3 2 1 2

Bunau 4 1 2 -

Tenggiling 2 - - -

Mewet 4 Posyandu cadre

KKD membership numbers were reduced due to personal job obligations or, especially among femalemembers, taking care of children.


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Livelihood Membership Data

Livelihood InterestGroup

Village

Number of membersApril June 2012

Number of membersNovember 2012

Female Male Female Male

Vegetable Group

Bunau - 11 - 3

Terindak - 6 - 3

Fishpond Group Ikan

Bunau 25 - 10 -

Terindak 17 1 10 -

Tenggiling 5 - 2 -

Rubber Group

Bunau 27 - 20 -

Terindak 25 - 15 -

Tenggiling 34 - The group has worked workwith Tiger Comdev since June

Membership is based on representation of the head of a family because at any given time some men willwork as woodcutters; but if the head of the family was unable to attend the group activity it was possiblefor him to be to be replaced by his wife or children. VMG selects the membership of the livelihood interestgroup, so that inactive members are removed and active members formed into a new group in November2013.

2.3. Governance Strengthening Project

Achievements

Two signicant policies were issued as a direct result of the program: the Sub-district Indicative BudgetCeiling Policy and the Revitalization of the Village Allocation Fund Policy. These two policies enable scaldecentralization to the village, and led to a working visit to Kebumen Regency for on-the-spot discussionson scal decentralization measures, and a direct experience for senior district personnel. It also wasdecided to conduct quarterly monitoring using a participatory approach. All of these activities have beeneective in achieving a better quality of engagement among project stakeholders and generating betteroutputs.

The new sub-district budget ceiling policy encouraged the village government to conduct the annualMusrenbang and for villagers to participate more actively. The policy provided assurance to all stakeholderson how much money would be allocated at each level - village, sub-district and district.

Nearly all proposals from the Musrenbang in six pilot villages that YTS works with in this program wereaccepted for funding by ve line agencies in the district through the sub-district budget indicative ceiling.This was acknowledged as a signicant success by everyone involved.

The above achievements came about because of the following:

i. Project management and external consultants were able to persuade the Gunung Mas governmentthat implementing scal decentralization to villages was a strategic opportunity to achieve commongoals ie, increased community participation in local governance and budgeting would generate betteroutcomes for the poor with respect to health, natural resources management and livelihoods.

ii. Strong commitments from the Head of the Planning Board and the Head of the Community and VillageGovernment Empowerment Department enabled quick implementation of the policy recommendationsin cooperation with the project.


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Challenges and Difficulties

Challenges:

1. Geographical conditions in the Kahayan River create very expensive transportation costs for the projectin traveling to and from facilitated villages.

2. Communication is an obstacle because of no telephone signal and dicult access for sending letters bycourier or post oce to facilitated villages.

3. Increasing the number of local champions, both in communities and in government. Due to points 1 & 2,we could not do intensive observation and facilitation to improve this.

Diculties:

One signicant factor aecting implementation and management of the program in the last year hasbeen the diculty to establish a xed schedule for activities, because key personnel receive last minuteinstructions from higher ups to attend to other things. This creates ineciencies, disruptions, and additionalcosts. An example was the third quarter monitoring and review event in which several key players from thegovernment who understood the history of the project were unable to attend because of a last minute call.The result was a much lower quality level of exchange between participants.

How to Overcome Challenges & Difculties

To overcome challenges:

1. Provide more budget support from the Kahayan Project for village participants transport and

mobilization;

2. Radio announcements and direct delivery by Kahayan eld team; and

3. Intensifying support to current champions and keep looking in events held by this project

To overcome obstacles:

The new Head of Bappeda is more communicative than the previous one. So, we hope it will bring a goodimpact by having smoother communications between senior management in Gumas.

Participation Numbers in Annual Village Planning Event


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Results in Comparison with Initial Objectives

1. Activities and Levels of Participation

Table 1: Activities and Levels of Participation

Activity PeriodNumber of Participants

ExpectedNumber

Male Female %

First Quarter 187 139 29 90%

Second Quarter 115 89 18 91%

Third Quarter - - - -

Fourth Quarter 71 45 5 76%

Conclusion: Implementation of the activities listed above matches the proposed work plan. Participation ofwomen remains low and needs a specic action plan to improve it. However, overall participation levels are

satisfactory, reaching an average of 85% of numbers expected.

2. Village Musrenbang

Table 2: Participation Rating and Results

Village Name Participation Numbers Participation RateCompared to thePrevious Year

Musrenbang Result

T. Mahuroi 32 persons 220 % Compatible with SIBC

T. Posu 30 persons 50 % Idem

T. Koroi 33 persons 135 % It is not referring to SIBC

Mangkuhung 42 persons 13 % Idem

T. Sian 42 persons 147 % Compatible with SIBC

T. Tajungan 30 persons 233 % Idem

3. Subdistrict Musrenbang

Table 3: Participants and Results

Subdistrict Participant Numbers Musrenbang Results

Damang Batu 69 persons List of priority proposals based on SIBC

Kahayan Hulu Utara 63 persons Idem

Miri Manasa 69 persons List not based on SIBC was re-prioritized

4. Joint Forum SKPD and District Musrenbang

The Joint Forum of SKPD was held dierently than previous years because of subdistrict indicative budgetceiling policy. There were presentations from only ve SKPD that were made mandatory to implement thepolicy in question. The Head of Bappeda was both moderator and a resource person.


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Table 4: Proposals Approved in Joint SKPD Forum

SKPD Villages with Approved Proposal % of Approved Proposals

Public Works Koroi, Sian, Tajungan, Mangkuhung,Mahuroi, Posu

100% - six proposals approved from sixvillages

Education Idem IdemHealth Mahuroi 17% - 1 proposal from 6 villages

Fishery & Husbandry Koroi, Sian, Tajungan, Posu, Mahuroi 80% - 4 proposals from 5 villages

2.4. Bukit Batu Project

Achievements

As is usual at the start of the year, in early 2012, YTS assisted each of the seven communities to generate anannual village development plan, working together with the village management groups. Each community

held a meeting to decide on the priority items they wanted the district government to support and YTSassisted in their submission to government through the Musrenbang planning process. The process wasgenerally better than last year, as there was time dedicated to a plenary session to discuss the proposalsfrom the villages at the subdistrict level. The district planning forum took place in Palangka Raya duringMarch, and YTS facilitated the attendance of three representatives from each village. In preparation forthe event, YTS held a brieng for the village delegations regarding the mechanisms, processes and outputsto be expected from the SKPD Forum and the Musrenbang Kota, so that they could engage more activelyin the process. During the year, YTS also followed up on previous proposals made by the sh, chicken andrubber interest groups. One proposal from the village of Kanarakan was successful, and YTS assisted withthe distribution of 7,500 hybrid rubber seedlings to all of the YTS interest group members in this village.

YTS also provided capacity-building support to a village management group to assist in implementation ofthe development program and provided technical support for selected livelihood activities. Over the last

three years, we have provided training in rubber and vegetable cultivation, as well as semi-intensive sh andchicken production; as well as training in basic business and nancial skills to assist farmers to develop smallagricultural enterprises. In 2012, our livelihoods program focused on improving the livelihoods of many poorfarmers by introducing three new organic products that improve soils, and enhance overall plant growthand productivity; namely: biochar, bokashi, and wood vinegar.

Thus, the objective of the 2012 livelihoods program was to strengthen the resilience of local farmers, byproviding training in manufacture and use of three natural products that can lower their input costs forchemical fertilizers and provide a range of other benets. Having started to build local capacity for biocharproduction through demonstrations, and the distribution of appropriate technology, we went on toprovide direct training to the community to support the production of these biochar products. Field trainingwas performed intensively from April to September 2012. Three levels of training were provided to men and

women from all seven of the village communities we serve in Bukit Batu. The technical support consisted ofdemonstration and training, followed by eld trials. Training was attended by around two hundred farmers.

Data gathered during monitoring and evaluation at the end of the year, showed conclusively that treatmentwith Bokashi stimulates plant growth and production far more than using chemical fertilizers. We canconclude that use of biochar and bokashi can dramatically increase crop yields, without the need foradditional chemical inputs. The project has given many poor villagers the opportunity to manufactureand sell three new products, creating new micro-enterprise opportunities in the villages. As many of thecommunities live in farming areas with marginal soils, we expect that the results of the trials will provebenecial in many areas. Furthermore, the enthusiasm of the interest groups has certainly demonstratedthat these new agricultural practices are well-suited to the local agricultural context, and are scaledappropriately for the poor to take advantage of the opportunities presented.


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Challenges

Bukit Batu is a large subdistrict, having a total area of 57,200 hectares, and a total population of 11,808people. There are many immigrant communities living alongside the local Dayak population. Of the 3,180households in the sub-district, approximately half receive a combined income of less than ve dollars a day,and can be considered to be living in conditions of dire poverty.

Statistics

The beneciaries of this program were more than two hundred LIG members from seven poor farmingcommunities in the Kecamatan Bukit Batu of Kota Palangka Raya, Kalimantan Tengah. In 2012, YTS providedten days of eld training in the manufacture of each of the three products, covering both the theoreticaland the practical aspects. We then went on to demonstrate the eld applications of the products byestablishing trial plots in the villages, and then to monitor and evaluate the results of these trials.

The table below shows the attendance at each training level with the number of participants listed,disaggregated by sex. The total number of participants at each training level varied as follows:

Training Level I (Biochar Production) 109 Participants

Training Level II (Bokashi Production) 179 Participants

Training Level III (Wood Vinegar Production) 152 Participants

Training Level IV (Application to Trial Plots) 101 Participants

On average, 135 people attended each level of training.

Concluding Remarks

In addition, one of the best outcomes for the Bukit Batu project to date has been our ongoing partnership

with the Credit Union. Our joint eld activities in Bukit Batu have led to a total of 236 new members joiningthe Credit Union, and more than $160,000 worth of credit being provided as small loans, for private, as wellas business purposes.

2.5. ASGM Project

Introduction

Since we closed our UNEP-funded mercury project in June 2012, we have continued our program ofinterventions throughout the province of Central Kalimantan, working in small towns and villages inseven districts. In the last six months, we have distributed twenty-two retorts to miners, and installedthirty-seven condenser systems in gold shops. In addition to providing recycling equipment as part of ourregular program of eld interventions, we have also continued to spread our health messages to targetcommunities.

The success we have achieved in Central Kalimantan gives us hope that our current approach can also bereplicated in other provinces of Indonesia in 2013. This will allow for emissions to be quantied at a nationallevel through more widespread eld interventions; as installing the equipment serves to manifest theemissions and make them measureable. In this way, we believe that by tackling the problem we becomebetter able to know the true scale of it as we move towards the creation of a national inventory of mercuryemissions.


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Field Activities

Palangka Raya Municipality

In the second week of July, we worked in the city, revisiting gold shops. We checked on mercury recoveryrates and found that most of the equipment was working satisfactorily. We also asked permission to put

stickers in all the gold shop windows for our campaign. Two new gold shops were convinced to installour equipment due to considerable complaints and peer-pressure from the surrounding gold shops. Weperformed one installation in July, and the second in August. Lastly, we delivered two retorts to one goldshop, for use in the eld.

Kapuas District

In early July, we went to the town of Timpah where we found that many of the ordinary shops sellingelectronics also serve as gold shops. Thus, we made approaches to them, and eventually installedcondensers in three such shops in Timpah. Later, we installed another unit in Desa Jangkang, near Pujon.In the middle of August, we again returned to Timpah and installed three more systems, making for a totalof seven units in all. In fact, on this trip, we also identied many more gold shops in the vicinity which weintend to visit in future. In the third week of October, we returned to Pujon where we were able to install

four condenser systems in four gold shops. One of the gold shop owners has been able to capture fourkilograms of mercury per month from his system, and is now making repayments on a new car from theproceeds of the mercury recycling. In the rst week of November, we returned to Pujon where we wereable to install four more condenser systems. In the third week, we visited the gold town of Timpah and dida further survey of gold buyers in the area. We found ve gold shops were interested in installations, so weprovided ve condensers in all.

Pulang Pisau District

In late July, we installed three condenser systems in two villages: two in Goha and one in Bawan. These twovillages are both on the Kahayan river, relatively close to Palangkaraya. With the addition of this new districtto our program, it has been interesting to note the pattern of river mining that has emerged, showing thatthe entire length of the Kahayan river is being dredged regularly, from the headwaters down to the capitalcity of Palangka Raya.

Gunung Mas District

In this district, we have been working in the three main towns of Kuala Kurun, Tewah, and Tumbang Miri,as well as a large number of smaller villages. During this period, we did not visit the major towns, butchose to focus on villages instead. In June, we travelled to the small village of Tambak where we installedone condenser system in a gold shop. We also visited the neighbouring village of Pahawan, to monitor anexisting installation. In August, we went on to visit the village of Bawan, where there are nine gold shopsin all. After distributing health awareness media to the community, we managed to install one condensersystem. We then decided to go on to the village of Tangkahen, although we had to cross the Kahayanriver to get there. Here, we visited gold buyers we had met the previous year, and checked on a previous

installation. We convinced two new shops to also install condenser systems, making for a total of threeinstallations in that village. In the rst week of October, YTS visited the town of Sepang Simin for the rsttime. After getting to know the gold buyers, we were able to install two condenser systems in two goldshops in the town. At the end of the month, we visited all of the gold shops in Kuala Kurun (the districtcapital) before moving on to Tewah. In Tewah, we provided a total of nine retorts to dierent gold buyers.In early November, we returned to Sepang Simin. This time, we installed two condensers in two new goldshops. We also distributed brochures and height charts at the local high school. In the middle of November,we checked on gold shops in Kuala Kurun once again, before moving on to the nearby village of TewangPajangan. In this village we found two gold shop owners who were ready to receive our equipment, so weinstalled two condenser systems. At the end of November, we were able to revisit Sepang Kota and installtwo more condensers.


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Katingan District

In June, we hosted a short visit from the writer, Damon DiMarco, and took him on a eld trip to thegoldelds of Galangan where he interviewed gold shop owners and miners. He also saw the environmentalimpact of the strip mining and the extent of forest removal. Later, he visited a mining site closer to Pundu,and held an in-depth interview with the boss of that operation. Damon also saw our video productionprocess in our local editing studio.

In early September, we had a visit from Jane Dennison of the US State Department. We took Jane to seegold shops in both Palangka Raya and Kereng Pangi and then travelled into the goldelds of Galangan for arst-hand look at the environmental impact of ASGM.

Murung Raya District

In the middle of June, we went back to Mt Muro to distribute more equipment. We went by car, whichtakes twelve hours by road via Puruk Cahu. First, we went to the Halubai mining area, where we distributedsix retorts to miners. The location was quite busy, as they were getting good gold results. We then went onto the village of Mangkahui and distributed three more retorts to the local processors.

Kotawaringin Barat DistrictIn all, YTS made three visits to the hard-rock mining site of Pangkut: the rst visit in May consisted of apreliminary survey of mining sites, processing locations, and gold shops; during the second visit in Augustwe conducted awareness-raising and also installed one condenser system and distributed two retorts; ourthird visit in September consisted of data collection and testing of ores.

Results of Interventions

Retorts and Condensers

YTS continues to provide a high level of support to miners, ore-processors and gold shops, through ourinterventions to prevent the open burning of amalgam. As we continue to add more and more localities andusers to the list, the mercury recovery rates we witness also give us a good picture of the emissions levels

occurring in the province of Central Kalimantan.

Equipment Distribution (June December)

District Retorts Condensors Monthly Hg Recovery (Kg)

Palangka Raya 2 1 3

Kapuas - 21 21

Pulang Pisau - 3 3

Gunung Mas 9 11 20

Katingan - - -Murung Raya 9 - 9

Kotawaringin Barat 2 1 3

As shown above, YTS distributed a total of 22 retorts and 37 condensers in the six months prior toDecember; interventions that are now resulting in the ongoing recapture and recycling of an additional 59kg of mercury per month.


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Overall Project Success

We believe that one of the most important outcomes of our work is the creation of an inventory ofmercury emissions for Central Kalimantan. As the project now covers all of the major emission points in theprovince, we are now able to show the true picture of mercury use in the province. By reaching out andproviding equipment in this way, we can establish where the problem exists, and manifest the problem in a

quantiable way for the rst time.

Discussion

Awareness Raising

YTS is undertaking various activities to increase the general level of understanding about the threat ofmercury in the environment; working both within the communities concerned, as well as with government,academia, NGOs and civil society. We are taking advantage of a range of media to do this, and also takingan active role in nation-wide networking to promote dialogue between stakeholders.

Behavior Change

In the eld, we are working to change the perception of miners and processors regarding the economicrewards of using mercury, and asking them to reconsider the cost-benets of using mercury. Furthermore,we are trying to create an environment conducive to change by demonstrating mercury-free processes andtechnologies that may serve as viable alternatives. We are also trying to bring this issue to the attention ofgovernment at many levels. However, ASGM communities are our primary target audience, as only theycan change their own practices directly. One aspect that helps convince them to change is having a greaterlevel of health awareness in the community, but this must be accompanied by appropriate technology.

Direct Beneciaries

This project has provided direct benets to hundreds of miners, ore-processors, and gold shop owners, aswell as their families. These people recognize that recycling mercury brings direct benets: in terms of asafer living and working environment for themselves and their families, and in terms of nancial savings.

The health benets also extend to all those living in the vicinity of the emissions. For this reason, each pieceof equipment we provide can improve the well-being of hundreds of people. Amalgam-burning commonlyoccurs in populated areas, amidst everyday life and along the main street: exposing all passers-by to seriousharm. It is safe to say that thousands of people, living in many towns and villages along the major rivers ofCentral Kalimantan, now derive a benet from our interventions.


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Chapter 3

Support Services

3.1. HRD & Training

In 2012, the HRD & Training section started a comprehensive capacity building program for both YTS stamembers and project beneciaries. The program for sta was based on a needs-analysis performed for

the organization as a whole, to equip our sta with the necessary skills to provide a much higher level ofsupport to the 21 YTS-assisted villages in the Kahayan.

The HRD and Training section successfully conducted a wide range of capacity-building programs whichhave enabled the sta to perform their tasks well throughout the year. Thus, the sta capacity-buildingprograms were a major contribution towards the accomplishment of our goals in 2012.

In all, 15 capacity-building activities were conducted specically for YTS sta. The YTS program ocersespecially, were provided with a wide array of training, in such skills as: facilitation; computer use;photography; technical assistance; time management; report-writing; module making; and nancialreporting. The oce sta received training in: English language; report writing; time management; andother necessary skills related to their respective elds.

At the village level, program beneciaries received training in livelihood activities as diverse as aquaculture,horticulture, rubber farming, and pig-rearing, as well as basic training in nancial management. In BukitBatu, interest group members gained new knowledge and skills in making organic fertilizers from biomass.Beneciaries in East Kalimantan (Jelai project) learned valuable skills in rubber cultivation, aquacultureand horticulture; all of which were new livelihood activities for them. In all, a total of 10 dierent livelihoodtraining programs were provided to our beneciary communities, and a total of 1,264 people attendedthese in-village training events. In preparation for these events, 25 separate training modules weredesigned, printed and distributed to participants.

Capacity-Building for YTS Sta

Challenges/Diculties Solutions

Timing of Training Events some sta are in theeld and some in the oce

Find the right time when the eld sta come backto the oce

Follow-up Training as the eld sta are verybusy with eldwork they often could not nishassignments given by the HRD & Training section.

Wait for eld sta to nish doing their eldworkbefore nagging them for assignments.

Having very many technical assistance programsrunning concurrently inuenced the smoothdelivery of the sta capacity-building program.

Adjusting the training dates to the expected levelof activity and conducting more training at thebeginning and the end of the year.


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Capacity-Building for Village Communities

Challenges/Diculties Solutions

Many villagers still expect material support fromYTS

Keep giving information to build community

awareness on the various types of YTS support and

on the way YTS works

Inconsistency in attendance and reducedparticipation at training events when villagers arebusy with their own livelihood activities

Keep conducting the training no matter how manyparticipants attend, while giving more motivationto villagers to attend the next training

Natural factors such as heavy rain may inuencethe condition of the road and travel time

Call the boatmen downriver, to take YTS personnelfrom Kuala Kurun to Tumbang Miri

Villagers have not yet developed sucientinitiative to use their skills to start real enterprises

Keep encouraging villagers to think about businessopportunities using the skills they have learned

Notes: in 2012, the HRD & Training division also supported other projects in YTS, such as the Jelai project,the Governance Project, the Mercury Project, and other YTS activities based on the needs and requests.

3.1. Information & Communication

Introduction

In addition to the rapidly-increasing workload experienced in 2012, the Information and Communication unithas been going through a period of transformation and learning that has been useful for both the team andthe organization as a whole.

From the beginning of the year, the unit had to nd a temporary replacement for one of the team who tookthree-months maternity leave. This somehow aected the planning and workow design in place for theteam, given that the beginning of the year has always been a busy time for us.

In February, our Media Development Assistant decided to resign and pursue a career in a dierent direction.This resulted in having to shift some work around within the team to accommodate the busier schedule,but the heavy workload did not provide for optimal results. Luckily, the ocer returned to YTS in May, andwas then assigned more responsibility, as the media development ocer.

On the company side, the rapid scaling-up of the exploration program has also aected the work inthe eld, which has had a direct impact on the workload and skills requirements in the Information andCommunication Unit.

As we reached the end of the year, it became clear to us that there is still a need for better organization ofthe work, an improved skills and knowledge base, and even specialization of each team members eld ofexpertise, as well as a need for better quality control of our media products.

Current Situation

Achievements

We have been very successful in providing support to the HRD and Training Unit, creating a series ofillustrated handbooks for each of the ve training programs provided to the livelihood interest groupmembers in 2012.


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Issues & Constraints

Our main constraint is the poor management and work organization within the team. This is due to a lack ofcapacity to meet the growing and professional need of the Yayasan. In addition, on the management side,there needs to be a mechanism in the team that allows us to distribute the workload more evenly and bemore punctual in delivery.

Furthermore, the team needs to pay more attention to the quality of our product. We are constantlystriving to produce professional and high quality outputs.

Certainly, the team will require further internal capacity building in the future, to be able to keep up with aworkload that is ever-increasing.

Recommendations

Amongst others, there are three main recommendations towards improvement of work within theInformation and Communication Unit:

i. To take immediate action in restructuring the management of the workload amongst the team

members. This is best achieved by having a dedicated person to support the management team with theworkload mapping and control.

ii. To pay more serious attention to the quality of our products and comply with higher standards; andto start looking into practical solution on how to ensure the best performance. Some of the possiblesolutions to this have been discussed by the team: a visible and accessible workow planning board isneeded, as well as a quality control chain, although this is still open to other possible solutions.

iii. To have more skills development opportunities for the team, where each person can improve theircapacity and become expert in the area that they are interested in.

3.2. Finance & Administration

In 2012, Finance and Administration activities were ably managed by our Finance & Admin Ocer. Fornancial control, our monthly nancial reports showing expenditures vs budget continue to be a goodmeasure for keeping us on track with each project. And our cash ow projection sheet enables us toanticipate any shortages in cash, so we can put measures in place to remedy any nancial constraints.

We continued to le regular reports to local government in accordance with the legal requirements for asocial organisation, and are up to date in all our reporting requirements.


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Chapter 4

Financial

Financially, 2012 was a very strong year as we ended the year theoretically with an unexpended surplus ofUS$81,000. Total revenue was US$595,000 and total expenditures were US$514,000.

Revenues

Our sources of revenue were rather varied (see Figure 1 below), but 90% of revenues came from only foursources: PT Kalimantan Surya Kencana (55%), PT Jelai Cahaya Minerals (10%), Ford Foundation (16%), andUNEP-USEPA (9%).

YTS Revenue 2012


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Expenditures

In terms of expenditures, the chart below shows the distribution, with the largest proportion going to theKahayan Project (61%), followed by the Governance Strengthening in Gunung Mas (13%), and then the JelaiProject (11%), the ASGM Project (9%), and the Bukit Batu Project (6%). Ford Foundation was a very strongfunder for us in 2012, funding both the Governance Strengthening Project and the Bukit Batu Project.

YTS Expenditures 2012


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Program Costs

Program costs account for the costs of all of our eld activities, including technical experts and trainingsupport.

YTS Program Cost 2012

Program Overhead

Program overhead refers to eld expenses, such as transportation, accommodation and meals in the eld.And rightly so, the Kahayan Project and the Jelai Project show the highest numbers, given that we had themost sta and most activities in those two projects.More nancial details on each project can be found in the annexes at the end of this document.

YTS Program Overhead


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Chapter 5

Summary

As mentioned in the introduction, this year has been a major turning point for YTS, with the resumption ofboth exploration projects, and with the rst full year of our working directly with district government inGunung Mas.

Stabilizing our funding removed a lot of the uncertainty that had plagued us in previous years, and enabledus to focus more strategically on our work, rather than worrying about funding all the time. It allowed us tohire much needed key sta and strengthen the management level of our operations.

We hope this report will provide a representative picture of the volume and quality of activities we took onin 2012. Everyone in YTS rose to the occasion remarkably well and all are to be congratulated for the greatteam eort.

We look forward to next year with renewed strength and determination to do even better, and we want tothank our funders for their continuing support and condence.


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Annexes

Annex I: Kahayan Project Financials

Annex II: Strengthening Governance Project Financials

Annex III: Bukit Batu Project Financials

Annex IV: Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining Project Financials


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Annex I: Kahayan Project Financials

Annex II: Strengthening Governance Project Financials


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Annex III: Bukit Batu Project Financials

Annex IV: Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining Project Financials

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2012 YTS Annual Report-Ss

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