The King, his family and U
2 weeks ago
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Bikes in Sumatra
Just sharing with u guys.
i take pictures of bikes or same family group when i go for missions.
and all this are taxi or sort of,except the 1 with kerepek and sate.
enjoy
i take pictures of bikes or same family group when i go for missions.
and all this are taxi or sort of,except the 1 with kerepek and sate.
enjoy
Friday, November 6, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
FACTBOX-The worsening security picture in Afghanistan
Source: Reuters
KABUL, Nov 5 (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Thursday it would temporarily evacuate hundreds of its international staff from Afghanistan due to deteriorating security, a sharp blow for Western efforts to stabilise the country. Security has worsened in Afghanistan since the Taliban insurgency re-grouped in 2005. Following are key facts about the security situation in Afghanistan:
WORSENING SECURITY
* Between January and the end of July this year, 898 conflict-related incidents took place, compared with 677 for the same period in 2008, according to the U.N.
* An Afghan government security map seen by Reuters in August showed almost half of Afghanistan was at a high risk of attack by insurgents or was under "enemy control".
* Incidents involving home-made, insurgent-laid bombs, or Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), spiked sharply from January to July 2009, averaging more than eight each day, or an increase of 60 percent, compared with the same period in 2008.
* In a security report published in September, the United Nations said "insecurity continued to be the single greatest factor impeding progress in Afghanistan
". CIVILIANS *
According to the United Nations, there were 1,500 civilian casualties between January and August 2009, with August being the deadliest month.
* As well as being the biggest killer of foreign troops, IEDs, including suicide bombs, have also killed more civilians than any other weapon in the conflict.
* The commander of foreign forces in Afghanistan, U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal, said in his assessment of the war, the strategy's focus must be on protecting the population and prising them away from the insurgency.
HUMANITARIAN GROUPS
* There were 75 attacks against civilians working for NGOs, charities and humanitarian groups from January to June 2009, according to the Afghan National Safety Office.
* The International Committee of the Red Cross which has more than 1,000 staff, including Afghan employees, in Afghanistan has said it will not be removing workers from the country in response to escalating violence.
KABUL
* Nearly 130 Afghan and foreign civilians have been killed in major attacks in Kabul from January 2008 to the present.
* In January 2008, several Taliban gunmen stormed the luxury Serena hotel near the presidential palace, killing six people including a Norwegian journalist.
* Foreigners have also been targeted by gunmen in Kabul. In 2008 a British woman working for a charity and a South African man working for a courier company were shot in central Kabul.
* The worst attack on diplomats was a July 2008 suicide car bomb attack which killed 58 people, including three Indian diplomats, outside the Indian Embassy.
* Attacks outside the German embassy, NATO headquarters and on various foreign troop convoys in Kabul have all pushed up the death toll for foreigners working in Kabul over the past year.
THE PROVINCES
* The southern provinces of Kandahar and Helmand are the most dangerous in Afghanistan. A total of 538 troops have been killed there since U.S. and Afghan forces toppled the Taliban in 2001 according to www.icasualties.org, an independent website that monitors foreign troop deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq.
* Foreign and Afghan troops are also locked in daily gun battles with insurgents in the southeast of Afghanistan, where 530 foreign soldiers have been killed across 13 provinces.
* Security in the north and west of Afghanistan, long considered to be safe, has deteriorated significantly over the past year and a half.
* Kunduz and Badghis, which are the only Pashtun-majority provinces in the north, have seen a significant rise in violence and Taliban attacks.
* Herat province in the west, Afghanistan's commercial hub, has also seen rising violence and a strengthening of the Taliban. Attacks on officials and hangings of Afghans the Taliban accused of being government spies have significantly increased.
Sources: Reuters, United Nations, International Security Assistance Force, icasulaties.org, U.S. Forces. (Reporting by Golnar Motevalli; Editing by Alex Richardson)
WORSENING SECURITY
* Between January and the end of July this year, 898 conflict-related incidents took place, compared with 677 for the same period in 2008, according to the U.N.
* An Afghan government security map seen by Reuters in August showed almost half of Afghanistan was at a high risk of attack by insurgents or was under "enemy control".
* Incidents involving home-made, insurgent-laid bombs, or Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), spiked sharply from January to July 2009, averaging more than eight each day, or an increase of 60 percent, compared with the same period in 2008.
* In a security report published in September, the United Nations said "insecurity continued to be the single greatest factor impeding progress in Afghanistan
". CIVILIANS *
According to the United Nations, there were 1,500 civilian casualties between January and August 2009, with August being the deadliest month.
* As well as being the biggest killer of foreign troops, IEDs, including suicide bombs, have also killed more civilians than any other weapon in the conflict.
* The commander of foreign forces in Afghanistan, U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal, said in his assessment of the war, the strategy's focus must be on protecting the population and prising them away from the insurgency.
HUMANITARIAN GROUPS
* There were 75 attacks against civilians working for NGOs, charities and humanitarian groups from January to June 2009, according to the Afghan National Safety Office.
* The International Committee of the Red Cross which has more than 1,000 staff, including Afghan employees, in Afghanistan has said it will not be removing workers from the country in response to escalating violence.
KABUL
* Nearly 130 Afghan and foreign civilians have been killed in major attacks in Kabul from January 2008 to the present.
* In January 2008, several Taliban gunmen stormed the luxury Serena hotel near the presidential palace, killing six people including a Norwegian journalist.
* Foreigners have also been targeted by gunmen in Kabul. In 2008 a British woman working for a charity and a South African man working for a courier company were shot in central Kabul.
* The worst attack on diplomats was a July 2008 suicide car bomb attack which killed 58 people, including three Indian diplomats, outside the Indian Embassy.
* Attacks outside the German embassy, NATO headquarters and on various foreign troop convoys in Kabul have all pushed up the death toll for foreigners working in Kabul over the past year.
THE PROVINCES
* The southern provinces of Kandahar and Helmand are the most dangerous in Afghanistan. A total of 538 troops have been killed there since U.S. and Afghan forces toppled the Taliban in 2001 according to www.icasualties.org, an independent website that monitors foreign troop deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq.
* Foreign and Afghan troops are also locked in daily gun battles with insurgents in the southeast of Afghanistan, where 530 foreign soldiers have been killed across 13 provinces.
* Security in the north and west of Afghanistan, long considered to be safe, has deteriorated significantly over the past year and a half.
* Kunduz and Badghis, which are the only Pashtun-majority provinces in the north, have seen a significant rise in violence and Taliban attacks.
* Herat province in the west, Afghanistan's commercial hub, has also seen rising violence and a strengthening of the Taliban. Attacks on officials and hangings of Afghans the Taliban accused of being government spies have significantly increased.
Sources: Reuters, United Nations, International Security Assistance Force, icasulaties.org, U.S. Forces. (Reporting by Golnar Motevalli; Editing by Alex Richardson)
U.N. pulls out foreign staff from Afghanistan
Source: Reuters
* U.N. says relocation temporary until security improves
* About 600 of 1,100 international staff to be moved
* Decision blow to Western efforts to stabilise country
By Jonathon Burch and Yara Bayoumy
KABUL, Nov 5 (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Thursday it would evacuate hundreds of its international staff from Afghanistan for several weeks due to deteriorating security, a sharp blow for Western efforts to stabilise the country. Spokesman Aleem Siddique said the United Nations would relocate about 600 of its roughly 1,100 international staff, with some being moved to safer sites within Afghanistan and the rest withdrawn from the country temporarily.
[ID:nISL477219] The move, a week after five U.N. foreign staff were killed by militants in Kabul, complicates U.S. President Barack Obama's counter-insurgency war strategy, which foresees an influx of civilian assistance alongside extra troops. Obama is due to decide within weeks whether to approve a request from his commander in Afghanistan for tens of thousands of additional troops. U.S. forces in Afghanistan have already doubled in the nine months since Obama took office.
The United Nations said the evacuations would not disrupt its operations in the country. "We're doing everything we can to minimise disruption of our work during this period," U.N. special envoy to Afghanistan Kai Eide told reporters at a news conference in Kabul. "We are simply doing what we have to do following the tragic events of last week to look after our workers in a difficult moment while ensuring that our operations in Afghanistan can continue.
" SECURITY CHANGES
Eide said some staff would relocate to Dubai where the United Nations has a facility and where it is "inside the mission area". Siddique said the U.N. staff would return in three to four weeks after its security measures were changed. "At the moment we have 93 guest-houses across Kabul and there will be a consolidation of those guest-houses so that we can provide better security in fewer places," he said.
The United Nations mission played a critical role in organising elections in the country this year, and its agencies such as UNICEF run health, education and other programmes. In last week's attack, Taliban suicide bombers hiding explosive vests under police uniforms entered a guest-house used by U.N. staff, killing five foreigners and prompting a security review by many of the international agencies in the country.
Two other international aid organistions have evacuated some of their non-essential staff since the attack last week, said Hashim Mayar of ACBAR, an umbrella organisation for local and international NGOs operating in Afghanistan. A second round of the presidential election, which was to be held on Nov. 7, was cancelled after President Hamid Karzai's only opponent withdrew, citing insufficient safeguards against fraud.
Former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah's decision not to stand meant Karzai was declared the winner, even though more than a quarter of his votes from the Aug. 20 first round were thrown out after a fraud investigation. The tainted election has hurt Karzai's standing among Western nations with troops fighting in Afghanistan, making Obama's decision about whether to send more troops even more difficult.
"WARLORDS AND POWER-BROKERS
" Adding to the complexity of Obama's decision, is rising anger at civilian casualties caused by Western forces, which the commander of all foreign forces, U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal, says undermines the Western mission. On Thursday Afghan villagers protested against what they said was the killing of 11 civilians in an air strike by foreign troops, but local authorities said only fighters were killed.
The NATO-led force said it had fired a rocket from the ground at a group it believed to be planting a roadside bomb in Babaji, in Helmand province. It said it was not aware of any civilians in the area and was investigating the incident. Western nations have pressured Karzai to revamp his cabinet, removing cronies and distancing himself from warlords to gain some credibility.
"We can't afford any longer, a situation where warlords and power-brokers play their own games. We have to have a political landscape that draws the country in the same direction which is the direction of significant reform," Eide said. "I believe we are now at a critical juncture in the relationship between Afghanistan and the international community. The debate over the last few weeks has demonstrated that there are more question marks and more doubt with regard to the strength of the international commitment to Afghanistan."
(For a related TIMELINE, click on [ID:nISL268109]) (Writing by Peter Graff and Yara Bayoumy; Editing by Alex Richardson)
* About 600 of 1,100 international staff to be moved
* Decision blow to Western efforts to stabilise country
By Jonathon Burch and Yara Bayoumy
KABUL, Nov 5 (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Thursday it would evacuate hundreds of its international staff from Afghanistan for several weeks due to deteriorating security, a sharp blow for Western efforts to stabilise the country. Spokesman Aleem Siddique said the United Nations would relocate about 600 of its roughly 1,100 international staff, with some being moved to safer sites within Afghanistan and the rest withdrawn from the country temporarily.
[ID:nISL477219] The move, a week after five U.N. foreign staff were killed by militants in Kabul, complicates U.S. President Barack Obama's counter-insurgency war strategy, which foresees an influx of civilian assistance alongside extra troops. Obama is due to decide within weeks whether to approve a request from his commander in Afghanistan for tens of thousands of additional troops. U.S. forces in Afghanistan have already doubled in the nine months since Obama took office.
The United Nations said the evacuations would not disrupt its operations in the country. "We're doing everything we can to minimise disruption of our work during this period," U.N. special envoy to Afghanistan Kai Eide told reporters at a news conference in Kabul. "We are simply doing what we have to do following the tragic events of last week to look after our workers in a difficult moment while ensuring that our operations in Afghanistan can continue.
" SECURITY CHANGES
Eide said some staff would relocate to Dubai where the United Nations has a facility and where it is "inside the mission area". Siddique said the U.N. staff would return in three to four weeks after its security measures were changed. "At the moment we have 93 guest-houses across Kabul and there will be a consolidation of those guest-houses so that we can provide better security in fewer places," he said.
The United Nations mission played a critical role in organising elections in the country this year, and its agencies such as UNICEF run health, education and other programmes. In last week's attack, Taliban suicide bombers hiding explosive vests under police uniforms entered a guest-house used by U.N. staff, killing five foreigners and prompting a security review by many of the international agencies in the country.
Two other international aid organistions have evacuated some of their non-essential staff since the attack last week, said Hashim Mayar of ACBAR, an umbrella organisation for local and international NGOs operating in Afghanistan. A second round of the presidential election, which was to be held on Nov. 7, was cancelled after President Hamid Karzai's only opponent withdrew, citing insufficient safeguards against fraud.
Former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah's decision not to stand meant Karzai was declared the winner, even though more than a quarter of his votes from the Aug. 20 first round were thrown out after a fraud investigation. The tainted election has hurt Karzai's standing among Western nations with troops fighting in Afghanistan, making Obama's decision about whether to send more troops even more difficult.
"WARLORDS AND POWER-BROKERS
" Adding to the complexity of Obama's decision, is rising anger at civilian casualties caused by Western forces, which the commander of all foreign forces, U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal, says undermines the Western mission. On Thursday Afghan villagers protested against what they said was the killing of 11 civilians in an air strike by foreign troops, but local authorities said only fighters were killed.
The NATO-led force said it had fired a rocket from the ground at a group it believed to be planting a roadside bomb in Babaji, in Helmand province. It said it was not aware of any civilians in the area and was investigating the incident. Western nations have pressured Karzai to revamp his cabinet, removing cronies and distancing himself from warlords to gain some credibility.
"We can't afford any longer, a situation where warlords and power-brokers play their own games. We have to have a political landscape that draws the country in the same direction which is the direction of significant reform," Eide said. "I believe we are now at a critical juncture in the relationship between Afghanistan and the international community. The debate over the last few weeks has demonstrated that there are more question marks and more doubt with regard to the strength of the international commitment to Afghanistan."
(For a related TIMELINE, click on [ID:nISL268109]) (Writing by Peter Graff and Yara Bayoumy; Editing by Alex Richardson)
How strong is 7.9 Magnitude Earthquake? Part 2
This used to be the 2st floor
2 stories shoplots
lucky its just the kitchen wall
Living room
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
How strong is 7.9 Magnitude Earthquake?
Ppl have been asking me how strong is the jolt of an earthquake?
i cant really explain it in words.
Felt it many times during my missions.
above 6 magnitude few times in a day to smaller ones that u lost count.
This is some of example of how strong a 7.9 magnitude can do.
This is 37 Tonne Locomotive on display somewhere near Padang town.
You do the math.......
i cant really explain it in words.
Felt it many times during my missions.
above 6 magnitude few times in a day to smaller ones that u lost count.
This is some of example of how strong a 7.9 magnitude can do.
This is 37 Tonne Locomotive on display somewhere near Padang town.
You do the math.......
Friday, October 16, 2009
Personal Preparation
To friends who are going for a mission.
i am sharing this with u........
more guides and manual is out there,or u can just ask me.
Always......
have a good weekend
Khoda Hafez
i am sharing this with u........
more guides and manual is out there,or u can just ask me.
Always......
Tips on Personal Preparation
The best advice is likely to come from someone doing a similar job to the one that you will be doing. If you can find such a person, even if only via a long conversation on the telephone, do so. It will greatly repay the effort and the cost.
While preparing, you may wish to consider the following:
- Obtain briefing on the country you will be going to; its culture and customs; the work you will be doing; the security situation; and the history of your organisation's work in that area.
- What training do you need before you depart? Take experienced and qualified advice on this if necessary. You may need training related to safety or security, and training in aspects of the job you'll be doing.
- Travel plans: have they been thoroughly prepared? Who will meet you on arrival? What will you do if they do not show up?
- Medical advice, particularly on malaria prophylaxis and other health precautions.
- Clothing: appropriate to where you will be and what you will be doing.
- Putting your personal, family and property affairs in order before you leave.
- What manuals or handbooks will you find useful?
- Security-related equipment
- Mail forwarding arrangements.
have a good weekend
Khoda Hafez
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Advice for First-Time Aid workers
I found this article from the net.
Its not a complete guide for Aid workers going to the field,but it helps.
Diff NGO's or oganisation have diff SOP's and guideline.
you guys can always search the web or ask me for any info.
Happy reading
Going to the field for the first time as an aid worker? Even if you have extensive experience traveling in developing countries, there is a lot you should do to prepare for your first experience as an aid worker. It's impossible to list absolutely everything you will need to take, and duty stations vary tremendously in terms of security and infrastructure. The author of this page has tried to make a list that includes universal essentials, but you will need to do much more research on your own to prepare for your first placement.
Predeparture
* Do as much research as possible, before you leave, about the country where you will serve (its history, its current political situation, the names of its key leaders, the living standards of its people, cultural aspects, the availability of medicine, the types of food, etc.). If there is a Lonely Planet or Rough Guide for the area, buy it and review it at length (and definitely take it with you!). Also see the latest UNDP Human Development Report and look up the country. The web also provides extensive, useful information.
* Look for blogs by aid workers who have been or are in the area where you will serve. These personal accounts can go a long way in preparing you for your first aid experience.
* If you are a woman, you should do some extra research on cultural aspects of a country; male aid workers often forget or don't notice the particular customs regarding women's dress for the street and the office, and your briefing materials may not be explicit enough in this regard. If possible, try to talk with a woman who has been in the country before, or is there now.
* Find out how you will be paid. Will it be in cash? Will it be via deposit to a local bank? Can part of your pay be directly deposited to your home country bank? Make sure you have all of the information you need about your home country bank for possible money transfers. All the better if you can do online banking via your home country bank.
* Ask for a list of staff members BEFORE you leave your home country for your assignment. If at all possible, make contact via email before you leave with staff members already in-country that you will work with.
* Ask the organization who will pick you up from the airport (if anyone), how you should get from the airport to your housing, the name of your housing accommodations, what paperwork you will need to fill out at the airport, etc.
* Get about 10 passport-sized photos made. You will need them for visas, country ID cards, agency ID cards, and all sorts of surprise reasons. If you are female and going to a country where most women wear head scarves, consider getting some photos made with you wearing such
* Find out what country you would be evacuated to should there be a severe security threat, and if possible, secure your visa for this country before departing your home country.
* Make an electronic copy of the key pages of your passport, and have copies of your contract, security clearance, airline tickets/reservations, emergency information, etc. Put this information somewhere on the Internet where you can retrieve it (for instance, you can mail it to your Yahoo, GMail, Hotmail, or other web-based email account, and retrieve it if you need to after you arrive). You can also have it on a memory stick or CD you carry with you on your person when you arrive. Of course, you should have printed out copies of these as well which you also carry on your person.
* Buy and study a map of the country or the area where you will work.
* Start monitoring the weather before you leave. The web makes that very easy to do.
* Network as much as possible before your departure. Learn what other agencies serve the area and, if there might be a counterpart at any organization doing work similar to you, consider writing these organizations before you arrive to introduce yourself. See AWN's more detailed information on networking
* Consider taking a few *very small*, discreet gifts with you that you could give to people who prove particularly helpful. For instance, in Afghanistan, the author of this advice page brought small bottles of moisturizer and gourmet instant coffee.
* Think about what medicines you might need and pack accordingly – but don't bring so much that it might alarm customs officials.
* Research online groups that might relate to your work in a particular geographic area. This is a great way to network with people at other organizations engaged in the same work as you.
* Check your embassy's web site for the country and see if they have a registration process; it's a good idea for your embassy to know you are going to be in a country, and for how long. Often, they will put you on a contact list to let you know about events or security bulletins.
* Identify books or other publications you think might help you in your work. If you take these, be prepared to leave them, either because you need to evacuate, because you have no room in your luggage when you return or because you feel they would do good staying in the country for use by others.
* If you like to read, consider taking your own books and magazines. But be prepared to leave them in the country when you finish; they will be very much appreciated by other international staff there.
* Equipment needs vary from country-to-country, and depend on your living conditions. Yes, take that Swiss Army Knife (but not in your carry on). Two things the author of this article found most valuable that were recommended by fellow aid workers but not in any guide books: universal sink plug and a head lamp with plenty of batteries (electricity supplies, if not scarce in developing countries, are, at least, unreliable).
How much stuff should you take with you? It depends on how long you are going, what your living conditions will be, and the availability of items there. Just remember that, as you navigate your way through airports and other transport stations, you might have to manage all of your luggage by yourself; that means you don't want to take more than you can manage on your own. Also, consider that, in an emergency situation, you would need to leave the majority of your possessions, so don't take anything so precious that you would be heartbroken to have to leave it behind.
Upon arrival
Many new aid workers are shocked at how much they have to do themselves when arriving at an agency; often, the aid worker his or herself will have to drive the process to get paid, get necessary equipment, meet fellow staff members, etc. Be prepared to take charge in accessing the essential information and materials you will need to do your work:
* Some organizations provide new arrivals with an induction/orientation document. Some don't. Either way, there is a lot of information you need to compile yourself:
o Start immediately making a list of key contacts. This should be everything from people you work with in your job to people whose assistance you may need (IT person, security person, etc.)
o Start making a list of abbreviations to remember. Aid workers and government officials are notorious for talking in acronyms. You will never learn them unless you make a list.
o Get a staff list with key contact info ASAP.
* Find out when the security briefing is. If there is none, ask for one. Don't put this off!
* Get your official identification cards (visas, agency ID card, etc.) as soon as possible.
* No matter what your job, ask for some official documents: policies and procedures, the most recent annual report, the most recent internal program progress report, etc.
* Track all of the payments you are supposed to receive. No matter how well-known, long-established or large your development agency is, make sure you stay on top of all the payments you are supposed to receive, and when those are made.
* If you had a predecessor, ask where that person's files are, so you can go through to see what was done, and if this person left you any guiding notes.
* Ask someone to take you around and introduce you to everyone at the organization that you should know. If no one does, then do it yourself – walk into each and every office and introduce yourself. If no one sends an email around introducing you, do it yourself.
* Network with those at other organizations who do the same job as you. Initiate contact via phone, email, or just stopping by, as appropriate.
* Find out how to back up your computer information. If this isn't done, then do it yourself on CDs or thumbdrive.
* Get business cards as soon as possible.
* Get your computer ID and password ASAP
* Learn project site names and addresses ASAP.
* Arrange to meet key contacts face-to-face. Also, whenever you are at a main office or partner office, drop in and say hi to key contacts, even if you aren't there to see them; they may have information to pass on to you. Otherwise, it just keeps you on their radar screen.
* Staff often "hides" behind email. Back up any important emails you send to staff with face-to-face visits to their office, confirming the information/request you have sent via email. Going into people's offices at least once a week, even if you don't need anything, will help remind people that you are a real person, not just an email address, and that your requests for information are real.
* Go to all debriefings from staff members that you possibly can. It shows your interest in their work, and they often will, as a result, show more interest in yours. You may also find out things that you need for your own job.
* If security allows, take any and all opportunities you can to go into the field and visit work/project, no matter what your job. It will increase your commitment to your work, whatever that is, and remind you of why you wanted to go into development/aid work in the first place.
Its not a complete guide for Aid workers going to the field,but it helps.
Diff NGO's or oganisation have diff SOP's and guideline.
you guys can always search the web or ask me for any info.
Happy reading
Going to the field for the first time as an aid worker? Even if you have extensive experience traveling in developing countries, there is a lot you should do to prepare for your first experience as an aid worker. It's impossible to list absolutely everything you will need to take, and duty stations vary tremendously in terms of security and infrastructure. The author of this page has tried to make a list that includes universal essentials, but you will need to do much more research on your own to prepare for your first placement.
Predeparture
* Do as much research as possible, before you leave, about the country where you will serve (its history, its current political situation, the names of its key leaders, the living standards of its people, cultural aspects, the availability of medicine, the types of food, etc.). If there is a Lonely Planet or Rough Guide for the area, buy it and review it at length (and definitely take it with you!). Also see the latest UNDP Human Development Report and look up the country. The web also provides extensive, useful information.
* Look for blogs by aid workers who have been or are in the area where you will serve. These personal accounts can go a long way in preparing you for your first aid experience.
* If you are a woman, you should do some extra research on cultural aspects of a country; male aid workers often forget or don't notice the particular customs regarding women's dress for the street and the office, and your briefing materials may not be explicit enough in this regard. If possible, try to talk with a woman who has been in the country before, or is there now.
* Find out how you will be paid. Will it be in cash? Will it be via deposit to a local bank? Can part of your pay be directly deposited to your home country bank? Make sure you have all of the information you need about your home country bank for possible money transfers. All the better if you can do online banking via your home country bank.
* Ask for a list of staff members BEFORE you leave your home country for your assignment. If at all possible, make contact via email before you leave with staff members already in-country that you will work with.
* Ask the organization who will pick you up from the airport (if anyone), how you should get from the airport to your housing, the name of your housing accommodations, what paperwork you will need to fill out at the airport, etc.
* Get about 10 passport-sized photos made. You will need them for visas, country ID cards, agency ID cards, and all sorts of surprise reasons. If you are female and going to a country where most women wear head scarves, consider getting some photos made with you wearing such
* Find out what country you would be evacuated to should there be a severe security threat, and if possible, secure your visa for this country before departing your home country.
* Make an electronic copy of the key pages of your passport, and have copies of your contract, security clearance, airline tickets/reservations, emergency information, etc. Put this information somewhere on the Internet where you can retrieve it (for instance, you can mail it to your Yahoo, GMail, Hotmail, or other web-based email account, and retrieve it if you need to after you arrive). You can also have it on a memory stick or CD you carry with you on your person when you arrive. Of course, you should have printed out copies of these as well which you also carry on your person.
* Buy and study a map of the country or the area where you will work.
* Start monitoring the weather before you leave. The web makes that very easy to do.
* Network as much as possible before your departure. Learn what other agencies serve the area and, if there might be a counterpart at any organization doing work similar to you, consider writing these organizations before you arrive to introduce yourself. See AWN's more detailed information on networking
* Consider taking a few *very small*, discreet gifts with you that you could give to people who prove particularly helpful. For instance, in Afghanistan, the author of this advice page brought small bottles of moisturizer and gourmet instant coffee.
* Think about what medicines you might need and pack accordingly – but don't bring so much that it might alarm customs officials.
* Research online groups that might relate to your work in a particular geographic area. This is a great way to network with people at other organizations engaged in the same work as you.
* Check your embassy's web site for the country and see if they have a registration process; it's a good idea for your embassy to know you are going to be in a country, and for how long. Often, they will put you on a contact list to let you know about events or security bulletins.
* Identify books or other publications you think might help you in your work. If you take these, be prepared to leave them, either because you need to evacuate, because you have no room in your luggage when you return or because you feel they would do good staying in the country for use by others.
* If you like to read, consider taking your own books and magazines. But be prepared to leave them in the country when you finish; they will be very much appreciated by other international staff there.
* Equipment needs vary from country-to-country, and depend on your living conditions. Yes, take that Swiss Army Knife (but not in your carry on). Two things the author of this article found most valuable that were recommended by fellow aid workers but not in any guide books: universal sink plug and a head lamp with plenty of batteries (electricity supplies, if not scarce in developing countries, are, at least, unreliable).
How much stuff should you take with you? It depends on how long you are going, what your living conditions will be, and the availability of items there. Just remember that, as you navigate your way through airports and other transport stations, you might have to manage all of your luggage by yourself; that means you don't want to take more than you can manage on your own. Also, consider that, in an emergency situation, you would need to leave the majority of your possessions, so don't take anything so precious that you would be heartbroken to have to leave it behind.
Upon arrival
Many new aid workers are shocked at how much they have to do themselves when arriving at an agency; often, the aid worker his or herself will have to drive the process to get paid, get necessary equipment, meet fellow staff members, etc. Be prepared to take charge in accessing the essential information and materials you will need to do your work:
* Some organizations provide new arrivals with an induction/orientation document. Some don't. Either way, there is a lot of information you need to compile yourself:
o Start immediately making a list of key contacts. This should be everything from people you work with in your job to people whose assistance you may need (IT person, security person, etc.)
o Start making a list of abbreviations to remember. Aid workers and government officials are notorious for talking in acronyms. You will never learn them unless you make a list.
o Get a staff list with key contact info ASAP.
* Find out when the security briefing is. If there is none, ask for one. Don't put this off!
* Get your official identification cards (visas, agency ID card, etc.) as soon as possible.
* No matter what your job, ask for some official documents: policies and procedures, the most recent annual report, the most recent internal program progress report, etc.
* Track all of the payments you are supposed to receive. No matter how well-known, long-established or large your development agency is, make sure you stay on top of all the payments you are supposed to receive, and when those are made.
* If you had a predecessor, ask where that person's files are, so you can go through to see what was done, and if this person left you any guiding notes.
* Ask someone to take you around and introduce you to everyone at the organization that you should know. If no one does, then do it yourself – walk into each and every office and introduce yourself. If no one sends an email around introducing you, do it yourself.
* Network with those at other organizations who do the same job as you. Initiate contact via phone, email, or just stopping by, as appropriate.
* Find out how to back up your computer information. If this isn't done, then do it yourself on CDs or thumbdrive.
* Get business cards as soon as possible.
* Get your computer ID and password ASAP
* Learn project site names and addresses ASAP.
* Arrange to meet key contacts face-to-face. Also, whenever you are at a main office or partner office, drop in and say hi to key contacts, even if you aren't there to see them; they may have information to pass on to you. Otherwise, it just keeps you on their radar screen.
* Staff often "hides" behind email. Back up any important emails you send to staff with face-to-face visits to their office, confirming the information/request you have sent via email. Going into people's offices at least once a week, even if you don't need anything, will help remind people that you are a real person, not just an email address, and that your requests for information are real.
* Go to all debriefings from staff members that you possibly can. It shows your interest in their work, and they often will, as a result, show more interest in yours. You may also find out things that you need for your own job.
* If security allows, take any and all opportunities you can to go into the field and visit work/project, no matter what your job. It will increase your commitment to your work, whatever that is, and remind you of why you wanted to go into development/aid work in the first place.
Thank you aid workers,volunteers,relief workers and humanitarian personnel
Thanking you guys for those who had serve,still serving and coming to serve here in Padang,Sumatera,Indonesia.
Will be sharing more info from time to time.
Those who are coming,we wish you welcome.
Those who are leaving,
till we meet again on the next mission.
Those who are staying.
We can have Padang Coffee soon.
Those who are new in humanitarian world
Please dont be shy to ask for help.
Dont be a hero.
There are ppl who love and care about you back home and out there.
Will be posting some stories,pictures,guides and article with you guys when time and internet permits.
Khoda Hafez
Will be sharing more info from time to time.
Those who are coming,we wish you welcome.
Those who are leaving,
till we meet again on the next mission.
Those who are staying.
We can have Padang Coffee soon.
Those who are new in humanitarian world
Please dont be shy to ask for help.
Dont be a hero.
There are ppl who love and care about you back home and out there.
Will be posting some stories,pictures,guides and article with you guys when time and internet permits.
Khoda Hafez
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009
Famous Minang song
This is a very famous Minangkabau song.
Actually this is how the language sounds like
Takana Juo
Salam dari Paja Santiang
Actually this is how the language sounds like
Takana Juo
Salam dari Paja Santiang
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Disease threatens survivors of Indonesia earthquake
CUBADAK AIR, Indonesia (AlertNet) -
Persistent rain and poor sanitation threaten to speed up the spread of disease among thousands of homeless survivors of a devastating earthquake in Indonesia. In Padang, the biggest city in the earthquake zone, the authorities have erected tents for the homeless and are handing out medical supplies and fresh water, but in outlying villages like Cubadak Air help has only just started trickling in.
"We can't live like this, I'm scared. When it rains it leaks through the sheet," said 50-year-old Masniati. Her home now was a sheet of plastic attached to the side of a ruined building that had been her house until the earthquake hit five days ago. "We need food, water and proper shelter." Masniati's brother-in-law had been injured in the earthquake and lay in the nearby medical centre unable to move. There were seven other people living in the makeshift shelter with Masniati. They have no clean water and only enough food for another two days. They wash their clothes in a nearby muddy, brown stream.
A local official said the earthquake had damaged all 200 houses in the village and that none are now fit to live in. Time is running out to get help to people stranded in remote areas - many cut off by landslides - said Malka Older, director of programmes at the aid group Mercy Corps. "What we're seeing is an urgent need for clean water," she told AlertNet. "People are sleeping outside and there are real worries that people outside Padang city are already coming down with malaria." She added that the survivors were becoming increasingly desperate.
"We heard that people are drinking water out of drains," she said. Indonesia's health minister has estimated that the final death toll from the earthquake could reach 3,000, adding that disease was becoming a concern. Investigators have already said too many of the buildings in the area were poorly constructed and the mayor of Padang has promised to push through a law to ensure that every new building can withstand a strong earthquake.
But for now the people of Chubadak Air and other villages in the earthquake zone are still stunned by the devastation. "When the earthquake hit I was so scared that I couldn't move at first. I thought I would have a heart attack," Masniati said. Zainyar, a 73-year-old woman wearing a pink and white traditional outfit, was sitting nearby. "We always have earthquakes here but they are only small ones. This one was very big and dangerous," she said. "I had to hug a tree to survive."
(Writing by James Kilner in London)
Persistent rain and poor sanitation threaten to speed up the spread of disease among thousands of homeless survivors of a devastating earthquake in Indonesia. In Padang, the biggest city in the earthquake zone, the authorities have erected tents for the homeless and are handing out medical supplies and fresh water, but in outlying villages like Cubadak Air help has only just started trickling in.
"We can't live like this, I'm scared. When it rains it leaks through the sheet," said 50-year-old Masniati. Her home now was a sheet of plastic attached to the side of a ruined building that had been her house until the earthquake hit five days ago. "We need food, water and proper shelter." Masniati's brother-in-law had been injured in the earthquake and lay in the nearby medical centre unable to move. There were seven other people living in the makeshift shelter with Masniati. They have no clean water and only enough food for another two days. They wash their clothes in a nearby muddy, brown stream.
A local official said the earthquake had damaged all 200 houses in the village and that none are now fit to live in. Time is running out to get help to people stranded in remote areas - many cut off by landslides - said Malka Older, director of programmes at the aid group Mercy Corps. "What we're seeing is an urgent need for clean water," she told AlertNet. "People are sleeping outside and there are real worries that people outside Padang city are already coming down with malaria." She added that the survivors were becoming increasingly desperate.
"We heard that people are drinking water out of drains," she said. Indonesia's health minister has estimated that the final death toll from the earthquake could reach 3,000, adding that disease was becoming a concern. Investigators have already said too many of the buildings in the area were poorly constructed and the mayor of Padang has promised to push through a law to ensure that every new building can withstand a strong earthquake.
But for now the people of Chubadak Air and other villages in the earthquake zone are still stunned by the devastation. "When the earthquake hit I was so scared that I couldn't move at first. I thought I would have a heart attack," Masniati said. Zainyar, a 73-year-old woman wearing a pink and white traditional outfit, was sitting nearby. "We always have earthquakes here but they are only small ones. This one was very big and dangerous," she said. "I had to hug a tree to survive."
(Writing by James Kilner in London)
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Padang Earthquake Relief-updates
Kelmarin Salam Relief sudah memulakan operasi penghantaran barangan keperluan kepada mangsa gempa di Sematera Barat.
Barang keperluan utama buat masa ni selain makanan adalah keperluan untuk berlindung.
Tents,plastic sheets,tarpauline.
Barang keperluan utama buat masa ni selain makanan adalah keperluan untuk berlindung.
Tents,plastic sheets,tarpauline.
Relawan dari Salam Relief sedang menandatangani surat resit serahan kepada sekretariat Posko bencana
Berkotak kotak bekalan makanan dan minuman juga turut tersenarai dalam barangan keperluan telah diserahkan kepada pusat pengumpulan
Van yang sendad dengan segala barang
Anak anak kecil bersungguh sungguh nak membantu mengangkat barang.
Plastic sheet di beli secara gulung dan pukal untuk serahan
last count before handing over directly to the villagers
Good transferred to local community van to be sent to affected areas
Salam Relief being brief on the position of the affected areas and accessible roads
road to villages were totally destroyed and cut off from the outside world
villagers trying to get out and pushing the bike through the mud and landslide
relief good were carried by hand as far as 3 km to reach the affected areas
I has been raining since we arrived in Padang.Blessing to some and yet it makes it tough for aid workers to reach hard hit areas and deliver goods.Locals have been very helpful giving hand and helping us carrying them.
Power supply and water is still not available in the city.
kebanyakan perkampungan yg dilanda tanah runtuh terletak di paras lebih dari 700 meter dari aras laut.
dengan hujan yang tidak menentu,bekalan makanan terputus,tiada tempat tinggal ternyata...ternyata keadaan ini amat susah dan mencabar bagi mereka.
setakat ini mengikut data mereka memerlukan lebih kurang 3000 kemah sebagai permulaan untuk menghadapai musim hujan yang mendatang.
dengan keadaan jalan yang terputus,tiada tempat tinggal dan tiada sumber makanan.
apa yang akan terjadi?
sesetengah kawasan jalan masih lagi belum boleh dilalui.segelintir yang ada pon hanya bisa ditembusi melalui jalan kaki sahaja.
tomorrow is another day
Power supply and water is still not available in the city.
kebanyakan perkampungan yg dilanda tanah runtuh terletak di paras lebih dari 700 meter dari aras laut.
dengan hujan yang tidak menentu,bekalan makanan terputus,tiada tempat tinggal ternyata...ternyata keadaan ini amat susah dan mencabar bagi mereka.
setakat ini mengikut data mereka memerlukan lebih kurang 3000 kemah sebagai permulaan untuk menghadapai musim hujan yang mendatang.
dengan keadaan jalan yang terputus,tiada tempat tinggal dan tiada sumber makanan.
apa yang akan terjadi?
sesetengah kawasan jalan masih lagi belum boleh dilalui.segelintir yang ada pon hanya bisa ditembusi melalui jalan kaki sahaja.
tomorrow is another day
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