Indonesia: Wind-up radios keep tsunami-affected communities informed

May 1, 2006

The scenery is breath-taking. As the small plane makes its approach onto Simeulue, an island on the West coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, the pristine waters and dense vegetation provide a sense of lush tropical tranquility. This remote place however was deeply affected by the tsunami and a subsequent earthquake.

Lives were lost. The economy was devastated. Homes, fishing boats, agricultural fields were all engulfed by the gigantic wave.

But the resilience of the 80,000 inhabitants of this clove, coconut and lobster producing island proved more enduring than the disaster. Most of the rubble has been cleared. Recovery is happening fast. In Sinabang, the main commercial center, business is increasing. Shops are open, markets are flourishing. The lobster is indeed fresh and delicious.

But Simeulue remains a disaster-prone area. In a region where more than one thousand seismic tremors and earthquakes have been recorded since the tsunami, it is hard to keep the population informed. Most people live in scattered villages where access to the media is quite limited. In order to overcome this challenge, the United Nations Development Programme has distributed 35,000 wind-up radios in the province of Aceh. Radio is the most effective way to disseminate information in this region because most of the media like television and newspapers have been badly damaged and are scarcely operational there. The radios can be powered by dynamo (wind up), solar energy, battery or electricity, providing a flexible and affordable way for the population to get access to information and emergency broadcasts.

The identification of radio recipients was conducted by UNDP through a comprehensive survey implemented by Internews in Aceh. This survey chose recipients based on criteria and priorities like tsunami hit areas, radio signal coverage, radio content and media access. The delivery phase, which included remote places like Simeulue, was done in partnership with UN-Habitat and IOM, which provided personnel and logistical support.

The radios are received with joy by the Simeuleu population. They realize the radios can make the difference between life and death should another natural disaster occur. For Sawaluddin, 33, a villager from Teupah Selatan, on the eastern side of the island, radio is also his best friend as it accompanies him working all day. "Since the tsunami and earthquake, we really need information on services available for us, and we can get that from the radio station here in Simeulue that broadcasts news regularly. Besides, entertainment programs like songs are very helpful to alleviate our stress." The wind-up radio will be his daily companion as he works the coconut fields. It is a perfect marriage between modern technology and manual work in nature in this tropical paradise.