The Covid-19 pandemic has had an impact on all spheres of life, including social and economic ones, in addition to creating a health problem. Socially, various transmission risk reduction policies such as social restrictions and lockdowns have created many new habits. Similar disruptions occurred in the supply and demand cycle from an economic perspective.
Men and women have different vulnerabilities and requirements as they deal with the pandemic, and this needs to be a shared concern. Gender is a significant factor that contributes to vulnerability, yet it is frequently ignored in various disaster management efforts, according to experience in various catastrophe circumstances.
Gender-based violence increased by 63% during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the report from the Commissioner of the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan). Women have to deal with challenges like the growing domestic workload, hazards and exposure to pandemic that are specific to women, the effect on the economy, and poverty. As a result, a coordination system comprised of numerous partners is required to handle this.
Hadrianus Edi Handoko Budi Saputro, also known as Pak Edi, did this. Mr. Edi is one of the RedR Indonesia roster members and has been active in the humanitarian sector for 20 years. He decides to make a contribution to society by entering the field of humanitarian help.
Pak Edi is a participant in the Australian Government’s “Australia Assist” program, which is managed by RedR Australia. He has been assigned to the Jayapura, Papua, location for the UNDP project RESTORE (Response Toward Resilience). This program’s main goal is to assist in the governance of the health system, particularly at the provincial level, and to build a communication and coordination system with all components, such as the detection of gender-based violence, the evaluation of post-disaster needs, and the follow-up to future contingency plans as the humanitarian aid sector in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Pak Edi, the issue on the ground was the lack of regulatory measures to prepare for catastrophes like the Covid-19 outbreak. Additionally, community adaption cannot happen immediately. Building public awareness of the necessity for ongoing adaptation is still necessary. The process of adaptation depends not only on individual conduct but also on community and collective activity.
The most important humanitarian work for Pak Edi is the process of encouraging the community to solve their problems themselves so that long-term resilience is formed.
“We are not here to change them, but to encourage them to change”
Pak Edi
RedR Indonesia holds that the availability of sufficient, dedicated, and qualified humanitarian assistance professionals is a prerequisite for a successful humanitarian disaster response. Therefore, through the RedR Indonesia Roster, professional humanitarian workers who are experts in their fields are deployed to support communities affected by disasters or conflicts.
Members of the RedR Indonesia Roster will have the chance to apply for jobs in Indonesia and overseas that fit their qualifications. The roster will also have the chance to take part in several humanitarian trainings that RedR organizes in order to enhance their skills and competencies as humanitarian workers and build networks within the RedR family of organizations.
You can find more information about roster registration and vacancy openings at redr.or.id/roster-redr-indonesia/
