Humanitarian Activities

The Eco Hapakat Foundation is committed to humanitarian aid and disaster relief throughout Indonesia and, if necessary, beyond. We support village communities and individuals in improving and/or restoring their quality of life, especially when it has been impacted by storms, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, impassable roads, and similar challenges.

Waste management and waste disposal strategies are among the topics Eco Hapakat Foundation addresses in the communities. This ranges from small-scale garbage collection campaigns with schoolchildren to clean up a village in a one time activity, to improving waste collection strategies and facilities and up to large-scale landfill management, methane gas extraction technologies, waste recycling strategies, water conservation, and CO2 emission reduction strategies. More information about this you find among our Activites Page under the article “Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Project unter UNFCCC” and also under “Environmental Education and Capacity Building Program”

The uncontrolled and widespread use of mercury throughout Kalimantan is also a major problem. We support individuals and communities in teaching recycling concepts and technologies to prevent or at least reduce the release of mercury into the air and rivers of Kalimantan, as this problem has a very negative impact on the downstream food chain.

Eco Hapakat Foundation support well construction and the improvement of daily water supplies, offer cost-effective and effective drinking water filters, support and advise on the construction of sanitation facilities and septic tanks, support and advise on the construction of small hydropower plants along streams and rivers, and offer advice on hygiene, preventive health care, and basic medical care.

One focus of our disaster relief is to help affected communities rebuild reliable and dignified initial housing after natural disasters. This is achieved not only through consulting, but also through practical on-site assistance. For example, from 2005 to 2006, we loaned a construction and planning expert from the Eco Hapakat Foundation to the humanitarian organization Caritas Switzerland. He was at the forefront of the conceptual design, planning, and reconstruction of hundreds of homes in the city of Singkil, in the southern part of Aceh province. Read more under “Post-tsunami and earthquake housing reconstruction project in Singkil, Aceh” on our Activities Page.

Together with construction and disaster management experts, the Eco Hapakat Foundation has also developed a modular container housing system that can quickly, easily, and cost-effectively create emergency shelters in the event of natural disasters. These lightweight, modular wooden container houses can serve as core units for later expansion into permanent housing. Their modular construction system makes them ideal for construction even in hard-to-reach locations. They are earthquake-proof, stormproof, and can be disassembled into small individual structures several times, allowing them to be transported to hard-to-reach areas by pickup trucks, horses, donkeys, and simple wheelbarrows, as well as by helicopter. Read more about this on our Activites Page under the articel of “Modular Emergency Housing for Rapid Disaster Response”