In the Face of Drought: Sumba and Belu’s Struggle of Survival

RDI conducted a consultancy project in collaboration with Save the Children Indonesia to evaluate an emergency response project focused on assisting communities that had been affected by drought in Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) province. Subsequently, RDI team members embarked on a 7-day field visit to the districts of West Sumba and Belu from September 18th to 24th, 2016.

During this visit, data collection was carried out through focused group discussions and in-depth interviews involving various stakeholders. These included community beneficiaries, local disaster management offices, local planning offices, social affairs offices, and other relevant parties.

The communities in West Sumba and Belu had been significantly impacted by drought conditions, which were exacerbated by the vulnerabilities inherent to these communities. In response to this challenging situation, RDI, as a global think tank, undertook this study to gain insights into the conditions on the ground and to explore ways to reduce vulnerabilities and enhance community resilience.