History of Lambrineu Foundation

On 26 December 2004, an enormous earthquake just of the coast of Aceh Province in Indonesia caused a devastating Tsunami that affected coastal areas in Southeast Asia , India and Africa . International assistance and emergency efforts were immediately started, but initially focussed mainly on Sri Lanka and Thailand .

The full scope of the damage in Aceh only became w id ely known to the world after a few days, when communication was restored to the hard-hit Indonesian Province . The offices of PA Asia in Jakarta and Praaning Meines (now PA International) in Brussels immediately started cons id ering how effective help could be given.

One year after relief operations started in Aceh, reports in the media draw one main conclusion: the need for better coordination between NGOs and the community. According to a id workers the main lesson learned is that local communities have not been sufficiently consulted and involved in their projects. Including the community from the beginning would have made the projects more sustainable and adaptable throughout the process.

Perhaps due to its private sector background, the Lambrineu (stands for Lhok Nga Aceh Muhammadiyah Brussels-Coudenberg, INA European Union) Foundation d id see the importance of community involvement from the very start. Based on findings from an initial field visit right after the tsunami it dec id ed to build a community home first, before even planning or beginning to implement more specific rehabilitation programs. The community home in Lampaya quickly became a place where community leaders would meet and discuss local needs with Lambrineu’s development experts. A place where these needs were translated into project proposals, which were then submitted to potential funding agencies and donors, using the network of Lambrineu’s Board of Management. In a way, Lambrineu’s approach was that of a commercial consultant: listening to the needs of the client, find donors for the required budget, and implement the projects. As a result, the community home has now become a recognized development centre for the Lhok Nga sub-district harbouring a growing number of successful social and economic development programs.