Jason Childs copyright

			ARTISANAL FISHBOAT PROGRAM  (AFP) Fisher communities along the West coast of Sumatra are among the hardest hit in the wake of the mega tsunami. Recent dramatic increases in fuel prices throughout Indonesia have disproportionately disadvantaged fishers and their families living in isolated locations. The Artisanal Fishboat Program focuses on introducing appropriate technology both to fish boat construction and to other critical community issues ashore. A key element is the construction of bamboo 'Tsunami Arks' that could save many thousands of lives if predicted seismic events result in more large tsunamis in the area. The first phase of the project will involve the construction of the Air Manis Training Centre  (AM-TC) on a peninsular just South of Padang. Training Centers A cable braced bamboo structure will be built to provide a sheltered boat building work area and an elevated office and administration space. The structure will be designed to withstand a mega quake and a moderate scale tsunami (3-4m) and to become a floating life-raft should a larger tsunami be experienced. This structure is low cost and can be relocated should that ever prove necessary. It can also be replicated and components pre-cut and supplied to remote locations as a multipurpose shelter and tsunami refuge combined. Regardless of the actual risk of further tsunamis in the region, the security of working in a quake proof structure that can also double as a tsunami refuge will help communities to overcome the long term effects of trauma and loss of family and friends. If the Air Manis TC is no longer required, the building can be used for a fish market, net repairs, fisher association headquarters or as a community center for sports and youth activities as deemed best by the local residents. Replicas of this building in remote villages could also be used for temporary schools or aid distribution points. The proposed buildings are far more durable than tents and more dignified. Our experience with tents leaves us convinced that they are welcome at first but prolonged use of leaky hot and cramped tents is very detrimental for community and aid provider's morale. Prototype Development The AMTC will focus on the development and construction of prototype boats for the different fisheries and requirements found between Benkulu in the South and Sabang in the North. The rights to proven designs from other successful aid programs will be purchased or negotiated on a royalty basis and technical experts employed at nominal rates if site visits and travel to Padang is required. The focus will be on building small boats in kit form that can be transported economically to target areas with the assistance of other NGOs and donors. This first wave of boats will be development prototypes to confirm that designs are acceptable to the end users. Inevitably there will be modifications and design refinements suggested after evaluation trials. Once these changes have been incorporated in the second wave of boats, production of kits for remote assembly yards can commence. A third wave of 'Production Boats' will be sold via micro credit schemes and so ongoing production will not require funding. Full funding is requested for 3 generations of each boat design and only one or two of each will be built. Multipurpose Assembly Centers Priority will be given to the construction of multi-purpose assembly centers in remote fisher villages. These structures will be highly visible and designed to inspire and encourage the communities they serve. Additional donor support will determine the number of these buildings that can be erected. Each assembly center will have an administration office equipped with a low altitude satellite phones (Biru PSN. The aim is to make regular communications between Island Aid's AMTC and the remote centers possible at low cost. The phones will be available to the community on a user pays basis and in most cases this telephone link will be the first and only such service available to the residents. AFP Supplementary Programs (Not included in AFP budget - funded separately) The availability of a public telephone link where none has ever existed, will guarantee visitation by the entire community making it easy and efficient to introduce a number of concurrent but independently funded supplementary programs aimed at enhancing the empowerment of women, the health of infants and the education of children. Supplementary programs will include:

			Image copyright - Island Aid courtesy of Jason Childs - 2005

			AFP Seed Funding The total donor funding requested is USD$275,000.   This funding will cover:      $75,000  - Site works & construction of the Training Center    $50,000  - Operational costs, field training mission costs & overheads (12 months)    $60,000  - Tools & Equipment    $40,000  - Materials for prototype construction    $50,000  - Technical assistance & Administration $275,000    TOTAL As an IRS 501(c)(3) public benefit corporation, ISLAND-AID  (via ELM) can offer donors attractive tax concessions.

			BACKGROUND Since our intensive work in Aceh in the weeks & months after the tsunami, we have agonized over the helplessness of coastal & small island villages that are located miles from any high ground. In the particular area where we spent most of our time, the death toll in some fishing communities was over 75%. Here is an extract from our ship's blog in January the day Jane discovered this isolated group of survivors.  Batavia Ships Blog  - 30th January 2005

			These devastated communities need urgent help in the form of new boats but equally pressing is the need for fisher villages along the South & Mid  sections of the coast to implement tsunami evacuation or survival strategies. Our 'Tsunami Ark' could save thousands of lives in hundreds of villages located miles from high ground. There is no question that mega quakes are overdue in the central Sumatra coast and Mentawai Islands. The chances of associated tsunamis is very high and judging by historical records, almost inevitable. These communities are not prepared and Government authorities and International agencies have suggested very expensive early warning technology that . Expensive and sophisticated 'early warning' technology will not help save lives close to the epicenter of an undersea mega quake. After the quake subsides, coastal Sumatra populations will have less than 20 minutes to reach high ground. In the Mentawai Islands closest to the epicenter, tsunamis may impact less than 10 minutes after the quake.  Electronic warnings may serve some purpose for more distant Indian Ocean coastlines where the quake itself will not be felt. The best strategy for Sumatra coastal residents is to seek safe refuge after they experience any quake lasting more than a minute rather than wait for warnings via radio or other electronic media. Should the quake strike at night, people will face the terrible prospect of trying to run in the dark through the destruction that such a quake will cause in towns and villages. Power will fail, bridges will be destroyed, trees will fall and buildings collapse blocking roads. Reaching high ground will be practically impossible for many living on coastal estuaries or river banks surrounded by swamps or mangroves. The prospect of families with infants and elders who cant run unassisted being engulfed in the dark while trying to escape inspired us to develop a simple but innovative solution that can be built at low cost in the center of selected villages. A single 'Tsunami Ark' could save between 200 and 300 people and in larger villages, several can be constructed in strategic locations to reduce the time needed for the community to reach them. With community cooperation, the structures can be built quickly and at low cost as most materials can be sourced in the surrounding area.

			Designed to survive a modest tsunami (3-5m) intact, these unique structures will save many lives if our section of the coast is impacted by a 10m+ mega tsunami. The center section is designed to lift off its breakwater foundation and absorb the force of the wave by floating with it inland with its compliment of residents aboard its bamboo 'hull' like 3rd floor. Anyone who has surfed will understand how it possible to survive a massive breaking wave by passively going with the energy and letting it carry them towards the shore. This structure has been conceived and designed by surfers who have spent 6 months in the killing fields of Aceh. The structure's cable supported roof will float and lift soil anchors so that they drag as the wave passes. The roofing is designed to 'breath' and dampen the shock of the wave then float on its bamboo framing and support swimmers who survive the initial impact. As the wave peaks and subsides the anchors will prevent the structure being dragged out to sea. Each Tsunami Ark can be equipped with emergency food and water as well as water proof VHF radios for post disaster rescue co-ordination. 'Tsunami Ark' is copyright to The Electric Lamb Mission & Island Aid 2006. Developed in association with www.tropical-treehouse.com & www.deboerarchitects.com These unique 'Tsunami Arks' will function as Training Centers for the construction of a new generation of artisanal fishboat designs and development and implementation has been combined in the following proposal.

			Interested?  contact Island Aid www.island-aid.org