A. Background

The earthquake and tsunami that occurred in Aceh on 26­ December 2004 have pulverized the very foundations of life in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam. The social systems and order of community life, which had been cultivated in Aceh over the ages, were suddenly and savagely reduced both in quality and quantity. They were not the only casualties claimed by the earthquake and Tsunami. Numbering in the hundreds of thousands, an uncountable number of lives were lost, thousands of houses were destroyed and hundreds of thousands of the survivors were forced to find shelter in refugee camps due to the loss of their homes. The earthquake and Tsunami destroyed public services, including education, health, religious and local government administration centers as well as various other kinds of public services and agencies.

This natural disaster has not only left behind destruction of a physical nature but it has also left behind hundreds of other long-term problems. Psychological trauma and depression will also, in the coming time, become a great problem for survivors of the disaster and this problem will need to be addressed by the entire Aceh population as well as by the cooperative communities around Indonesia and the world.

In practical terms, the Aceh of today is a far cry from the Aceh of before the destruction of the earthquake and tsunami. This difference will be evident for tens of years to come. The disaster has crushed both metropolitan and rural coastal regions, which had until now made huge contributions to the social formation, development and the productivity of Aceh. The Aceh people of today have been forced to forget about the past – for now, the glory of Banda Aceh and the beauty of Meulabeh and the other coastal cities have been lost.

Yet some enthusiasm can still be found within a small sector of the Aceh community, which has during this time been developing their potential and increasing their knowledge by studying in campuses in several big cities around Java, the largest island in Indonesia . Included in this group are the Aceh Community Association of Yogyakarta (Himpunan Masyarakat Aceh – HIMA) and Aceh Student Park Yogyakarta ( Taman Pelajar Aceh – TPA). Both groups have been actively committed in helping to solve the post-tsunami problems.

The groups initially responded to the emergency situation created by the disaster, by forming the Aceh Humanitarian Committee Yogyakarta (Komite Kemanusiaan Aceh – KKA). This special committee worked to dispatch humanitarian volunteers and various forms of aid to Aceh throughout the initial emergency period. Throughout that time, HIMA and TPA planned and prepared the concept to form a committee to manage and carry out continuing recovery programs in post-tsunami Aceh. On 7 January 2005, with much enthusiasm and an unwavering commitment, the Yogyakarta Committee for the Recovery of Aceh (Yogyakarta Komite Yogyakarta untuk Pemulihan Aceh – KYPA) was formed and mandated by HIMA and TPA. KYPA’s mission is to organize and create concrete and ongoing programs for the reconstruction of Aceh.

B. Organizational Status

KYPA was founded on the basis of a collaboration between Taman Pelajar Aceh (TPA) Yogyakarta, an organization of Acehnese students studying in Yogyakarta, and Himpunan Masyarakat Aceh (HIMA), a civic group of Acehnese residents in Yogyakarta that was certified by DWI HARTININGSIH, SH, notary, in Yogyakarta on 14 February 2005 as No. 10.

The Yogyakarta Committee for the Recovery of Aceh (Yogyakarta Komite Yogyakarta untuk Pemulihan Aceh – KYPA) has been arranged into four divisions:

1. Education Recovery Division

This division handles education concerns in post-tsunami Aceh and for ongoing students in Yogyakarta .

2. Economics Recovery Division

This division prepares programs for the reconstruction of community economics in post tsunami Aceh. These programs are focused on the economic empowerment of the people by utilizing the potential that lies in Aceh and by taking full advantage of these resources, especially in relation to the younger generations of Aceh.

3. Advocacy and Legal Division

This division handles legal problems in Aceh, specifically resulting from the tsunami disaster. Problems include those related to victims’ rights, proof of identity and nationality status as a result of the loss of data in the earthquake and tsunami disaster. In addition, this division will act as advocates for all public lawsuits connected with various forms of aid. The division will also monitor the access to aid that has and will be given to Aceh from various sources both nationally and internationally.

4. Social and Cultural Division

This division helps to develop the social and cultural identity of the Acehnese. The programs organized by this division will focus heavily on redeveloping the customs and cultural norms that have diminished as a result of the lengthy conflict within the region, as well as the destruction of the earthquake and Tsunami.