Kabar
Edition 12: October-December 2006
Editorial
As this year draws to an end, it is interesting to
look back one year ago and compare our
situation at that time. Back then our village
development program was still ‘under
construction’, so it was not exactly clear how
everything would work. This uncertainty was
particularly difficult for field staff because they
had to explain to villagers what we were
planning on doing.
Today it’s quite a different story, as everyone
feels much more clear and confident about
how to facilitate and manage the field program.
Moreover, other development agencies in
Indonesia have begun to recognise the
significance of our activities as unique,
innovative, and a highly promising approach
for empowering communities and local
government to work more closely together.
Within the 12 villages participating, there now
are 28 Technical Interest Groups with nearly
350 villagers actively involved in either rubber
or pig improvement programs.
Each village has a democratically elected
Management Group that is looking after the
annual planning process, making sure that
everyone has a chance to get involved in
program activities, handling the development
funds from YTS, mobilising people for training
and other events, coordinating with technical
experts to provide support services, keeping
in touch with village officials, and taking part in
government sponsored events.
All of this institutional learning and
development has taken place in just one year
– quite a remarkable achievement.
To conclude I would like to thank everyone for
their efforts and for sticking to the course, even
though it was full of many surprises. May you
and our colleagues in villages and government
have a prosperous and satisfying time in 2007.
Bardolf Paul
Director
Itah
Villagers Evaluate Activities in 2006
Participants of Village Annual Meeting from Buntoi/Komboi share a moment with YTS staff in Tumbang Miri
For one full day in early December,
39 villagers - 9 women and 30 men -
from nine villages gathered together
in the subdistrict town of Tumbang
Miri to evaluate the YTS program in
2006.
This was the first full year for local
people to implement the new YTS
program, so it was a great opportunity
to get some feedback on what
worked and what didn’t. Villagers
looked closely at four components:
the participatory village development
planning process and its links to the
government planning process;
implementation of technical support
for improving pig-rearing and rubber
cultivation; the performance of new
village institutions; and the focus for
village-based development initiatives
in 2007.
Prior to the gathering, each village
made its own self-assessment, so
village representatives were well-
prepared for discussions in Miri. The
people attending came from both
formal and informal village
institutions – technical interest
groups, village management groups,
and village government.
Each village made a short
presentation on the process and
results of their activities; from this it
became clear that not everyone had
a full understanding of the approach,
the objectives, and the role of each
player.
Despite this, there remained a strong
desire to continue with the
participatory planning process in the
village and with local government.
They particularly wanted YTS to
support their involvement in the
government planning process at sub-
district and district, and to help them
finalise their proposal for technical
assistance and material inputs.
Kabar Itah YTS meets with District Heads
Kabar Itah is the quarterly newsletter
of Yayasan Tambuhak Sinta, an affili-
ate of PT. Kalimantan Surya Kencana, At the end of November senior staff
a mineral exploration company. from YTS presented their new
approach on participatory develop-
Yayasan Tambuhak Sinta ment to the district office in Kuala
Patrons Kurun. The District Head hosted the
Jend. (Purn) Soetriman meeting, which included heads of all
Sumbin Gaman
Susilowati
the major departments in the district.

Supervisors
The objective of the presentation was
Maulithawati Mustafa to generate awareness and
Rini Ariani Sulaiman understanding among local
MacDonald Rashidah
government officials about the
Executives participatory approach, and to identify
Bardolf Paul ways for YTS to collaborate more
Yuliani Kristinawati closely and effectively with local
Asmiati
government. At the moment there is
a large gap between the government
Head of Gunung Mas District , Drs Djudae Anom (left), leads YTS coordination meeting
and local communities.
Table of Contents
Edition 12, October-December 2006 The annual development plan each
village produces is designed in part to help bridge useful for planning?
Editorial....................................... 1 that gap, so the presentation focused on how that • What can YTS do to link villages to government
Villagers Evaluate planning mechanism works. YTS staff started the programs & services?
Activites in 2006 ..............................1
meeting by showing a new video on the initial • How will the village Block Grant mechanism be
YTS meets with District Heads.......2 participatory planning exercise that each new implemented?
Mercury Use in village carries out. Following the video, the team
Artisanal Mining highlighted presented and explained the details of the support The government participants expressed their clear
at Brussels Meeting ...........................2
mechanism that is being implemented in 12 interest to work together with YTS on these issues,
Pigs and Rubber Training ...............3 villages. but the details will have to be worked out with each
department.
Sharing Experiences with
GTZ in East Kalimantan .................. 4 At the end of the presentation, YTS posed a set of
questions for the government representatives to In closing the meeting, the District Head
Global Mercury Project.....................4
respond to: suggested that YTS always coordinate its activities
with the relevant government department, in order
YTS Staff make • How can YTS best help with the bottom up
to avoid duplication of effort and support. He
Plans for 2007................................... 4 planning process?
endorsed the spread of YTS support to all 31
• How can inputs from villages be made most
Kalimantan Kids Club villages in the area where it works.
(KKC) Scholarship........................... 4

Staff Changes in 2006...................... 4

Agenda for 1st Quarter 2007............ 4

Mercury Use in Artisanal Mining highlighted at Brussels Meeting

The Director of YTS addressed a European Union

Published by Mercury Group meeting in Brussels that took place
Yayasan Tambuhak Sinta at the end of September. The topic presented was
Jl. Teuku Umar No. 32A 73112
Palangka Raya-Central Kalimantan ‘Mercury Use in Artisanal Mining in Kalimantan’.
Indonesia
Phone. +62 (0536) 3237184 The occasion provided a good opportunity to
Fax. +62 (0536) 3229187
Email: tambuhaksinta@gmail.com profile the work of YTS in implementing the UNIDO
Global Mercury Project, as there were
Editor approximately 75 persons representing
Mayang Meilantina
government agencies, private sector firms, and
Editorial Staff non-governmental organisations, all of whom
Ros Siana
Naumi
were concerned with the dangers from exposure
Saefudin Muthohar to mercury. The overall theme of the meeting was
Kartie Vitamerry
Lihan the reduction and elimination of mercury within all
Suwandi countries belonging to the European Union. Gold samples recovered after mercury processing

Bank Account The YTS presentation on Kalimantan was

Yayasan Tambuhak Sinta
Bank Danamon
Palangka Raya Branch
Number 11655412
We welcome any news, comments and
articles related to community and re-
gional development, but we reserve
the right to edit any material in order
to fit the available space.
preceded by Kevin Telmer from the UNIDO Global
Mercury Program, who gave an overview of mercury
use in artisanal mining worldwide. Approximately
13 million people are directly involved in artisanal
mining. Indonesia figures high among those
countries that use large amounts of mercury in an
uncontrolled setting.
Both presentations highlighted the major impact
that uncontrolled mercury use in artisanal mining
is having on the natural environment. In response,
the EU Mercury Group decided to include this issue
as a key item to address in their policy
deliberations.

2 Kabar Itah - Edition 12

 Pig and Rubber Training
The training sessions on pig-rearing have been going well in
the last quarter of the year. Villagers from three settlements
along the Hamputung River – Tumbang Ponyoi, Tumbang Korik
and Buntoi-Komboi – have been very actively taking part in
training aimed at increasing growth rates and improving the
health of local pig stocks.
Improving growth, the training has focused on castration of
young males, and provision of vitamin supplements. Castration
also prevents breeding between poorly-matched pairs, thus
improving the overall quality of local stocks. For improving the
health and well-being of pigs, the training expert, Kresken,
provided some medicines and conducted a practicum on pig
pen construction using locally-available bamboo.
Members of Pig Interest Group in Tumbang Ponyo in practice castration method
Sharing Experiences with GTZ in East Kalimantan
YTS made a presentation at the end of November in a workshop
on participatory planning and budgeting that was hosted by
GTZ ProBangkit and the Provincial Government of East
Kalimantan. All three levels of government planning
departments in the province took part, as well as private
agencies and NGOs with previous experience in participatory
development.
The main purpose of the workshop was to find a method that
would integrate village level planning with the government
planning and budgeting mechanism.
YTS was one of six agencies selected to share experiences
about working with the integration process. Three others were
NGOs, one was a local forestry concession, and the sixth was
the Community Development Services from Kutai Kertanegara
District in East Kalimantan Province. The Home Affairs Ministry
opened the event with a presentation on the draft regulation for
integrated planning and budgeting. The sixpresenters outlined
their methods and processes, and the strengths and
weaknesses of the program in their areas.
One the critical points that arose is the importance of accurate
data for ensuring accuracy in development planning and
budgeting.
Positioning of the pig pen relative to the sun and prevailing
wind is very important in order to get sufficient daytime sunshine
and avoid the cool nighttime wind. The trainer also suggested
inserting a barrier across the cage to prevent the mother sow
from squashing or otherwise injuring her babies during sleep
or when moving around.
Villagers have made a request to government to get better stock
piglets.
The rubber training schedule had to be postponed because
the trainer, Pak Fried, suddenly was unavailable. Villagers are
still keen to learn grafting techniques and how to establish a
nursery, although it is not yet decided if it’s best to have a village
nursery or individual nurseries.
Villagers discuss pros and cons of using bamboo for a pig pen
The integrity and accuracy of the village level planning process
is therefore essential for meaningful government level planning.
As this is the beginning of the entire process, local government
has to put more effort into ensuring it is properly executed.
Local government ideally should facilitate and lead the process
to ensure good representation and open participation. One
measure to guarantee involvement is to inform villagers well in
advance, so they can take time out from livelihood activities
which often take them away from the village. Another measure
is to provide incentives for participation, such as implementing
the mechanism for the new Village Allocation Fund, money that
is earmarked every year for direct use by the village.
Local legislators also must assist the planning and budgeting
process by getting actively involved in planning meetings in the
subdistrict they represent. Much more capacity building is
required to establish a consistent approach and methodology
for the entire process from village to central ministry level, as
well as for training skilled facilitators to guide participants
through the process. But even before that happens, a
consultation with a broad range of stakeholders would ensure
that all regional and local differences would be identified and
sufficiently accommodated in national guidelines.
Kabar Itah - Edition 12 3
 Global Mercury Project YTS Staff Make Plans for 2007
In December, YTS held its annual two-day
review and planning session in the Subud
community at Rungan Sari. Next year will see
several changes in the way the yayasan
implements its Upper Kahayan River
community development program.
In 2007, the work will be facilitated by three
teams - one in each subdistrict. As the
subdistricts are newly-formed around separate
river lines, it was natural to move to an area-
based arrangement. This will enable smooth
expansion to all the other villages in each river
line over the next few years. In 2007, four new
villages will join the project, bringing the total
to 16 villages.
Two new staff, Simpei and Indra, who
previously worked in an Asian Development
Kevin Telmer (r) and Sumali Agrawal (l) discuss the relative occurrence of gold in a miner's pit
Bank project based in southeast Central
Kalimantan will join the new teams in January.
In mid-November, two artisanal mining experts visited the UNIDO Global
Mercury Project field site in Kalimantan. Kevin Telmer, from the University of Kalimantan Kids Club Scholarship
Victoria in Canada, belongs to the UNIDO global team and is an expert on The Kalimantan Kids Club Scholarship
the environmental impacts of mercury. Lars Weitkamper comes from the program at the end of the year was sponsoring
University of Aachen in Germany, where he works with improving technologies 17 students - 12 females and 5 males: 7 in
for artisanal mining. senior high and 10 in university.
Kevin and Lars observed how miners worked to extract gold in the gold Most of the students come from villages in
fields, and how gold shop owners separated the mercury from the gold in the subdistricts where YTS is working: 5 from
the gold-mercury amalgam. Damang Batu; and 9 from Miri Minasa. The
remainder come from the district town of
One of the key results from the tests they conducted on the gold-mercury
Kuala Kurun and Palangka Raya city.
processing cycle was that the program should focus on gold shops because
this is where most of the mercury enters the environment and poses the We have 8 new applications and will finalize
greatest hazard to human health. In the gold fields, relatively little mercury the selection in the first quarter of 2007.
escapes into the environment, and gold recovery levels were very high.
Therefore the program had very little to offer the artisanal miners.
Wishing Ros Siana All The Best !
YTS, with the help of the local Technical School, has now produced an
improved fumehood that will recover most of the mercury normally lost to the Ros Siana has been working with YTS since
atmosphere after burning off the mercury in gold shops. Fifteen gold shops 2002 – five highly productive years! She was
have signed up to install the modified fumehoods. This represents nearly very active and experienced many ups and
half the number of gold shops in Kereng Pangi, the town closest to the gold downs in the long gestation of the community
fields, so the reduction in mercury vapour exposure will be considerably development program in Dayak villages.
reduced.
“Rosi was a very diligent, responsible, and
The Global Mercury Project will close at the end of February, after a final sharp-thinking colleague. I am very sad that
review workshop to present the results and gather final inputs from local Rosi is leaving YTS, as we shared many happy
stakeholders. and sad moments together in the field. I feel
she was not just a colleague, but very much
like a sister to me. However we do understand
Staff Changes in 2006
her decision to have a family, and wish her all
the best for her future life and career,”
expressed Naumi, a long-time colleague.

Agenda for 1st Quarter 2007

January
• Village planning meeting
• Opening new villages
February
• Subdistrict planning meeting
• Workshop to close UNIDO Global
Mercury Project
Yafet M. Siwung, Field Officer, stepped down in May Ros Siana, Program Coordinator, retired in December
March
Very Best Wishes stepped down for Yafet and Rosi, both long-serving staff, • District Planning Meeting
who decided to stop working with YTS and focus on their families. • Training in rubber cultivation and pig rearing
Kabar Itah - Edition 12 4