I have a 7am flight tomorrow morning to Bali and about a million thoughts in my head. I guess that's the benefit of having limited internet connection. I can mull things over a bit without getting too distracted by pop culture curiosities, like whether or not Divergent is actually a good movie.
It's my last night night in Flores, and I'm now staying at the YDD office in Maumere. What I like about YDD offices in Flores is that they double up as houses for employees, so they're rather cozy and lived in. The past few nights I've been eating dinner in the living room, making very sparse but pleasant-enough conversation with the head of YDD-Maumere. He's a pretty important guy, having been with the org since 1982, back when YDD was still doing water-related work in Kupang!
From these YDD-Flores employees, I've been hearing a lot about a previous VIA fellow that lived in Maumere for about a month. It seems she left quite an impression on people. Hearing about her experiences in this or that island makes me a bit envious that I couldn't spend more time working with the people here, but I am grateful, nevertheless, for even having one week to visit this gorgeous island.
Coming to Flores has been helpful in reminding me about why I'm here. In the office it's so easy to get caught up in international NGO politics, paperwork, funding, and egos that you sometimes forget about who you're really trying to work with: the community, or masyarakat. Having the opportunity to meet the community, and to witness them in action, has been inspiring and motivating.
I can see why YDD's work is important, because they act as a bit of catalyst to get things moving. YDD analyzes the situation by doing research on the ground, develops a possible solution with the community, and finds ways to fund the proposed projects. After implementing the project, they go around trying to monitor and evaluate by, again, talking with the people. In all steps of the process, YDD makes an effort to engage the community, and that's something I really appreciate. Although some past projects were not as sustainable as they would've preferred (it sounds like SODIS may be an example, for cultural reasons), I can definitely see how YDD's presence is making a positive lasting impact on the community here, especially where sanitation is concerned.
Sleeeeeeep!
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