This conference was divided into 2 sessions. In the first session, the participants attended jamboree in Sibolangit campsite, North Sumatera. In this session participant visited Mardinding village which affected by Sinabung eruption, shelters in UKA, and discussed with local government. The participants also re-learned and discussed about camp management.
This visits and discussions revealed several things that need more concern from the government and organizations. For example, the participants found out there is still obscurity of data about the number of householders in shelters and in the nearest villages that affected by the eruption. There is also stated the need to find alternative livelihoods for the villagers who lost their farmland.
The participants also found out things that should be appreciated, such as rapid response and coordination between officers in Sinabung monitoring post and the villagers around Sinabung Mountain. Moreover, there were seen the spirit from the eruption victims to keep sending their children to the school.
“We can see their spirits. They do not complain, and persisted to continue living,” said Rini, representative from Lutheran World Relief (LWR)
This conference ended with seminar that discussed cooperation sustainability between these 64 organizations. Kepler Silaban, Director of CDRM&CDS, expressed his pride towards LEARN forum. “Each organization certainly has their own priority, it was uneasy to gather 64 organizations. That’s why I believe that we all want to be here because of our commitment and our spirit of volunteerism,” he said.