Current News

Indonesia Poverty Reduction Facility Office Opening - 29 July 2010

On Monday 26th July the Vice President of Indonesia officially opened the National Team for Accelerating Poverty Reduction Executive Secretariat’s Office. This office has been established through a special task force under the Office of the Vice President to provide policy guidance and coordination across social protection and poverty reduction programs in Indonesia.

The GRM team is co-located in the office and is providing interim support to establish the National Team for Accelerating Poverty Reduction Executive Secretariat’s office.

The interim support is for the next 6 months to predominately assist with establishing the implementing high quality transparent recruitment and performance management processes and procedures. The GRM team will be recruiting and managing up to 35 members of the Executive Secretariat over the next 6 months, and also providing planning, administrative, logistical and financial support for the National Team for Accelerating Poverty Reduction. Diane Marker made a much appreciated visit to Jakarta during the mobilisation of the project to assist with establishing an integrated recruitment and performance management framework which is now being rolled out at a rapid pace.

The successful completion of the Indonesia CSAS project - 26 July 2010

The Contractor Strategic Advisory Services (CSAS) was a component of the AusAID funded Australia Indonesia Basic Education Program (AIBEP) and started in August 2006. CSAS was just recently completed at the end of June 2010. The main goal of CSAS was to increase the volume and effectiveness of basic education expenditure in Indonesia and to provide the Government of Indonesia with policy advice in the education sector.   Some highlights of CSAS work among many research activities include the development of a reliable teacher data base and funding strategy for upgrading and certification, school financing models including “free basic education”, assessment of the quality of education in Madrasah (Islamic schools), introduction of Reality Check as a qualitative listening study of the impact of a BEP school in the poorest areas of Indonesia, the findings from annual sector and financial performance monitoring reports and engagement in the sector review and formulation of the next Medium Term Development Plan for the Education Sector.

CSAS successful completion was marked by the significant outputs which include 45 research reports, 9 sector reports, 15 short policy papers and 18 workshop presentations and reports.

Soroptimists International - Happy Healthy Women Calendar - 25 July 2010

GRM sponsors the 2010 Happy Health Women Calendar published by Soroptimists International in the Solomon Islands. The calendar promotes health and human rights, including topics such as women in government, voting, basic health, antenatal health, violence prevention and diabetes awareness. These calendars have been well received and enjoyed by Solomon Island families around the country.  The calendars are written in Pijin and feature attractive illustrations by a local artist presenting the information in an interesting and understandable format.

The Malaysian Institute of Teacher Education Malaysia wins award for Innovation: - 9 May 2010

Our Malaysian partner organisation on the Afghanistan DAFA (Development Assistance Facility for Afghanistan)/MAEPA (Malaysian Australia Education Project for Afghanistan) project, The Institute of Teacher Education Malaysia, has just won a gold medal for innovation at the National Level Innovation Competition. Amongst 27 institutions their entry was specifically for work in training of Afghan Master Teacher Trainers through interpreters and the Islamic education curriculum development work, all part of the MAEPA.

In 2009 The Malaysian Institute of Teacher Education in Kuala Lumpur hosted 30 Afghan master teacher trainers over three months as part of the (AusAID funded) DAFA project and a new trilateral relationship for Afghanistan, Malaysia and Australia. The Afghan teachers then returned to Afghanistan where they passed on their new learning to 170 other Afghan teachers. All took very positive experiences from Malaysia and new perspectives on educational methodologies.

On the GRM team, John Templeton (DAFA Facility Manager), Susan Majid (Technical Director), Jane Perry (Teacher Education Specialist), Zohra Wafi, Sian Blackwell, Samantha Groom and Farhad Zhuanday (Project Officer) worked very hard on making MAEPA a success in 2009 and this award is also recognition of their commitment and dedication.

Farming reforms take root - 26 April 2010

DUBAI — An agricultural movement with 7,500 farmers is throbbing in the heart of the Western Region, away from the buzz of cosmopolitan Abu Dhabi. Reforms are giving a new thrust to the sector, making it more attractive for Emirati youth who are joining in large numbers.

This is part of the strategic directives of the government in line with its vision for 2030 and the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) is leading the movement for food security. The authority hopes to complete the implementation of reforms across the emirate in three to four years. The target is to double the market share of local crops from the current 12.5 per cent to 25 per cent.

Mohammed Jalal Al Reyaysa, Director of Public Relations and Communication, ADFA, says, “The plan is to do all that is needed to bring agricultural practices in the emirate on a par with the best in the world through comprehensive public-private partnership and consolidation of the efforts of the various government bodies.”

A new service centre for farmers was opened recently, which is an autonomous body independent of the ADFCA. It will take up activities and offer services to farmers in the Western Region of Al Gharbia. Farmers in other areas are expected to join by the beginning of next year.

The region, for the record, comprises a massive 83 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s land mass and generates about 34 per cent of its GDP.

The government is encouraging the growth of a sustainable and self-reliant agricultural sector in the area with inputs from foreign farming firms to further its development plans.

“A consulting company, GRM, has been hired as a strategy developer to start setting up the first phase of a farmers’ service centre as well as to help us with agriculture-related legislation,” says Al Reyaysa. 

The authority has also enlisted the services of FiBL, a leading organisation in farming, to advise it on promoting organic agriculture and thereby expand organic arable land in the emirate. “We are working with different organisations, including international bodies like Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and the World Bank.”

Environment-friendly agriculture suitable for semi-arid desert areas is the focus of this initiative. At the Liwa Agricultural Exhibition held recently, two agreements for greenhouses over an area of 39,000/600 square metres were signed between three local companies. This has the potential to transform agrarian practices in the region. Courses for farmers are being planned by the new farmers’ centre to increase production and improve the quality of produce.

It does not stop here. The centre will also develop distinctive trademarks for agricultural products from the Capital’s region. About 80 per cent of the high-quality produce from Al Gharbia will be marketed through a chain.

“Customers will recognise food from the region as being of higher quality and freshness than imported food following introduction of the internationally accepted system of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP),” according to the official.

The authority, however, declined to give figures, but says there is no budgetary constraint for the agricultural sector. The emirate’s leadership considers farming vital to national economic development and to cultural heritage of the country. ‘‘The support of the government to the farming sector will never stop,’’ he states.

Diversification of crops is on the cards, from the traditional dates and other fruits and vegetables using new technology. ‘‘We are using technology and new farming techniques to try and cultivate crops that have been found resistant here. We are close to succeeding in cultivating even those vegetables and fruits that were thought impossible to cultivate here before.”

But no movement is complete if it cannot attract the youth. Young, highly educated Emiratis from the region, even graduates from leading institutions from the West are turning to agriculture in hordes.

The signs bode well for a greener landscape in the UAE, with Emirati youth leading the charge to make the desert bloom. — www.khaleejtimes.com

GRM Indonesia Awarded AusAID Scholarships Contract - 2 February 2010

GRM Indonesia is please to announce we have been awarded a scholarships project with AusAID, to conduct research on the barriers to access and scholarships provision in regional areas in Indonesia. Two activities will be undertaken jointly – 1) mapping of the overseas scholarships programs available at the Provincial level; and 2) undertaking an examination of the key barriers to access for applicants to the program.

The research will provide a situational analysis of what scholarships are available at the Provincial level, the key reasons why applicants from these regional areas are not obtaining overseas scholarships and what could reasonably be done to reduce the key barriers.

GRM staff in-country do occasionally get away from the office - 29 January 2010

One such occasion is the GRM International Annual Charity Golf Day in Honiara, Solomon Islands. This year marked the fourth year that GRM International has hosted the event at the Royal Honiara Golf Club to raise funds for local charities. There were four charitable causes supported two from within the national capital Honiara and the other two representing the heavily populated provinces of Western Province and Malaita. The charities supported are:
· Kilu’ufi Hospital Children’s Ward – Auki, Malaita Province.
· Helena Goldie Hospital Children’s Ward – Munda, Western Province.
· ROTAM – Rotary initiative to send acutely ill SI children to Australia for life saving operations.
· Red Cross School for Disabled Children in Honiara.
The event, organised by GRM local office team member and golf club Secretary Jim Forrester is hugely popular with Club members and invariably attracts a capacity field of around 120 golfers and this year involved donations to the supported charities of SBD22,000.

The Prime Minister of the Solomon Island Hon. Dr Derek Sikua and his wife Doris, both active members of the club, played in a foursome with GRM Australia Country Manager Nick Clinch and his golfing partner Everlyn Maelasi who, in addition to being a popular member of the GRM (Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands) Program Office team represented the Solomon Islands at golf in the last South Pacific Games and is anticipated to be selected in the national team for the next South Pacific Games in New Caledonia in 2011.

Despite the wet and windy conditions Nick Clinch did produce on magnificent shot which gave him the award for "nearest the pin". Though being the sponsor of the day has drawbacks and as such he could not accept his own prize and graciously donated this back to the cause.

We wish the golfers and charitable organisations well and look forward to seeing another round played next year.