![A man sitting outside, wearing a t-shirt saying “forum disabilitas desa Taman Ayu” [translation: Taman Ayu Village Disability Forum]](https://staticassets.oxfam.org.uk/oxfamgb-production/images/Oxfam_InuruID_379735_Indonesia_20.2e16d0ba.fill-1440x800.jpg)
Aimee Han/Oxfam
Impact stories
Community Disaster Resilience
The I CAN ACT programme promotes community resilience in Indonesia in the face of natural disasters.
What is I CAN ACT?
Who they are
Oxfam in Indonesia is working alongside local partner KONSEPSI NTB – a group that include academics, lawmakers, journalists, charity staff, experts and more. The group work across a range of areas including water supplies, safety and farming.
They support communities in developing ways to prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural disasters.
What they do
This programme works with vulnerable communities to prepare them for natural disasters. With an equality-centred approach, a core component of this project is centring the voices of marginalised groups, such as disabled people, who have unique needs during emergencies.
Indonesia is the most populous country in Southeast Asia, and the fourth most populated country in the world. Despite an emerging global economy, the gap between the country’s richest and poorest people is growing.
Indonesia’s unique geography, which features thousands of islands, tropical weather, and volcanoes, makes its population, and their livelihoods, vulnerable to climate disasters.
I CAN ACT
This programme supports local disaster management, preparing communities for natural disasters and helping them to recover more quickly afterwards.
Through working side by side with communities made vulnerable to climate disasters, I CAN ACT shares useful information to help make decisions and plan for what to do if the worst happens. This:
- Saves time and money
- Prevents displacement and disease
- Prevents the loss of jobs and businesses
- Preserves the dignity of those affected
This initiative has now been carried out in five villages on the island of Lombok, including Mohidin's village (Taman Ayu).
Mohidin's story
Aimee Han/Oxfam
![A man sitting outside, speaking to a woman. He's wearing a t-shirt that says "forum disabilitas desa Taman Ayu” [translation: Taman Ayu Village Disability Forum]](https://staticassets.oxfam.org.uk/oxfamgb-production/images/Oxfam_InuruID_379737_Indonesia_2025-02-17.width-1000.jpg)
Mohidin in Taman Ayu, West Lombok, Indonesia.
“It’s very important [to involve people with disability]. Because if we don't involve them, we won't know how to evacuate them.”
Mohidin, I CAN ACT media team member in Taman Ayu, Indonesia.
'My name is Mohidin. I am part of the media team in [...] the village disaster response team. I am usually in charge of logo making and video editing for our activities.
'When flood is imminent, there are many obstacles for our friends with disability, so we need evacuation routes. There should be a special evacuation route for people with disabilities. Because they are different.
'That was our difficulty before [this project]. But after [...], we know how to evacuate as people with disabilities, as well as those of non-disability… For evacuation, we focus on saving friends with disabilities, like if any of them want to use wheelchairs, we prioritise coming to their house to tell them about it; tell them that flood or water is coming.
'In the past we just save ourselves. Now we prioritise friends with disability first because they must have a companion.'
Aimee Han/Oxfam

A flash flooding warning sign in Dasan Geria, Indonesia.
“For evacuation, we focus on saving friends with disabilities, like if any of them want to use wheelchairs, we prioritise coming to their house to tell them about it; tell them that flood or water is coming.”
Mohidin, I CAN ACT media team member in Taman Ayu, Indonesia.
'It’s very important [to involve people with disabilities]. Because if we don't involve them, we won't know how to evacuate them.
'Now we know how. [At first] we were confused. What can we do, we are people with disability. [...] What can we do as people with disability? We're the one that should be saved. How could we get involved?
'Now we know. In the past, no one knew. No one knew the data on the number of people with disability. Now it's known. Thank God. The total is 84 now in the whole Taman Ayu Village.'
This plan has now been used in five villages, and the changes I CAN ACT have made have reached over 6000 people.
Oxfam acknowledges the support of the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP).
Discover more

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