As part of its commitment to engage local government in imple-menting its grant activities, the USAID-funded SERASI project held the first of its regularly scheduled program briefings for rep-resentatives of government and civil society in Jayapura on September 20, 2011 and in Wamena on September 21, 2011.

Recognizing the relative short-term nature of the SERASI project, it is hoped that by informing government and civil society counterparts on the nature and scope of activities funded by SERASI, that they will seek ways to become engaged with the organizations and people implementing these innovative programs.

“The flexible nature of the SERASI contract with USAID has allowed us to develop a program that addresses many of the critical needs of Papuan communities,” said James Grall, SERASI Chief of Party during his opening remarks.

Mr. Grall continued to outline guiding principles of SERASI’s work in Papua, “Establish-ing close coordination with government so that the work continues beyond SERASI’s completion, emphasizing local solutions to ensure sustainability, and using an integrated approach in addressing the myriad of development challenges faced by Papuan society are three key principles that guide our work.”

Included in the event was a series of presentations that highlight the work of SERASI in Papua focusing on three main areas—health, education, and democratic governance in the Jayapura and Keerom districts as well as in the Central Highlands.
Both events also showcased the work of two grantees in each town (Jayapura and Wamena) to encourage and maximize partnership opportunities with government counterparts in their respective areas.

In Jayapura, YHI and KiPRA conducted program presenta-tions representing the democratic governance sector while YKW and Yasumat in Wamena represented the work in education, health, and democratic governance sectors.

Scheduled to be held regularly, the events received positive responses from both the Jayapura provincial government represented by Mr. Rudolfo from the Papua Province BAPPEDA (Regional Development Planning Agency) and the Central  Highlands government represented by Agus Aronggear from the Jayawijaya District Health Office. “We hope the program could help develop better human resources in Papua to enable good governance,” Mr. Rudolfo said in his remarks. Mr. Arronggear  encouraged an approach that emphasizes local solutions. “As we are familiar with some of the local organizations that have worked here for years, let us also look to them as a  local resource that have utilized local knowledge and local culture to come up with tangible solutions and results,” Mr. Arronggear stated.

SERASI is a five-year USAID-funded project that promotes community solutions to governance and social challenges. It is implemented by International Relief and Development (IRD).