Understanding communication environments in Aceh

The earthquake and tsunami of December 2004 and the signing of the historic Memorandum of Understanding between GAM and the Government of Indonesia eight months later, ending decades of war, has brought unprecedented attention and aid to Aceh. A key challenge for everyone working in post-tsunami and post-conflict programming has been to engage with hundreds of thousands of Acehnese beneficiaries. This paper looks at the ways in which communities receive and seek information. It is a practical guide to information flows in Aceh. It is a tool for those who seek to improve communications with their beneficiary partners and to improve access to information among the population at large, channels that enable the rapid and blanket dissemination of information to large numbers of people simultaneously.

The authors look at levels of community access to newspapers, radios, television and telephones, examining their reach and distribution as well as how they are consumed. The document discusses the varying ways that different demographics engage with television and radio. Furthermore it examines how information circulates at the village level, focusing on key information holders, village meetings and notice boards as the primary channels for intra-community communication. A syntheses of findings for tsunami-affected areas, conflict-affected areas, as well as for urban and rural locations is offered. The survey results point to a number of recommendations that can help improve the information environment in Aceh, and, in so doing, can improve the quality and efficacy of post-tsunami and postconflict development efforts. Detailed recommendations are offered in the following areas:

• program interventions
• working with mass media
• working with community-level media
• reaching women
• reaching children