On Thursday 29 August 2024, our Rotary Club, the Rotary Club of Canberra Burley Griffin, was once again honoured to receive a highly polished presentation by Phil Domaschenz, the Executive Director of the Nusa Tenggara Association (NTA), accompanied by a very professional slide show.

 

Phil, a member of the NTA for some 10 years, is the only paid member of the NTA in Australia who receives monetary recompense for some of the work he does for the NTA. I know he does much more than he’s paid for. He’s also a busy lad – he wears several other hats in the not-for-profit world – in scouts with rock-climbing, in organising Indonesian classes, and as a long-standing active member of the Australian Indonesian Association (AIA).

 

Sadly, the founder and long-term president of the NTA, Dr Colin Barlow of the Australian National University and of Oxford University, who led the NTA since its inception for over 30 years, passed away over a year ago now but left behind him a highly functional, working legacy of a well-run not-for-profit organisation, to carry on with helping some of the poorest people in the world to help themselves with improving their life outcomes – people who happen to be Australia’s close neighbours. The NTA spends 84% of donations on programs in Eastern Indonesia. Only 6% goes to administration, 5% to community education and another 5% to miscellaneous other expenses. On average, a $1 donation levers $2 from the Australian government. I do remember decades ago a member of the Australian government’s assessment team saying, off the record, that even then, the NTA was the only true overseas aid not-for-profit organisation.

 

Our club has had a long and very significant association with the NTA. Keith Gray, in particular, put in a huge effort and contribution of time and personal resources some ten years ago in organising among Canberra’s Rotary Clubs the implementation of a matching grant of more than $10,000 a year for three years when Australian government policy hit small aid organisations hard. Each year ever since, our club has donated funds to the NTA, although these have been smaller in recent years for lack of availability.

 

Quite a number of our club’s past presidents have visited the communities being helped by the NTA. Each one has come away with a profound understanding of the poverty and desperate needs of the region and its people. One of the greatest problems there is the rampant malnutrition, as people often suffer from failed crops, particularly in the long and severe dry seasons. In the worst such regions, such as in the mountains near the border with Timor Leste, it leads to brain underdevelopment. As a result, the agricultural development there is slow and resistant to change. Persistent, supportive engagement from organisations such as the NTA is necessary but rare. We should also remember, as our member Bill recounts, that during World War II the local people died by the thousands helping Australian soldiers countering the onslaught of Japanese troops, so we owe the locals there. And as our member Keith reminds us, Captain Bligh of mutiny on the Bounty fame, came ashore in Kupang. It’s not on Mars, after all.

 

The Nusa Tenggara Timur region (NTT) of Indonesia comprises the South East Islands of Indonesia. It’s where the NTA does its work. It operates in four distinct geographic areas: (1) the area around Kupang, the capital of the region, (2) Semau Island, off the coast of Kupang, (3) the mountainous region east of Kupang, near the border with Timor Leste, and (3) the Island of Flores, especially in the hilly regions near its capital, Maumere. The province, with a population of 1.3 million, is one of the poorest. Dozens of languages are spoken there.

 

Since the demise of Dr Barlow, the NTA has continued to flourish, adapt and restructure. The Chair of the NTA Board is Wendy Emerton and the CEO is Professor Jim Fox, both highly respected experts in development economics. The Operations Team in Indonesia also has highly competent and resourceful people, Laura Kola and Simon Field. They both have extensive experience in Indonesia and are currently resident there. The sister organisation to NTA Australia (NTA for short) is NTA Indonesia, devolved in recent years for more independence and better outcomes, run by highly experienced members and field staff.

 

The key activities of the NTA are “bottom up”, engaging with local co-operatives for local community help, thus ensuring local ownership and pride. They comprise, in particular:

 

Rotary global grants continue to be a very important part of the NTA’s funding sources, although the fact that the funds now go directly to Indonesia and not through the NTA’s books in Australia, depletes the proportion of funds against which the Australian government is willing to support the NTA. But it all amounts to more people in need being helped. Other funding sources include the annual NTA Dinner, the NTA Trivia Night, and donor trips to the region. In parting, we were made aware of the NTA’s need of a treasurer. Thanks, Phil, for a great update!

 

Our next Club meeting will be held on Thursday, 5 September 2024, at the Royal Canberra Golf Club. Come along to hear Tara Pullen, our community leader, speak about Rotary’s Growth Project.

 

To see the program of future meetings, visit: Rotary activities Spreadsheet.

 

If you are not able to perform your allocated duty, please arrange a replacement and advise President Russell (cc Bulletin Editor Stephen). Please advise Stephen of any planned absences to avoid being rostered on while away.