Kabar Itah

Edition 34 : October - December 2012

Editorial Fun and Games

2013 heralds a significant new chapter
for YTS, as we will be consolidating
all our resources and efforts in Central
Kalimantan, particularly the Kahayan
Project which is closest to the major
exploration activity in Kalimantan
Gold’s concession in the far north of
the province.

We will be making a special effort to

establish a strong link between our
livelihood support activities in the
villages close by and the exploration
base camp. With over 300 employees
in the field, there’s a great opportunity
for communities to supply produce to
the base and field camps.

Villagers will focus on producing

vegetables and fish, which will be sold
to buyers from the base camp. YTS
will provide hands-on technical support
to the village groups engaged in these
activities, and will help organise the
logistics between village suppliers and
camp buyers.
All of this is reflective of the current
stage in the exploration project, and
also is in preparation for a further
increase in activities and personnel, if
results from the exploration work are
positive.
We also have been strengthening the
capacity of our management team and
the field teams. Altogether we now
have 25 people working on various
projects and activities.
Much of this is dependent on support
from the company, so we hope it will
achieve success in its endeavours.
Our very best wishes to all of our
readers in 2013.
Bardolf Paul
Executive Director
The YTS team together with Mansur Geiger (KSK Exploration Manager) and Ridwan Lowther (KSK Operations
Manager) on the second day of our annual review meeting
In mid-December we had our
usual annual review and planning
gathering in the Rungan Sari
Muhammad Subuh Centre. It was
our biggest get together so far, with
about 20 staff in all.
One of the highlights was an
opening session on the values
that underpin YTS and the
historical origins of YTS. Both of
these go back to the vision that
Muhammad Subuh had for the
future development of Kalimantan
based on human values, and the
participation movement that arose
in India in the 1990s.
This was followed by a lively
session looking at the expectations
we each have of one another.
Some people were quite surprised
by some of the expectations that
other people had for them. We also
examined expectations between
various functional units in YTS,
such as between field staff and
management. Again there were
some surprising revelations.
To cap off the day, we had a wild
time at an outdoor barbeque in
the Eco Village. There were some
very amusing and outrageous
performances by some unusually
talented individuals (no names
mentioned!).
Kicking off the second day, Mansur
Geiger and Ridwan Lowther from
Kalimantan Surya Kencana kept
us informed and entertained by
answering questions about the
current work of the exploration
company.
In between the fun bits, we
reviewed our achievements and
shortcomings in the year, and made
detailed plans for 2013.
More Dynamic Initiatives in the Kahayan Subdistrict Review
Some new and positive insights came out of the an-
nual kecamatan review in the Kahayan: communities
now have a different perception and expectations about
YTS. For many years villagers have expected YTS to
provide free material support. This expectation now has
decreased significantly. In the review, village representa-
tives expressed a much better understanding and appre-
ciation of the type of support that YTS provides.
Alfrid from Mangkuhung expressed it well: “We have
to try to convince the community that YTS support is
provided strictly in the form of technical support.
Many of the villagers in my village are reluctant to
attend YTS training because they expect material
support. Can you imagine if someone is given a
motorcycle but he could not ride it, then, what is
the motorcycle for? ”.
It was refreshing to see a larger turnout for the
reviews compared to last year. Participants were
very active in learning from one another and in
sharing experiences. This was very enriching for
everyone, and they now understand the value of
sharing and learning between villages.
Some valuable insights came out of the
presentation of successful and unsuccessful
stories. Participants responded very actively
to these presentations, and didn’t confine their
comments to their own problems. They also were
Needy Students Appreciate the Opportunity for a Better Education
Beneficiaries from the Kalimantan Kids Club attending
a one-day get together in early November gave special
thanks to YTS and Susila Dharma Canada for providing
a contribution to their higher education. On an individual
basis, each support package is not very large, but it has
made the difference for these needy students to go onto
secondary school or university.
According to university student Hamzah, YTS support
has enabled him to make ends meet for his studies
in Palangka Raya. As the oldest in a family of eight
children, it otherwise would have been impossible
for him to enroll in university. “I am the oldest of eight
Kalimantan Kids Club beneficiaries engage in an ice-breaker to introduce themselves
before sharing their experience in pursuing their education in Palangka Raya
2 Kabar Itah - Edition 34
very enthusiastic in giving comments and suggestions
to other villages. For example, Utut from Tumbang Koroi
suggested: “For the problem of theft in your village, you
could build a fence around your vegetable garden”.
The community appears to feel more satisfied with the
current level of assistance from YTS, because the quality
is better in comparison with two years ago. “I feel YTS
support this year is much more successful - I could really
see and feel the difference” said Bawing, VMG Head
from Tumbang Korik.
The Village management Group from Tumbang Maraya discuss their action plan for 2013 at the
subdistrict annual review in the Kahayan
siblings from a simple farming family. For me, studying
in university was never possible before because of the
cost and the distance from where we live. Having the
scholarship has made my childhood dream of becoming
a computer expert a reality. For me, the support from
KKC makes the dream no longer just something in the
clouds. If I work hard for it, I believe it is possible.”
The other beneficiaries expressed similar views. In the
gathering, they got to know one another more intimately
and shared experiences about the challenges in
pursuing their education in Palangka Raya.
The gathering aimed to bring together 25 scholarship
beneficiaries and make them more aware of YTS
and SD Canada, the major donor for the scholarship
program. Most participants expressed their appreciation
for this opportunity.
“I think this meeting should be held again, and
regularly, because it is very useful for us. I, for example,
have never known about SD Canada and that the
organization has funded us all this time. I would like
to say thank you for the contribution, it is such a great
help for us and has changed our lives” said Katrina
from Tumbang Maraya said when asked her knowledge
about her education donor.
The meeting ran until midday, and wrapped up with the
distribution of the last quarter scholarship payment for
all participants.
Aiming to Do Better in 2013!
As usual at the end of the year, there is an important
routine activity – the annual village review. This review is
done by YTS to look back at what has been done in the
course of a year, and at the same time it becomes a good
opportunity to meet with community members in several
villages in Damang Batu subdistrict.
During the discussions it was clear that the villagers ap-
preciated the facilitation of the Musrenbang process from
the village to the subdistrict level, to increase the chance
for development activities in their village. The people also
hope that the process will initiate a dialogue between
villages, subdistrict and district that will enable a better
understanding of the conditions and needs in individual
villages and to obtain support from the government.
A woman from a Village management Group shares the development challenges she
Another hot topic was YTS’s technical support program, faces, during the annual review in Damang BAtu Subdistrict

especially the fisheries program this year. Several efforts

by YTS and the fisheries agency to distribute fingerlings
to Damang Batu have not produced the anticipated result.
The people also expressed their interest in more discus-
sions with the technical experts to obtain new knowledge
and to share experience. The farmers hope that the tech-
nical experts can make time for more discussion outside
of the regular training and practice session.
When we discussed suggestions for next year’s plan
a range of ideas was brought up. Some proposed to
continue with the existing programs, because they feel
that it has not yet achieved the maximum result. Others
want to get knowledge of other agricultural activities, for
example fruits, mushrooms, and chickens.
During the YTS annual meeting these suggestions
were discussed further and we concluded that it is more
important to strengthen the existing programs up to the
point that farmers can implement them independently -
eg, can graft rubber seedlings or produce fingerlings.
We are grateful for all participation, discussion and input
during the review process.

Nandang Suherman : Governance Specialist

“Experience is the best
teacher”, is perhaps the
best phrase to describe
the life of Nandang
Suherman, our technical
expert in the Governance
Project on the Indicative
Budget Ceiling Policy
Development. The
50-year-old father of
three started his career
Nandang believes that a good gover-
in public advocacy and
nance can be achieved through a con-
sistent learning and sharing process development planning
twelve years ago, which
took him away from his background as a Religion Major
from the National Islamic Institute.
Nandang admits that the work he is now involved in
started from a social interaction process in 2000. He
was involved in the Forum Jatinangor, which focused
on participatory spatial planning for the Jatinangor
area in Sumedang Regency. Elected as the Forum
Secretary, Nandang automatically built a strong interac-
tive and working relationship with the government in
Sumedang Regency, as well as with several lecturers
from the Bandung Institute of Technology, who as men-
tors contributed a great deal in broadening his knowl-
edge of development planning. He was also actively
involved in public broadcasting about planning, budget-
ing and improving public services.
Nandang said that it is through his direct involvement
with both the government and the community that he
developed his knowledge of how planning works and
how the community could benefit best from government
program and services.
When working with YTS, he sees that there is a huge
potential in Gunung Mas as a new regency to imple-
ment from the start, a transparent, participatory and
accountable system of governance. The key lies in im-
proving the capacity of human resources in the govern-
ment, as well as in encouraging local media and local
people to be more sensitive to the current development
process in order to understand how to improve it.
He also considers the work that YTS is doing will at
some point need an exit strategy to enable the process
to become general practice within the Gunung Mas
government system.
As a person who has worked in various places in Indo-
nesia, Nandang has gained valuable experience and
knowledge that is worthwhile adopting for development
in Gunung Mas. In his last contribution as the technical
expert for an indicative budget ceiling policy in Gunung
Mas, Nandang received an extremely positive com-
mendation from the government. He was even asked
to assist in developing a concept note for the District
Head that could be used to enforce the initiative.
For Nandang, experience indeed is the best teacher -
but he also feels that it is more meaningful to share it
with others to ensure that knowledge does not remain
static.

Kabar Itah - Edition 34 3

Higher Growth and Lower Costs with Biochar and Bokashi
there are no difficulties in using it. In
addition, since it is organic, we are sure
the products are healthier for us”.
According to Suroto, the farmers in
Habaring Hurung will definitely find it
useful: “I see that growing and selling
beans has great potential in Palangka
Raya. Today, beans are only supplied
from the Kalampangan area. I am
planning to plant beans using Bokashi,
and I may also be able to plant squash
and bitter gourd because their price is
stable.”
Pak Suroto added that to protect their
crops from pests they can use wood
vinegar as a pesticide substitute: “It’s
not as powerful as using pesticides, so
Godwin Limber, YTS Field Project Coordinator, mesure the comparative growth of corn grown with biochar and bokashi
in a trial plot in Bukit Batu the treatment should be more frequent
because the wood vinegar functions
The Biochar program in Bukit Batu reached the fifth and final stage by as a repellent, not a poison. Pesticides
the end of 2012; namely, comparing the results of the application of the kill pests but can sometimes make the
biochar products in each village. YTS monitored the growth of the corn plants die too. Making wood vinegar itself
planted in the trial plots, and found that the plants treated with Bokashi had is not difficult, as the basic ingredients
grown far taller and were far more productive than the plants treated with are widely available.”
chemical fertilizer or animal manure.
To compare the inputs, each village had made five rows for the field trials:
Agenda
one with Bokashi only; one with Bokashi and Biochar; Biochar only, NPK
January
only; and Chicken Manure only. Of the five rows, those treated with only
Bokashi showed significantly better growth in all cases. In these rows, the Musrenbang at the Village Level
corn plants had exhibited much faster growth, with some plants reaching Training for Musrenbang Facilitators in the
up to 260cm high, after two months. Kahayan
Briefing for Six Pilot Villages for the Health
and Education Campaign
Ninety Percent Cheaper
Suroto, the head of the Village Management Group in Habaring Hurung, February
is also a farmer and a Vegetable Interest Group member. When asked Musrenbang at the Subdistrict Level
about the benefits of the training, he explained the economic benefits to
us: “If I break down the cost, making Bokashi is much cheaper than buying Training on Note-Taking Skills
chemical fertilizer. Getting all the ingredients together is only ten percent Photography Training for Program Officers
of the cost of buying factory fertilizer, so it is ninety percent less expensive
Hosting the Second National Workshop on
to do it this way. The vegetable growers who have seen these plots are the Prevention of Mercury Pollution from
very happy about the results. I myself would like to try planting okra, bitter Small Scale Mining
gourd and beans this way. Bokashi is very simple and easy to make, and
March
Newsflash Musrenbang at the District Level
Cu Basic Training in Miri Manasa and
Green Light for Conference on Human-Centred Development Kahayan Hulu Utara
The long-awaited conference on human-centred development will take Computer Training in Miri Manasa
place on 9-10 April in Rungan Sari.
Visualization in Participatory Program
Training
Media Team Learns New Tricks
Training on Community-Led Analysis and
In early November, Suzanna Dayne, a highly-regarded communications Planning
specialist, guided the YTS media team through a writing workshop aimed
at improving the readability of articles in Kabar Itah.
Kabar Itah
Mercury-Free Gold Mining
Kabar Itah is the quarterly newsletter of Yayasan Tambuhak Sinta
(YTS), an affiliate of PT. Kalimantan Surya Kencana (KSK),
a mineral exploration company.
A new phase of our mercury project began this January. Over the next Published by: Bank Accounts:

18 months, YTS will work in collaboration with project partners: the Yayasan Tambuhak Sinta
Jl. Rajawali VII, Srikandi III No. 100
Yayasan Tambuhak Sinta
BNI 1946
Blacksmith Institute, GEUS, BPPT, and Emerald Mountain, to conduct Bukit Tunggal, Palangka Raya 73112
Kalimantan Tengah - Indonesia
Palangka Raya Branch
Central Kalimantan
field demonstrations of mercury-free processing to small-scale miners in Telp. +62 (0536) 3237184
Fax. +62 (0536) 3229187
INDONESIA
Number 0114981608
various parts of Indonesia. Email: tambuhaksinta@gmail.com
Website: www.tambuhaksinta.com
Swift: BNINIDJA

Kabar Itah - Edition 34 4

 Yayasan Tambuhak Sinta
Mercury Project Update: Solutions from Central Kalimantan
Our development foundation, Yayasan Tambuhak
Sinta, was established by Kalimantan Gold in
1998, together with representatives of local Dayak
people. The company has been working with local
communities since it began exploring in the area
over 30 years ago. Establishing the foundation was
a means of formalizing our commitment to the local
people. The foundation runs a special program to
prevent mercury pollution in the informal mining
sector.

Since January 2007, when YTS first began to

distribute mercury recycling equipment to miners
and gold shops, the project has expanded into
seven districts. As a result, our retorts and
condensors have greatly reduced the level
of mercury contamination in many towns and
villages. Over the last six years, our interventions
have prevented more than 20,000kg of mercury
emissions. Instead of escaping into the air as a gas,
all of this mercury has been captured and recycled
Mercury is a powerful neurotoxin that is harmful by mercury users.
to people, but especially to fetuses, and young
children. Once emitted, mercury can travel great
distances through the atmosphere, causing global
contamination of ecosystems, fish, birds, mammals,
and the human food chain. Artisanal and Small-
scale Gold Mining (ASGM) is the largest single
demand for mercury in the world.
ASGM is widespread in Central Kalimantan, and
is an area of concern for YTS because of the
enormous health and environmental impacts that
result from this activity. YTS first started working on
this issue in 2006, during the UNDP Global Mercury
Project in Katingan district. At that time, YTS
worked with local government to build awareness
and find practical solutions for the safe handling of
mercury in gold mining and processing. Preventing This activity has reduced demand for fresh mercury
the use of mercury in gold mining is our major by the same amount. At current prices ($180 per
focus. kilogram) the value of this quantity of mercury is
$3.7 million. There are also other economic benefits
for these communities due to multiplier effects; as
these savings can now be spent on other goods
and services.

Top left: a woman brings ore from the mine to the

processing shed.
Bottom left: a woman fills sacks of ore with mercury-
contaminated tailings.
Top right: YTS designed this large retort to burn up to 50kg
of amalgam, with up to 99% recovery of mercury.
Bottom right: YTS designed this water-box condensor system
to prevent mercury emissions from gold shops.
 Yayasan Tambuhak Sinta
Mercury Project Update: Solutions from Central Kalimantan

Our new health awareness campaign continues to

Although the economic benefits may be the
main reason for the widespread adoption of the
technology, the most significant benefits are actually
those that result from the prevention of the mercury
emissions. Levels of contamination are now greatly
reduced in many urban areas, including our city
center. In terms of human health, the benefits are
enormous. In terms of environmental pollution, it
represents less mercury accumulation within the
hydrosphere, and less impact upon the biosphere.
In addition to interventions that encourage recycling,
we are also demonstrating mercury-free processing
alternatives to miners. In this activity, we are
collaborating with international partners, including
the Geological Survey of Denmark & Greenland,
and the Benguet Miners Federation from the
Philippines. We all believe that gold miners can stop
using mercury - and switch to alternative processing
methods - without suffering a loss of income. To
prove this, YTS is demonstrating how to process ore
using gravity separation methods that do not require
mercury. YTS has also conducted action-research in
the field, and demonstrated ways to reduce mercury
consumption by miners, such as by using sluices
and shaking-table technology.
bring new awareness to communities threatened by
mercury pollution. ‘Growing-Up Healthy’ is a slogan
that is aimed primarily at mothers and children:
our materials are designed specifically for this
audience, as women and children are more likely
to experience the health impacts than men. Our
campaign has spread across Central Kalimantan,
targeting mercury users in particular, as well as the
wider community. However, our media can also be
used in other parts of Indonesia.
Over the last four years, YTS has received continual
support from the Blacksmith Institute, and is now
expanding the mercury project to other districts in
Sulawesi, Java, Lombok and Sumbawa. We wel-
come the opportunity to put the spotlight on our work
in Central Kalimantan, as it is important for us to
communicate our way of working to others. Indeed,
through training, and through film and print media,
we are making special efforts to educate other
stakeholders how to conduct interventions, so we
can all put a stop to mercury use wherever it occurs.
For a look at our project in action go to http://www.
unep.org/flvPlayer/videoplayer.asp?id=27529&l=en.

Miners purchase mercury in 35kg containers (top left) at a cost of around $6,000. The mercury is mixed with the ore, and the
gold is captured inside the liquid mercury. The mercury must be squeezed through a fine cloth (top right) to make a solid gold-
mercury amalgam.
The balls of amalgam (bottom right) will then be burned to evaporate the mercury, causing harmful atmospheric mercury
emissions. The retorts and condensors supplied by YTS prevent these emissions, capturing the mercury so that it can be
recycled and re-used by the miners.