One of the activities during the 2017 Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction was visiting the E-Pujiono Learning House. Located in Dukuh Karanglo, Desa Donoharjo, Kecamatan Ngaglik, Kabupaten Sleman, Provinsi Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta, Indonesia, this Learning House, established on Mei 6, 2017, aimed at becoming means of learning for advancing public understanding of disaster resilience and climate change adaptation. The E-Pujiono Learning House is part of the Pujiono Study Center (Pujiono Center, abbreviated as PUCEN) was established on June 12, 2012, to serve as a think-tank with headquarters in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. PUCEN focuses on issues and debates on disaster resilience, humanitarian response, emergency response management, and social work profession dimensions on disaster risk management and climate change adaptation.
E-Pujiono Learning House is founded by Dr. Puji Pujiono, a Regional Adviser on Disaster Risk Reduction United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. Other unique yet very touching fact about the center is the E-Pujiono Learning House is a tribute to his wife. He also expressed his gratitude by calling this place as ‘Taj Mahal”. The letter “E” in “E-Pujiono Learning House” contains two meanings: the abbreviation of ͞Ervi Pujiono, a devotee of humanity, who died after a long fight against cancer on April 26, 2017. The letter ͞E also means electronic that is the idea to encourage conventional learning into learning through an electronic platform for research and publishing.
During the visit, Dr. Pujiono took the participants through 30 years of disaster management history in a quick crash course to explain about disaster management and its paradigms which have changed in the recent decades. He delivered the content of Sendai Framework to participants, a well-known, successor instrument to the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) 2005-2015. He explained the framework is meant to build the disaster resilience of nations and communities.
The participants of the 2018 EcoDRR Summer Course which are coming from different countries, such as Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brazil, Sweden, Morroco, Yemen and Austria were divided into six group representing six different stages of of the concept of knowledge management related to Disaster Management. The stages are comprised of the problem, research, knowledge, transfer, adoption, and diffusion. The participants must be capable of identifying a problem, researching it, developing knowledge, transferring this accross the line from scholars to wider public, adoption by institution and finally diffusion. Each group discussed these elements and its barriers and bridges that hinder and enhance the conncetivity between policy and practice of DRR. He has clearly explained that DRR should not be the responsibility of government only but also for local community. It is continued by a talk form Mr. Frans Toegimin, an experienced in Eco-DRR analysis. His focus was basically on the NGOs and Civil Societies role in the Eco-DRR management and also significantly accepted the role of community as a whole in the scenarios for disaster risk reduction. One main message is that mankind does not have the power to prevent the occurance of natural disaster but they have abilities to reduce the risk. Also, when considering policies and inputs, one must always consider of that is the result that counts.
One of the participants coming from the Philippines, Ma. Patrocina Lea C. Mateo expressed her enthusiasm during the visit of E-Pujiono Learning House which led her understand more about the concept of knowledge management related to Disaster Management