Connections

On December 26, 2004, an earthquake registering 9.0 on the Richter scale rocked southeast Asia, setting off one of the most devastating tsunamis in recorded history. One of the worst hit areas was Banda Aceh, a city in northwest Indonesia, where a 35-foot wall of water swept over the city twenty minutes after the earthquake.

Within hours, countries from around the world rallied to send disaster relief in the form of cash, food, water, clothing and shelter. Over the ensuing months, governments and non-governmental organizations began to put in place longer-term recovery strategies as well. Humber has been contributing to these efforts with Calgary-based Whyte Reynolds, the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Association, and the Canadian International Development Agency.

Dr. Michael Hatton, Humber's Vice President Academic, explains that the goal of this unique partnership is to help survivors recover their lives - and livelihoods - through business development. According to Dr. Hatton, "the reclamation of livelihoods is critical not only for economic re-development, but for promoting a social and psychological sense of well being among disaster survivors. In many cases, the best help we can provide is the potential to get and keep a job."

Humber's contribution to the partnership involves sending faculty with small business expertise to Banda Aceh. As Dr. Hatton explains, "Humber business faculty with highly specific small business and entrepreneurial expertise are providing training to tsunami survivors in a variety of areas, including business planning, marketing, product development, supply sourcing, logistics and human resource management."

Guillermo Acosta is one of three Business School faculty who have visited Banda Aceh. He sees a natural fit between being a professor and contributing to the tsunami recovery effort. "A business professor's job is to equip students with the business skills, knowledge and insight to be good decision-makers and problem-solvers and that is what we are doing in Banda Aceh. The principles, foundations, and key concepts of business that we teach in the Humber classroom, as well as the methods to solve problems, can be applied regardless of geographical location. Whether your business is in Ontario or Banda Aceh, the same skills are required to be successful: the ability to identify key problems and develop and implement solutions that best fit the business situation."

Despite their expertise, Guillermo and two colleagues, Jim Skinner and Sheryn Beattie, had a lot of learning to do when they hit the ground. Not only did they have to learn about how Banda Aceh fit into Indonesia's larger economic context, but they also had to understand how the tsunami affected each business differently so that they could provide good advice. For example, business owners lost varying degrees of their physical assets, production capabilities, materials and supplies, and their workforces. This was compounded by the fact that each business was in a different stage of recovery when Humber faculty arrived, not to mention that even eight months after the tsunami many people were still living in tents.

Humber's contribution to the disaster relief initiative in Banda Aceh has provided life-changing experiences for Guillermo, Jim and Sheryn. The initiative has also had an impact on Humber. In Dr. Hatton's words, "the learning within the organization has been tremendous. The faculty who were involved have shared their experiences with students, other faculty and broader communities by, for example, presenting at conferences and seminars and Business School faculty member, Guillermo Acosta, in Banda Aceh thereby encouraging other colleges and polytechnics to step forward."

You can learn more about Humber's partners in this initiative at the following addresses: Whyte Reynolds, www.whytereynolds.com; the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Association, www.cme-mec.ca; and the Canadian International Development Agency, www.acdi-cida.gov.gc.