This week Kopernik hosted the third Bali COVID-19 Non-Governmental Initiatives Coordination Group (Grup Koordinasi Inisiatif Non-pemerintah COVID-19 Bali). This weekly (virtual) meeting has become a platform for regular communication between non-government actors implementing initiatives related to the COVID-19 situation and the Bali COVID-19 Special Task Force (Gugus Tugas COVID-19). The task force is the coordinating body that has been appointed by the Ministry of Home Affairs to respond to the COVID-19 situation in Bali.
The group has been established in response to requests for improved communication and potential collaboration among those active in the response efforts.
Sixty participants signed up and joined the first coordination meeting and unanimously agreed, during a poll conducted at that meeting, that there was a need for a forum and better communication among those working on the COVID-19 response in Bali.
The polling result in the first coordination meeting
Through this coordination group, as facilitators, we aim to provide a means for non-government initiatives currently underway in Bali to share information among each other, about who is doing what, where and when - to avoid duplication, and encourage collaboration.
We also create a regular opportunity for communication between government and non-government actors through this weekly meeting. A representative from the Bali COVID-19 Special Task Force - Pak Made Rentin, joins each meeting and shares regular updates on the current situation, response activities and identified needs.
Left: Made I Rentin from Gugus Tugas COVID-19 Bali presenting at the first Bali COVID-19 Non-governmental initiatives Coordination Meeting
We are grateful to Pak Made Rentin for making the time each week to join this meeting - and appreciate how open he is during the very active question and answer sessions that follow his regular presentation of the latest government data.
During the second and third meeting we experimented with break-out groups of the participants to focus on specific areas, such as distribution of medical supplies, public education campaigns, provision of urgent needs to households to name a few. The purpose of the focus groups is to have more in-depth discussions about the work being conducted, challenges faced and opportunities for collaboration.
A recurring theme that keeps coming up in all groups, is the need for more effective identification and documentation of needs so that they can be quickly and directly addressed by the various initiatives that are currently operating across Bali.
If you are currently working on the COVID-19 response in Bali, and have not yet participated in the group we invite you to the next meeting, which will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, 20 May 2020 at 14:00 - 16:00 WITA (Bali Time). Please find the invitation in this link. We also invite you to complete this database of initiatives currently underway in Bali.
