The long term nature of the ESP program enable the project team to undertake short term as well as medium and longer terms measures in order to achieve the overall objectives of the program. This is highly beneficial as there are immediate needs in the High Priority Provinces and Special Concern and Imperative Areas, particularly with the advent of the earthquake/Tsunami in December 2004 which virtually destroyed the northwestern areas of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam province. On the other hand, there are goals and objectives which need desperately to be achieved, such as decreasing incidence of childhood diarrhea or providing clean water to those without access, that will require behavioral change, capacity building and related infrastructure improvements which must take place over the longer period.

It is critically important to build foundations of communication and networks of concerned, involved or affected stakeholders from government, the NGOs, interest groups and private sector, but at the same time be able to provide some services which will produce rapid results and to get people engaged from the outset.

During this five year period, ESP plans to have an impact on significant numbers of people in the HPPs and the SIAs, as well as leverage investment from other funds, donors and private sector to achieve results compatible with the goals of ESP. ESP will be able to provide much of what many “hard” infrastructure programs are not able to do, and that is informed, trained or environmentally conscious people who understand that they have a stake in improving and maintaining their environment. The current political and increasingly improving economic environment in Indonesia makes it more possible to achieve these results than at any time in the past 35 years.