The WBFN office had the pleasure of meeting Tricia Hoban, one of two Community Liaison Officers (CLOs) appointed in the Jakarta office to help international staff, spouses and partners with their relocation, while they are living in Jakarta and as they prepare to leave for a new appointment.

Tricia, a spouse herself who has accompanied her husband on several posts, told us she, like many spouses she imagines, had been bugging her husband for years that the World Bank needed to do something to help families on the ground. “When families arrive,” said Tricia, “the staff member settles into the routine of work. Children are absorbed into the world of school. They all have focus to their days and the camaraderie of colleagues and new friends. Spouses, on the other hand, can face a lonely beginning to a new stage in their lives. It takes time to recreate the kind of support they left behind when language, customs, religion and everyday tasks seem so different. They just don’t have the everyday clatter or chatter of work, community involvement, or a friendly voice at the end of a phone. On the other hand, houses, schools, shipments, utilities, helpers, and traffic need to be negotiated. New bonds need to be formed.”

The stars appeared to be well-aligned in Jakarta to make this happen. Jakarta is one the Bank’s largest overseas offices, with a large number of international staff and consultants. When a staff survey indentified a need for support for international families, management in Jakarta and the region discussed the possibility of a Community Liaison Officer. Together with the support of Country Director Joachim von Amsberg, they contacted and interviewed diplomatic missions who have had CLOs for quite some time. Management then developed terms of reference, advertised the job, held interviews and hired Chris Stewart and Tricia, who work 10 hours a week each as the WBOJ Community Liaison Officers.

So what do the CLOs do? The best description seems to be that the CLOs are facilitators. Various Bank units in Headquarters and the Country Office help the families with the majority of the relocation. The CLOs add the personal touch. Chris and Tricia have developed a body of information about neighborhoods, schools, health care, etc. that helps them to answer many questions staff and their families, new or old, may have. They develop networks that connect newcomers with people who have similar experience and family situations, and they let families know someone will be there when they arrive. If a pre-assignment visit is planned, Chris and Tricia work with the other units to send families initial information about schools, houses, daycare, cars, possible household help, as well as information about some of the unique cultural and practical issues of living in Jakarta/Indonesia. If a spouse is not able to come for a visit, they begin an email dialogue, encouraging the family to ask any questions that they might have about the new post.

Chris and Tricia have organized welcoming coffees where newcomers can meet with staff handling the move in the Country Office as well as the Country Office Management Team, including the Country Director. They also started a newsletter to keep staff and families informed of upcoming activities, updated on security information passed on by the Security Officer, and anything else of interest in the international community generally.

The aim of the CLOs is to integrate newcomers into the community as quickly as possible and to keep those who have been in the country for awhile updated. Tricia and Chris happily introduce World Bank families new to Jakarta to World Bank families already living there and recommend many international organizations in Jakarta that newcomers might find interesting and supportive.

Reaction to the CLOs has been very positive thus far: “This is the best move I have ever had,” said one spouse. Tricia takes a positive approach but understands that this is a stressful time for families. She and Chris just try to make things a little easier for families coming to Jakarta.

Veronique Hubert, a WBFN member present at the meeting who had been through many relocations before discovering WBFN upon her arrival in DC, remembered how frustrating it can be to have to rely on others for simple things like opening a bank account or setting up a phone line. She wishes she had been welcomed by someone when she arrived in a new country.

We then asked Tricia how the WBFN Office could help members overseas. Financial classes, for example, are online and open to overseas members. We also discussed improving the section of the WBFN website for Members Abroad to include useful links and general information. Yahoo chat rooms like the one developed by spouses in Vietnam were also discussed. There seem to be many possibilities for cooperation.

Tricia continued to stress how important it is to talk to people in the embassies, to work with local staff and their families in the settling in process, to connect with existing networks, to have an open mind and to realize that stress happens. When you have started building a network and getting involved in the community, chances are you’ll manage the challenges that come each time you relocate a bit better. WBFN tremendously enjoyed learning about this new program from Tricia, and hopes that other Country Offices will be inspired by the Jakarta Community Liaison Program!

Maaike le Grand