^{2 March 2020}

New Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masatsugu Asakawa today travelled to meet with residents of Batua - RISE's Indonesia demonstration site - to find out first-hand how the program is impacting their lives.

The visit was Mr Asakawa's first trip as ADB President to see and understand a range of ADB-supported projects in South East Asia. RISE was selected as one of a handful of ADB-supported projects in Makassar, to show the President an innovative community decentralised approach to revitalisation.

Community members greeted the President in proud traditional wear, representing the first six communities that will be upgraded with RISE's infrastructure.

^{Residents from RISE's informal settlements represented their communities during the President's visit.}

Batua Community Engagement Council head, Ibu Suneti, told Mr Asakawa that RISE's new pathways and walkways mean residents no longer have to self-fund and climb aboard a makeshift bamboo raft to get in and out Batua when their neighbourhood floods.

Shown through a colourful poster exhibit mapping out the project's timeline, technical infrastructure elements, and the community design process, the President then took a walk with RISE Program Director Professor Rebekah Brown through Batua to see the equipment and infrastructure in action.

Mr Asakawa said how pleased he was to partner with Monash University. "This project demonstrates how collaboration with big donors like ADB and leading research institutions like Monash University can make people’s lives different. I hope we will enhance our collaboration not just here, but everywhere.”