Reuters AlertNet Full site
Homepage | Newsdesk | NGO Latest | Crisis briefings | Country profiles | MediaWatch | Jobs | Alerting | Login

FROM THE FIELD

Aceh, Indonesia: "We started from zero"
23 Apr 2009 09:36:00 GMT
 Source: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) - Switzerland
Wilda Anggraeni, American Red Cross, in Aceh, Indonesia

Website: Website: http://www.ifrc.org/tsunami

218536 logo
Ismet proudly shows a picture of his baby daughter. (p-IDN1246)
Previous | Next
Ismet proudly shows a picture of his baby daughter. (p-IDN1246)
Wilda Anggraeni/American Red Cross

Background

•  AIDS pandemic

•  Disaster risk reduction

•  Health and diseases

•  Chikungunya

•  Indian Ocean tsunami

MORE >>
Entering the front yard of Ismet Nur's freshly painted pink house, it is easy to forget the blazing heat of the afternoon sun in Aceh. The garden, overflowing with ripening tomatoes and vegetable plants, is an oasis sure to tempt those passing by.

It is also easy to forget, if not hard to imagine, that Ismet's family and the others that live in Kajhu village were left homeless and devastated by the 2004 earthquake and tsunami. When the tsunami waves hit Kajhu, few residents survived and the seaside village was completely leveled. Ismet, now 28 years old, was away at a friend's wedding that morning. When he returned, he found only debris in the place of his village and learned that his sister missing.

In the days after tsunami, Ismet collected wood and other scraps left behind by the tsunami waters to build a shack near the land upon which his family home once stood. Together with some of his relatives, Ismet searched for missing family members and friends and helped bury the dead.

Most tragic time

"That was the most tragic time, when the whole village was flattened and nobody lived here," Ismet remembers. "Most of the people had moved to camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) or temporary shelters in other villages. We had little food and only the clothes on our backs. We were eight men living together in that small shack.

"Unfortunately, my sister was never found."

But Ismet and his family stayed. They worked with fellow villagers to clear the land and start to rebuild. "This is our home," says Ismet's father, M.Ramli. "Our family has been living here for generations and all of our ancestors are buried here. We would never want to live anywhere else."

Hard-working

Ismet became the primary breadwinner for his family after the disaster, supporting several siblings and his parents. Always known for his serious and hard-working nature, Ismet also dedicated his time to reuniting and rebuilding his community.

"Everyone here knows Ismet," a neighbour explains. "He is always concerned about other people. Even though he is young, the village chief consults and involves him in things because he is so respected."

More than a year ago, Ismet and his family moved into a permanent home constructed by the Canadian Red Cross.

Working together with the Canadian Red Cross, the American Red Cross is providing water supplies and environmentally safe sanitation systems to more than 1,100 households in Kajhu, including Ismet's.

Training and support

Early on, Ismet volunteered to assist with monitoring and management of the household water and sanitation systems. With American Red Cross training and support, he helps community members understand how their new systems work and reports any problems to American Red Cross site engineers.

Ismet also helps educate fellow villagers on proper hygiene practices as part of American Red Cross efforts to maximize the health impact and sustainability of these interventions. Among other activities, Ismet teaches village children about health and hygiene through fun activities such as community clean-up races and hand washing competitions.

Of the more than 30,000 individuals targeted by American Red Cross hygiene promotion activities, a special focus is placed on reaching mothers and children. It is vital for children to adopt these behaviours early on, not only because they will be more likely to continue them throughout their lives, but because illnesses such as diarrohea and malaria are associated with poor hygiene practices and community sanitation.

Focused on the future

Now married, and with a young daughter, Ismet is focused on the future. He says he wants to make sure that the orphans in his village are cared for and continue their education. He also wants to ensure that fellow villagers are prepared for future disasters, by working with others to map and improve evacuation routes.

But looking back, Ismet is grateful and amazed at the support he has received from the Red Cross Red Crescent and the other organizations that responded in the wake of the tsunami.

"The people of Kajhu thank you for all of the support provided to us by the Red Cross Red Crescent," says Ismet. "From temporary shelters and housing reconstruction to water and sanitation support and community trainings, the scope of the assistance that has been given is huge. It has helped us rebuild everything from the beginning.

"After the tsunami, we started from zero in this place...but look at where we are now," Ismet says, smiling.

***********************************************

More information on the American Red Cross water and sanitation programme in Indonesia:

The American Red Cross and its partners (including IOM and other National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies) will provide more than 14,000 households with sustainable water supplies and sanitation by December 2009.

The American Red Cross is constructing a water supply plant for the city of Calang, which will provide more than 1,470 households with water drawn from a spring source 24 kilometres outside the city.

Utilizing the Participatory Hygiene Promotion and Transformation (PHAST) methodology, the American Red Cross and its partners aim to reach more than 30,000 individuals with health education messages.

Community involvement and ownership are the keys to sustainability. That's why the American Red Cross and its partners are training and supporting village water and sanitation committees to manage and maintain household systems and associated community infrastructure.


[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

Email this article       Send comments

Topics

•  Crises poll 2005

•  Disaster risk reduction

•  Earthquakes

•  Health

•  Media & Humanitarianism

•  Water

•  Working in Relief

MORE >>

Emergencies

•  Indian Ocean tsunami

MORE >>

Members

•  International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) - Switzerland

MORE >>

NGO latest

•  Aceh, Indonesia: "We started from zero"
IFRC - Switzerland

•  Waging war on AIDS in Sudan
International HIV/AIDS Alliance - UK

•  ACT Rapid Response Payment: Nangarhar Earthquake, Afghanistan
ACT - Switzerland

•  IRC: Focus on Piracy Must Not Divert Attention From Massive Humanitarian Needs of Somalis
International Rescue Committee

•  UMCOR Hotline for April 21, 2009
UMCOR - USA

MORE >>

Latest news

•  UN seeks support for Somalia to boost security

•  VIDEO: Bangladesh faces diarrhoea epidemic

•  Indonesia orders ICRC out of Papua over jail visits

•  World Bank tried to 'blackmail' Bolivia - Morales

•  UPDATE 1 - Egyptian woman dies of bird flu - MENA

MORE >>

[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

Background information

Briefings
Indian Ocean tsunami - [Who works where]

Topics
Crises poll 2005 Disaster risk reduction Earthquakes Feature Health Media & Humanitarianism Water Working in Relief
Facts & figures
Indonesia

Related articles

Breaking stories
 UN seeks support for Somalia to boost security (1 minute ago)

VIDEO: Bangladesh faces diarrhoea epidemic (1 minute ago)

AlertNet insight
 Climate change, wars could sink aid system - Oxfam (1 minute ago)

Aid agency news feed
 Aceh, Indonesia: "We started from zero" (1 minute ago)

Blogs
 Media: If you are not covering Sri Lanka right now, why not? (1 minute ago)

Maps
 MAP: Uganda cholera epidemic (1 minute ago)


Del.icio.us Del.icio.us  |   Digg Digg  |   NewsVine NewsVine  |   Reddit Reddit   
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-04-22T133458Z_01_DHA008_RTRIDSP_2_BANGLADESH_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/DHA008.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-04-22T133226Z_01_DHA007_RTRIDSP_2_BANGLADESH_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/DHA007.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-04-22T132831Z_01_DHA004_RTRIDSP_2_BANGLADESH_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/DHA004.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-04-22T132514Z_01_DHA005_RTRIDSP_2_BANGLADESH_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/DHA005.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-04-22T132030Z_01_DHA001_RTRIDSP_2_BANGLADESH_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/DHA001.htm

A mother comforts her child who is affected by diarrhoea at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease and Research Bangladesh (ICDDRB) in Dhaka April 22, 2009. A spreading diarrhoea epidemic caused ...


More pictures | Galleries
Disclaimers |  Copyright |  Privacy |  Contact Us |  Feedback |  About Us |  RSS XML

Last updated:Thu Apr 23 09:39:48 2009