Rebuilding Lives After A Disaster

12-Feb-2010

Rebuilding Lives After A Disaster

Padang: Friday 12 February 2010

It’s been more than four months since the 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck the province of West Sumatra on 30 Septemberand the majority of daily activities in the towns and cities have resumed a certain sense of normalcy among the toppled buildings and demolition sites.

Although a day-to-day sense of normalcy has been established, the large majority of people in West Sumatra who were seriously affected by the quake are still struggling to rebuild their lives.

‘Home and contents insurance’ is not a household term for the majority of Indonesian citizens, and annual wages are meagre compared to even a minimum wage in Western countries. Many people are still living in unacceptable conditions and the flow-on effects of this can create tension, stress and depression.

SurfAid’s psychosocial program - Tampek Mangadu - has incorporated a special Sunday event for each of the four locationswhere it is operating in Padang. This showcases the villagers’ progression towards rebuilding infrastructure and making a fresh start for the village.

“The Sunday special events are about strengthening relationships, networks and social groups within each village, and encouraging positive engagement through the use of happiness, traditional culture and identity,” SurfAid’s Psychosocial Program Manager, Stacey Howe, said.

“Basically we want people to recognise their strengths as a village and to come together for a bright future.”

Thanks to SchoolAid and NZAID support, the residents of Parak Buruak were able to celebrate their resilience and community cohesion in the form of a fun and cultural event on a recent Sunday.

The day was opened by official dignitaries who praised the community for their motivation. They also recognised the Australian students who raised funds through SchoolAid and they thanked them for their great efforts of philanthropy and compassion. The head of the region, village and sector were all present and they expressed their appreciation and blessings for all involved.

About 150 children participated in activities and small competitions such as drawing, colouring, poetry, sack races, marble and spoon races, and a cultural favourite – the krupuk (prawn cracker) eating competition.

The prizes for the competitions were generously provided by a private donor and lit up the faces of all the recipients. From DVDs to a remote control toy speedboat to T-shirts of all sizes – all were greatly appreciated.

“It was great to see them laughing and playing as all kids should,” said Adi, a field supervisor to Parak Buruak.

Three women’s groups cooked delicious food for everyone at the event and were also judged on their abilities to cook the Pandan cake (a delicious and traditional bright green sponge cake) based on hygiene, presentation and taste. There were no losers in this competition!

Ingredients for all the cooking were donated from the different sectors of the village, which meant all the food was fresh and locally grown.

Besides helping organise the day and schedule events, SurfAid provided equipment and items that were not available in the community or were too expensive for them to purchase, such as chicken.

The village men’s groups and community committee were integral in the success of the day by ensuring all logistics were covered.

Overall, the event was the best one so far with fantastic support from all parts of the community, showcasing that with organisation and collaboration the village can accomplish great things.

- Stacey Howe

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Rebuilding Lives After A Disaster

Rebuilding Lives After A Disaster

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