The Future of Suak Nie

By Gesine Wolfinger, Diakonie Emergency Aid/ACT International 

Meulaboh, Indonesia, March 6, 2005 - Muhamad Nurdin is very busy these days. The 53-year-old man is the leader of Suak Nie, a small village close to Meulaboh on Indonesia's west coast. Before the tsunami of December 26, Suak Nie was home to 47 families, of which only 25 remain. The village was almost completely destroyed by the waves, the land itself spoiled by salt water. Survivors of the disaster now live in a camp three kilometers away from their former homes.

The camp, with its green military tents, looks empty; many of its inhabitants are participating in a cash-for-work program established by the Indonesian Government to repair the damaged road between Meulaboh and Banda Aceh; it is covered with rubble and the sea has flooded some parts. For their work, they receive 35,000 Rupiahs a day (four U.S. dollars). For many of them, this is their only source of income.

Muhamad Nurdin has experienced immeasurable loss. Only two of his five children survived the horror of that fateful day. His wife died in the resulting flood. Daughter Nurlisma, eleven years old, survived by clinging to a tree. Muhamad and some of his neighbors managed to save their lives by running away. Initially, he did not know what had happened to his family. Yet, despite the trauma of his terrible loss, he looks toward the future. His community has already bought new land, where they will be planting fruit and vegetables. A new Suak Nie will be established. 

The story of the community leader is not unique. Many families who now live in the camp are mourning the loss of friends and relatives. Forty-year-old Airda Mardia lost her youngest daughter. Her three other children and her husband were saved. Her brother Arman found his wife and his five-year-old son under the rubble of their house a full 20 days after the tsunami – a sight he will never forget.

"After we fled from the tsunami, we lived three days on the road with nothing to eat," recalls Airda Mardia. "Only on the fourth day help came." The first days after the tsunami, access to people who had survived was very difficult. Now, most areas can be reached, with a few areas still only accessible by helicopter or boat.

Church World Service/Indonesia, a member of the global alliance Action by Churches Together (ACT) International, is assisting the people of Suak Nie by providing drinking water, which is stored in a tank provided by the agency. The water is replenished daily. Latrines and places to wash have also improved general hygiene. Along with another member of ACT International, Norwegian Church Aid, CWS/ACT is managing two water purification units in Meulaboh and providing water to nine different camps and villages.

CWS/ACT is also exploring the possibility of supporting the people of Suak Nie by assisting them in rebuilding their village. This kind of assistance is welcomed by Muhamad Nurdin, although not all the villagers are quite ready to start rebuilding their lives. Many people are still severely traumatized and in need of support to cope with their nightmares - support already offered by CWS/ACT at different locations.