21st
August 2006
“This is What We Have Been
Dreaming For…”
Moving into a new house beside a calm flowing river and
surrounded by lush greenery would be a dream come true
for any of us. However, this was certainly not so for
Darusman, a carpenter from Tekal Pasir in Singkil, Aceh.
Twenty months ago when the giant earthquake that triggered
the Asian Tsunami struck, the lives of the 45-old and
the other 100 over inhabitants in the Indonesian village
literally sunk to a low.
The land where their settlement stood suddenly became
submerged 1.2m below the Simpang Kanan River and rendered
their homes uninhabitable. Forced to re-locate, the entire
village had since built for themselves a row of makeshift
wooden houses at a site one kilometre away from the original
place.
Nevertheless, the people continued to endure a nightmarish
existence. The land that they now occupy is not only ill-suited
for subsistence farming, but is also threatened by chest-level
flooding during the monsoon season. More importantly,
the fishing community had no means of secure livelihood
for a long period after almost all of their fishing boats
were swept away during the disaster.
This dire state, however, finally came to a turning point. |
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On 13 August 2006, CRS delivered 30 engine-powered fishing boats
to the fishermen of Tekal Pasir through our “Singkil Restoration
of Livelihood Project”. This project is conducted in close
partnership with the Singapore Red Cross Society and Yayasan
Pelayanan Kasih Oikumene, a local Christian foundation. A simple
ceremony to mark the handover of the brand new crafts to the
people was witnessed by Tommy, a member of the local Singkil
parliament, as well as representatives from CRS and the Yayasan.
With the new fishing boats, the families in Tekal Pasir would
now be able to regain their source of income and self-reliance.
And when they finally re-settle at a suitable permanent location,
it will be done with renewed confidence and not apprehension.
Casting his gaze on the Simpang Kanan River where the flashy
blue-and-red boats and the future laid, Darusman’s sun-tanned
face beamed with pride, particularly as he was personally
involved in building the boats using his carpentry skills.
“Our people can now start a living by catching fish
again”, he said. “This is what we have been dreaming
for a long time since the tsunami.”
CRS plans to build a total of 123 boats to benefit four villages
through the Singkil Restoration of Livelihood Project. Although
the project is 90% funded by the Singapore Red Cross Society
through the Asian Tidal Wave Fund, CRS needs to raise the
remaining sum of $11,090.
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