WEEKLY SUMMARY

Field Operations:
Our eye camps continued in Aceh Besar district and B. Aceh town benefiting a total of 601 people.
We conducted a distribution of 625 mukenas (prayer cloth for women) to women in the Neuheun camp.
Twice weekly English classes continued in Neuheun camp benefiting 120 children.
AMURT presented its prototype housing model to the UNDP sponsored Transitional Shelters Workshop.
Didi Hema gave a yoga class for 35 youth as part of the initiative of a local NGO called Education for All.
Our Jr. High School proposal was submitted to World Vision International.
Sister Soma prepared an excellent 20 minute documentary of AMURT/AMURTEL work in Aceh Phase Two (Rehabilitation).
A reporter from TIME Magazine took our interview this week.
We presented the Memorandum of Understanding to GTZ for the rehabilitation of the Neuheun brick factories for which we hope to sign next week.
We also submitted our three proposals for village rehabilitation to the Indo-Germ consortium of 24 German companies operating in Indonesia, with a view to procuring funding. Thus far our village rehabilitation proposals cover three villages in Aceh Besar. The total number of houses to be constructed is 101. The total number of houses to be repaired is 70. The total cost of the rehabilitation in the three villages comes to $US706,500.
A local women’s NGO, Yayasan Cut Nyak Dhien approached AMURT/AMURTEL for help for providing school uniforms to tsunami survivors who lost everything.
Didi Manika completed her survey of 6 villages in Aceh Besar district to ascertain the total number of children of pre-school age for the purposes of starting a pre-school for them in a convenient location near their relocation camp.
AMURTEL Malaysia organized held two press conferences for Dada Nirmalkrsnanandaji in Kuala Lumpur and Penang in which 9 major Malaysian dailies were present.

Overseas Support:
Both AMURT and AMURTEL teams would sincerely like to thank their overseas chapters in USA, Canada, Germany, Taiwan, Netherlands, Spain, Singapore, Malaysia, Denpasar, Jakarta and Medan who have all come forward to provide invaluable funding for our ongoing operations. Without your support we could not continue our rehabilitation efforts. Even last week more funds had come in from some of the above-named chapters!

Our Needs:
They remain the same as in the past weeks:
• Skilled carpenters, handyman, house builders
• Engineers: civil, water, structural
• Child Animators, Psychologists
• Midwives
• Office Assistant
• Cash

Note: Volunteers are welcome but for non-Indonesian speakers they must commit for a minimum of two months. In the case of Indonesian speakers they must commit for a minimum of two weeks.

Dada Shiilabhadrananda, Banda Aceh

WEEKLY SUMMARY

Field Operations:
This week we continued with the eye camps in the TVRI camp with the total number of beneficiaries reaching 607 people. The three member RAM unit returned to USA but not before preparing excellent guidelines on the repair of the four damaged houses in Neuheun village that AMURT has committed to fix.
Dada Devashuddhanandaji continued the eye camps after the departure of the RAM team and is arranging some of the victims to receive cataract operations from a Japanese eye doctor who is assisting AMURT in the camps.
We distributed 416 “resettlement kits” to the families of Neuheun village working in coordination with the NGO Concern International. The kits included a kerosene stove, a wok, a cooking pot, 2 large washing buckets, a large serving spoon, a cutting board, a large knife, 6 spoons, six plates, 3 sarongs, a bath towel and two pairs of sandals. Everyone was so pleased to receive these useful gifts for their “homes”.
Dada Dinakar, Didis Ananda Vijaya, Hema and Utpala all took three days psycho-social training from the International Medical Corps and passed their field training. The Didis continued their psycho-social counseling benefiting another 12 women this week.
Dada Nirmalkrsnanandaji completed the survey of the damaged houses in Nusa camp and plans to continue with similar surveys in Lamasan Kling and Lampinung Camps. Another 100 cottage brick factories have been reported destroyed in five villages of Aceh Besar and we will do a thorough assessment and present our proposal to potential donors.
We submitted our Jr. High School repair proposal to UNICEF.
AMURTEL completed their assessment of the needs of 67 women vendors representing three villages who are now staying in the TVRI camp. They visited the head of the Rural Bank and acquired useful information on the cash grant scheme which they envision as the method to assist these women get back on their feet. Didis also moved into a larger dwelling and acquired the services of a motorcycle for a one month trial period to ease their transport difficulties.
Didi Hema began English classes twice a week to 30 women in the TVRI Camp.
Sister Soma took extensive filming of the women vendors, the eye camps, the brick kilns and other areas in preparation of a 15 minute promotional video of AMURT/AMURTEL activities.
UNICEF donated one school-in-a-box for our pre-school activities in Neuheun village that continues to benefit some 45 pre-school age children.
In Malaysia Did Ananda Devanistha and her large contingent of Sungei Petani/Penang Margiis are planning an ambitious fundraising concert on March 27th to raise funds for Aceh. Didi organized two press conferences for Dada Nirmalkrsnanandaji in Penang and KL.
The current strength of the teams are: AMURT: 10, AMURTEL: 4. We are taking more service from the local Acehnese and eventually they will become an integral part of our entire operation.

Our Needs:
• Skilled carpenters, handyman, house builders
• Child Animators, Psychologists
• Midwives
• Office Assistant
• Cash


Note: Volunteers are welcome but for non-Indonesian speakers they must commit for a minimum of two months. In the case of Indonesian speakers they must commit for a minimum of two weeks.


Dada Shiilabhadrananda

Pavananandaji's Poem

As he was moving on the minibus to the Internet café, Dada
Pavanandaji was struck by the overwhelming scene of desperation of the
residents of Banda Aceh. It induced in him these poetic verses entitled,

Banda Aceh:


A distant voice resonated your sweet name, Banda Aceh,

The roaring of the waves and strong winds are gone,

Replaced by soft winds

That sweep your dusty streets.


The laughter of children long forgotten returns again

But punctured by dreams of mothers wailing for lost ones.


I see many houses closed in the streets never to open again,

Whose dwellers have been carried away by the angry ocean

Never to return.


Sweet smiling faces greet me as I walk

But when I penetrate the eyelids of those who smile,

I see hidden tears in their eyes.


Let us all put our effort to understand You,

O Mother Earth,

So You may never punish us in your anger.


People of distant lands are all gathered

To give a warming embrace to those in distress

May courage and strength accompany everyone

So everyone may become a beacon of light in time of need.


So that the Earth may become a place

Where all will sing and dance in unison

And where true love will emerge.


Dada Pavanananda, Banda Aceh,

15.2.05

New bank account and contacts in Indonesia

New Bank Account

Here are the details of our new bank account in Medan, Indonesia.
All donations for the Tsunami Relief should be send to that account.
The old account is still running. We are going to close it down after some weeks.

PANIN BANK (Pan Indionesia Bank)
Cabang Medan. An.

Account Name: YAYASAN ANANDA MARGA INDONESIA
Account Number: 500 50 95 101.

Swift code: PINBIDJA


New office in Banda Aceh

AMURT Aceh
Jl. Alue Blang No. 1E
Neusu Aceh
(belakang Kampus STIEI)
Banda Aceh

Tel. 62-651-7410200
Email: bandaaceh@amurt.net


Dada Caetanyananda
Medan, Indonesia.

+62 81 2605 2600

WEEKLY SUMMARY

Field Operations:
Daily eye camps have been held in TVRI spontaneous camp and Lampinung camp benefiting a total of 247 people thus far. The camps are jointly conducted by AMURT and a three member RAM (Remote Area Medical) team of USA. The Indonesian TV, LCTI did a filming and interview of our eye camp in the TVRI Camp which has a population of 7000 displaced persons.
Didi Manika gave counseling to nine women this week. Didi will now stay in Neuheun village from where her counseling work will be facilitated.
Didi Hema and Sister Soma have been conducting interviews and doing video filming for livelihood assessment and promotion of AMURT/AMURTEL respectively.
A nutritious food distribution and games was carried out in Neuheun benefiting 150 children. When we asked the kids whether they liked the food, they said that they were so pleased with the change of diet. They came back for second and third helpings saving some for their siblings who missed out on the fun.
Dada Devashuddhananda saw another 5 patients in the Rumah Sakit Fakina hospital this week and has been facilitating the eye camps for the RAM team.
Rapid surveys have been done in Nusa, Lampinung and Lamasan Kling villages, all in Aceh Besar with the view to working collaboratively with the tsunami victims to rehabilitate their homes and their brick factories.
We met representatives of UNHCR, UNDP, World Vision and GTZ and submitted our Jr. High School proposal to AusAid and Food for the Hungry International as we attempt to procure funding for the projects we have assessed.
Brother Ananda Deva has made a 2 hour video filming of our second phase relief operations (January 20-28). Dada Nirmalkrsnananda has made two PowerPoint presentations of phase two of the relief operation.
Dadas Surya Prakash and Dinakar and Didi Hema attended a one day workshop in Disaster Relief Management conducted by Global Relief, wherein they learned the basics of disaster management and rapid response.

Over-All Situation:
The relief operation is now fully in the second phase of recovery. Many international agencies are awaiting government guidelines about where houses and schools can be reconstructed before embarking on large scale projects. This gives us some time in which to survey more villages and see where we may be able to prepare new project proposals.
As of today the total strength of AMURT and AMURTEL is 21 volunteers! Each volunteer has been placed in a different relief sector (i.e. food, shelter, education, child protection, etc.) for the smooth facilitation of work. They attend the various weekly UN coordinated meetings of these sectors.

Our Needs:
• Skilled carpenters, handyman, house builders
• Child Animators, Psychologists
• Midwives
• Office Assistant
• Cash


Note: Volunteers are welcome but for non-Indonesian speakers they must commit for a minimum of two months. In the case of Indonesian speakers they must commit for a minimum of two weeks.

Dada Shiilabhadrananda, Banda Aceh

Slideshow

An excellent slideshow was posted to the website today:
http://www.amurt.net/tsunami/slideshow

unmantrananda, manila
AMURT support

WEEKLY SUMMARY

Field Operations:

AMURT/AMURTEL branched into a wider spectrum of activities this week contributing in a small yet significant way to the over-all relief efforts.

Dadas Pavanananda and Ratnesh have been assisting UNICEF in the distribution of their school-in-a-box kits to enable the children to have some school materials with which to re-commence their education. This week they covered 18 schools in Banda Aceh.

Dada Pavanananda and Didi Manika also assisted UNICEF in the assessment of the damage done to various schools in Banda Aceh and covered 23 schools in their three day assessment.

Dada Devashuddhananda has been involved in assisting the International Medical Corps team of doctors in the main hospital in Banda Aceh, Zaina Ruma Sakit. At the same time he is upgrading his medical skills.

Dada Dinakar performed two minor relief operations on the West Coast. He provided 480 liters of drinking water and some fortified biscuits to 150 tsunami survivors who were on foot towards Banda Aceh in search of relatives. Dada also distributed 1 ton of food in Lhoong and 3 tons of relief supplies in Pa’anga south of Calang benefiting a total of 2500 people in coordination with a local NGO Gemma 9.

Didi Manika took 3 days psycho-social training from the North West Medical Team and will be certified by them today following her field training. This will enable her to perform better counseling to traumatized mothers and children in the camps.

Our camp activities continued in Neuheun camp where a talented clown kept the 200 children enthralled with two performances on separate days. We distributed small packet of sweets and biscuits to another 150 children.

We are attempting to offer the government the housing model of Brother Krsada whose mobile homes are being used for 130 tsunami survivors in Ranong province, Thailand. The Indonesian government is requesting 10,000 household units from the private sector. The figure of IDP’s (Indonesian Displaced Persons) remains a staggering 400,000!

Meanwhile we have continued our survey of the brick making kilns in Neuheun village as well as the damaged and destroyed homes with a view to completing the project proposal for these 3 closely linked projects, all in the same village.

The GTZ of Germany has accepted in principle to support our brick manufacturing industry in Neuheun. We are still preparing all of the details of the costing for 25 destroyed homes and five damaged homes. Our intention is for GTZ to accept the entire package.

Our two project proposals for the Jr. High School and Primary School in Banda Aceh city is nearly completed and we will approach donors next week for them.

During this period the AMURTEL team increased to three as two more Didis arrived (SWWS Didi Ananda Vijay and Did Hema) and AMURT volunteers reached up to 10.


General Over-All Situation:

It is a common occurrence to experience the ground rolling as over 1200 aftershocks have succeeded the Dec. 26th earthquake. It is no wonder that psycho-social counseling is an important component of the recovery phase! On several occasions we didn’t know whether to remain in the building or to go out as the aftershocks last for 5 seconds.

The food relief situation has improved considerably and all areas are covered. However only basic food of rice, noodles and biscuits are provided, so the survivors would be pleased to get additional supplies of fish, oil, salt, sugar and vegetables.

Our regular attendance at all of the UN coordinated meetings as well as get togethers of the German and Canadian Embassies are gradually earning AMURT a face and position in the entire operation.

It seems that this is the largest operation in terms of income promised to tsunami survivors. There is huge scope for relief and rehabilitation work for at least one year.


Our Needs:

Unskilled Persons may participate in city and village clean ups.
Midwives are highest priorities in the spontaneous camps where there are 800 births a month.
Skilled Office persons for Excel, Word, Outlook Express, accounts and filing work
Psychologists for psycho-social counseling (must speak Bahasa Indonesia)
Child Animators, educators
Civil engineers, Water Engineers, Architects
Handyman for repairing Homes
Cash to continue the relief and rehabilitation efforts.


Dada shiilabhadrananda, Banda Aceh

Didi's SMS logs

24-1-2005 , 12:24:59, Message : We concentrate with children care in 2 refugee camps. Yesterday and everyday ahead we’re busy with children activities. Medicine I only give once. Later will follow up. Hard to get internet.
24-1-05, 23:29:43, Message : I just found that going to pendopo for free internet should bring our own computer than we can communicate. We have 2 camps for our programs. Youth program and children care. We are doing it regularly.
25-1-05, 12:51:52, Message : We just back from camp. We joint other group ( DIY) and do the program. It takes around 3 hours. This afternoon will go to another camp with children activities. For interview bit difficult. Lack of people
26-1-05, 12:57:14, Message : The first program is around 60 children. Didi Subhrajyoti take some pictures of program. We gave games, candy and some fruits. I gave medicine to them. I’m writing our activities till 28. I’ll give to didi S when she goes Medan.
27-01-05, 06:37:53, Message : Yesterday we had program for children in Neuheun camp. We play and teach simple yoga posture. We were distributing candy, biscuit, juice. Dadas were helping us. Around 80 children who attend. They’re exciting. We have project in 2 camps ( lampisang and neuheun ). Take turn between 2 camps. So everyday we’ll have program for children care. UNiCef will help us to provide some materials for children care program. I try to make report everyday. Now we are quite busy.
27-01-04, 06:56:34, Message : The report of our activities from 23 until 25 Jan I wrote down. I’ll send it through D.S with the picture. We’re going to Lampisang today with another program. We have a good partnership with children psychology. We are going to have program also for teenagers in both camps. If we have a good performance in both camps Unicef will help us. This report I’m going to send to d. Vijaya, Vanii,Tapasii, Sandipa, Avinasha. Very difficult to get internet.
27-01-05, 20:09:53, Message : We have organized children care in Lampisang camp. It’s about 30 children. The children is not as much as in Neuheun. We distributed vegetarian food, milk. We arranged some games. Dadas were helping. Since morning we arranged the food. We have a good contact with volunteer from Yogya. We apply proposal to UNICEF. We are asking some material for children care in a huge amount ( for 200 children ). Hope it will be approved.
27-01-05, 23:15:40, Message : I just finished meeting. So our project is children care in two camps ( neuheun and lampisang ). We are concentrating into this project. We’ll make story on our project and dada will send it to email and declare it as amurtel project.
28-01-05,17:06:40, Message : Today is holiday for us. It’s Friday. We appreciate their holiday, also here is heavy rain. The other hand we got information that now the situation is quite dangerous because of GAM. They go down from the mountain to get their food. So we have to be careful now. Tonight will be DC.
29-01-05, 07:11:45, Message : When is the AMURTEL uniform is done? We need one more banner. We asked tent from UNICEF . If they give we will put our banner on tent.
29-01-05, 08:01:05, Message ( M ), Maybe you need to confirm to dada again. Looks not nice where we are doing amurtel program and put our banner but we were wear amurt uniform. I gave list to didi subrajyoti what we need here. You can send it through didi vijaya. Thanks
30-01-2005, 05:56:41, Message : Didi Subhrajyoti bring all the pictures. If I attend psycosocia trainee, I will break the children care activities for a week start tomorrow. Dada has less number now We can occupied only one brother ( dayala ). I need volunteer. D. devashudananda will find out for us. So how do you think? Involve in psycho trainee is very important for us. I can train others. It’s program be held by North West NGO
31-01-2005, 01:38:58, Message : Amurtel gets donation around 1000 USD from muslim organization. So we decided to distribute praying material for Lampisang camp. We’ll do distribution when d. vijaya reaches Aceh, we’ll distribute praying material, food for children, toys under the name of AMURTEL
31-01-2005, 21:14:12, Message : Today in the morning I’ve been trained by UNICEF how to do assessment from one school to another school. We’ve to make a good cooperation with them so they can help us in the future. I help them to assess the school. We did until 1 pm.
31-01-2005, 22:45:10, Message : At 3 pm we went to Lampisang for children care program. We get volunteer from USA who expert to making balloon and entertain children. Children are very happy. Today around 40 children.
01-02-2005, 05:06:28, Message : We got volunteer from US ( 2 days ). He expert in entertain the children by balloon. They are happy. Around 40 children.
01-02-2005, 14:26:55, Message : I went early morning to do assessment with unicef. Finish 13:00. Many schools has no building. Nothing. They study on the earth. I’m thinking what we can do for them.
01-02-2005, 18:41:19, Message : Nmsk. I am on the way from neuheun camp for children care programs. We have two volunteers from North West Medical Center. 3 international volunteers, we distributed snack, juice, balloon. It’s around 300 children. Amazing, children are very wild and they are happy.
01-02-2005, 19:34:10, Message : Trauma counseling course is going to start tomorrow. 3 days theoretical and 3 days field training. It is hold by northwest medical team. I am going to attend it.
02-02-2005, 18:12:38, Message : From 9am until 3pm I had attend trauma counseling course. The topics were very interesting. Need a lot of concentration. After that I feel very tired. Didi Vijaya is moving around with dada to see our camps. I couldn’t join with them cause have to attend the training.

Didi Manika, Aceh, Indonesia

More survivor stories

Yesterday we went with SWWS Didi Ananda Vijayaji to Neuheun the site of our proposed brick making rehabilitation and housing reconstruction projects. Didi was totally shocked to see vast areas of total devastation along the sea, broken only by a few isolated clusters of coconut trees. It seems that due to their flexibility the coconut trees were the only livings beings that
survived the tsunami. I wonder if it is a message for all of us. Dada Nirmalkrsnanandaji and I were asking ourselves why we were not stunned by all of the destruction as was Didi. After three weeks have we become benumbed with all the debris, mud, chaos and sludge that surrounds us? Touring the shattered village with us was the village head (Kapala Desa). Pointing to the west of the river, he told us that of the 200 families that lived in that village (Ladong) there before the tsunami, only 70 of them had survived.

Radia:
As we walked through the rubble of Darawan's hitherto home, his unusually engaging wife began to relate to us how they had survived the tsunami. Their home was less than 500 meters from the sea so it was a wonder that her family of two boys and husband could have survived the tragedy. It is still unknown to us, how Prakrti spared some and totally obliterated others. We can only imagine the incredible horror of that day, seeing the comprehensive and awesome aftermath. A neighbor shouted to Radia, Darawan's wife that big waves were rolling
onto the shore, run for your life! Hastily grabbing her two kids of three years and ten years they all ran towards the mountain for safety. Her eldest son pleaded, "Mom, I want to see the waves". This was one day where Mother was in no mood for strolling on the beach! Happily she could tell her survival story to us yesterday. We are all amazed how dignified yet simple the Acehnese people are. Nobody
is sitting around moping about their fate. People are busy trying to clear their premises, send their kids to school, salvaging the remains of "home" or doing anything to bring back normalcy. The Acehnese people have been deeply touched by the response of the humanitarian help of different countries and are trying in their own small way to facilitate them. It is unbelievable that even though so many government officers, civil servants and teachers were victims of the tsunami the survivors are working over time to facilitate the relief efforts the vastness of which is still posing headaches to the UN and NGO community.

Nazrul Yunus:
We visited Nazrul's hitherto dwelling today gingerly watching our stop to avoid nails into our shoes or jagged pieces of iron into our shirts. His campus was a picture of total obliteration. It was difficult to piece together his former house, as it was for all of the 28 damaged homes we visited with our civil engineers today. Notwithstanding, Nazrul performed his hospitality gesture. There were still
5 tall coconut tress decorating his compound. Against all of our formal remonstrance, Nazrul 36, navigated the 10 meter tree faster than any Sumatran monkey and promptly lowered ten big, fat coconuts to the ground. Polishing them with care, carving out a neat niche for our unfamiliar noses and mouths he dished up his refreshments with an ear to ear smile. No glasses, no straws, no chairs, just love and a small way of saying thank you. It was the sweetest coconut water I have ever tasted!

Siyahadan:
Siyahadan's house was bordering the road towards the sea. Nothing stands there anymore. Siyahadan has a brick making factory attached to his house. When he returned to his home three days after the tsunami his eyes fell on 17 dead bodies in what was left of his "living room" (sorry for the parody!) Siyahadan's wife decided then and there that they would never live there any more. With the additional burden of clearing their devastated home of dead bodies, they were in no mood to entertain thoughts of returning to a place whose nightmares would never go way. They certainly never bargained for having a graveyard so near to their living premises! The stench of some of the areas where we walked reminded us that hundreds of dead bodies may never be recovered.

Didi's Loving Care:
As we photographed the demolished home of one elderly villager, she just broke down and wailed. It was a truly pitiful sight. The five village men who were accompanying us for the survey remained silent. They had been through the same many times over the past month. Didi Ananda Vijayaji stroked her arm and the elderly women sobbed on Didi's shoulder inconsolably. The men quickly regained their composure and lightly remonstrated with the widow who also managed to contained herself and made her way to her younger nieces who were witnesses of the scene.

Shiilabhadrananda, Banda Aceh, Indonesia