Govt to house tsunami orphans<\/p>\n
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra<\/p>\n
The government plans to set up some 50 orphanages, which could
\naccommodate up to 50,000 children orphaned by the Dec. 26
\ntsunamis, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said here on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Kalla said that the government was obligated to develop the
\norphanages as, according to the country's Constitution, the state
\nhas a responsibility to care for orphans.<\/p>\n
\"It's a long-term plan, but we'll start from now. We need 50
\norphanages that could accommodate 50,000 orphans. It's a huge
\nnumber, but it's certain that the government will develop the
\ncenters with the help of various elements of society,\" he said
\nduring a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of an
\norphanage compound here.<\/p>\n
The Rp 4 billion (US$434.78 million) project will be developed
\non a 3-hectare plot of land. It is a joint project between the
\ngovernment and private station Trans TV.<\/p>\n
The project is expected to be completed within the next four
\nmonths and will include eight dormitories, two areas for dining
\nand cooking, a multipurpose building, a playground, a football
\nfield, a basketball field and a mosque. The orphanage center is
\ndesigned to accommodate up to 1,000 tsunami orphans from Aceh and
\nNorth Sumatra.<\/p>\n
Kalla, who is also chairman of the National Disaster
\nManagement and Refugee Coordination Board (Bakornas PBP), said
\nthat the tsunami death toll in Aceh and North Sumatra had reached
\nover 150,000 people.<\/p>\n
\"As to the exact number of victims, only God knows,\" he said,
\n\"we can only estimate.\"<\/p>\n
Elsewhere, he said the planned orphanages would provide an
\nenvironment that would help the tsunami orphans recover from
\ntheir ordeal.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Alwi Shihab, who
\nalso attended the ceremony, said that the planned orphanages
\nwould mostly be developed in Aceh, which bore the brunt of the
\ndisaster.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, North Sumatra Governor T. Rizal Nurdin said that
\nthe number of displaced Acehnese people in the province totaled
\nsome 19,601, of which 4,108 are children under the age of 17.<\/p>\n
\"Some 1,985 child refugees are staying in Medan. These
\nchildren will be given priority for places in the new orphanage,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
However, not all children are happy about the prospect of
\nbeing placed in an orphanage.<\/p>\n
\"I don't want to stay in the orphanage. I want to be with my
\nmother in Aceh. I can't be without her,\" Uswatun Mastiyah, a 14-
\nyear old Acehnese girl, told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Uswatun and her mother arrived in Medan in early January
\nfollowing the disaster. She said that her stepfather and an elder
\nbrother have been missing since Dec. 26.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-to-house-tsunami-orphans-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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