Accommodating thousands of children

Accommodating thousands of children From Republika

Following the report in The Jakarta Post on Jan. 3 that there is fear about the future of the child survivors of the tsunami disaster in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, the central executive board of Hidayatullah would like to state as follows: 1. It supports the government's policy not to let these children be taken out of Aceh until clear data about their families has been obtained. 2. Hidayatullah Islamic Boarding Schools in Lhokseumawe and Banda Aceh, which were spared in the disaster, and those in Medan and Nias have been prepared to accommodate refugees, particularly children. Hidayatullah volunteers from Medan and Jakarta have been actively channeling relief aid from Banda Aceh and Lhokseumawe. 3. Hidayatullah has prepared 101 orphanages, usually called Pusat Pendidikan Anak Shaleh (PPAS/Centers of Education for Pious Children) all over Indonesia to accommodate the children from Aceh for the short-, mid- or long-term. All these orphanages can take in 5,000 to 10,000 children from Aceh. 4. When these children are accommodated in PPAS, or in similar institutions owned by Muslims, their futures will be better taken care of. It will also be easier to take stock of these children and trace their families to ensure that they will not lose their origins when their rehabilitation period is over. 5. Over 5,000 Muslim families have expressed their readiness to be foster parents to these children.

For this purpose, please contact Ir Candra Kumianto (0818-7469-92). F Adhim, Banda Aceh (0812-9371-265). May God bestow His guidance on us and help us in our times of need.

BM WIBOWO Secretary-General of Central Executive Board of Hidayatullah Jakarta