Acehnese children determined to study

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Meulaboh

Desperate to return to school, 14-year-old Sukriadi and eight- year-old Syafril had to leave their mother behind in Calang, Aceh Jaya regency, to study in the Serambi Mekkah Islamic boarding school in Meulaboh.

The two siblings now live in the Al Ahli Singapore orphanage for tsunami survivors with dozens of other children, most of whose parents died when the tsunami swept the region on Dec. 26.

Sukriadi and Syafril lost their father and two brothers when the tidal wave demolished their home in Setia Bakti district, Calang.

"Now there's only the three of us, including our mother. Our mother let us come to Meulaboh to study," Sukriadi told The Jakarta Post during the official opening of the Al Ahli orphanage by Singapore foreign minister George Yeo in Meulaboh.

Before the massive disaster devastated the region, Sukriadi was a second year junior high school student while his brother Syafril was a third grader.

But after the disaster, they could no longer study as their mother did not have the money to send them back to school in Calang.

But one day things took a turn for the better when their mother learned that an orphanage was going to be built in Meulaboh to educate children who survived the tsunami.

When their mother asked whether they wanted to go to study there, the siblings immediately agreed.

"Actually, it was hard for us to leave our mother and we know that our mother was very sad letting us go. But we have to go through this for our own good," said Sukriadi, who wants to become a soldier, while his younger brother wants to be a physician.

"We'll study hard here to make our dreams come true. One day, we want to make our mother happy," he said.

Abdul Aziz Thalib, a Singaporean businessman who built the orphanage for tsunami survivors in Meulaboh, recalled his first visit to Meulaboh a week after the disaster.

Seeing the many children who had lost their parents to the disaster, he was moved to build an orphanage and school for them.

He started the construction of the orphanage in April, with the overall cost amounting to S$100,000. He said that for the first phase, 80 children would be educated for free. During their studies between the ages of seven and 12, each child is provided with Rp 250,000 per month.

"I want them to be happy while studying in the boarding school and I'm planning to provide a computer to support their studies," Aziz told the Post.

After completing their education, he hoped the children would have the necessary skills to support themselves.