Government kicks off Aceh reconstruction in Lhoong
Banda Aceh, Antara
Mariani, a resident of Banda Aceh, breathes a sigh of relief.
"I now realize that the government and donor organizations were not just making empty promises about rebuilding our houses, which were destroyed by the tsunami," said Mariani, 32, from Cot Jeumpa village, Lhoong district in Aceh Besar regency.
Happiness is not only felt by Mariani, but can be seen on the faces of residents witnessing the cornerstone-laying ceremony marking the beginning of the construction of modest houses for tsunami survivors. The residents are delighted at the thought of soon moving from tent camps into modest houses.
"We aren't demanding much. The most important thing is that we have proper homes that don't leak when it rains and are protected from the wind," said the mother of two whose husband was killed in December's natural disaster.
The construction of 800 modest houses in Lhoong district, about 50 kilometers west of Banda Aceh, is the first project in the long-term reconstruction program supervised by the government.
The project, the Lhoong Reconstruction Program (PRR-L), is being done in cooperation with the Makmur Mitra Adil Community Foundation (Mamamia), headed by Abraham Jiejbur, a Dutch national, and a group of charitable organizations from a number of countries.
"Each family head will receive Rp 25 million (approximately US$2,700) in assistance to build a new home. Men, women, or even Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels who have returned to the auspices of the motherland will be provided with assistance. Whoever holds an identity card is entitled to aid," said Jiejbur.
He said 2 million euro, or about Rp 24 billion, had been donated to Mamamia by one German and one Austrian charity, each contributing 1.3 million and 700,000 euro respectively for the program. The recipients will build their own houses under the supervision of Mamamia architects.
Jiejbur said the program would only be carried out in Lhoong district. "We will focus on one district because we believe that it is for the good of social stability that every house be build using a single format," said Jiejbur.
The foundation will also provide Rp 800 million to the people of Lhoong to clear their plantations of debris left behind by the tsunami, so that they can replant the land with crops.
Acting Aceh governor Azwar Abubakar said building housing for tsunami survivors was crucial so that they could get on with their lives.
He expressed hope that the central government as well as local and foreign humanitarian organizations would contribute to the cause. He explained that 11,000 simple houses would be built for tsunami survivors in a number of mayoralties and regencies in Aceh, the westernmost province of Indonesia.
The National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) estimates that around 170,000 houses are needed for displaced people.
"If we can build 10,000 houses per month, it would mean that the program can be accomplished in approximately one year, remembering that about 400,000 people were displaced by the disaster," said the acting governor.