Letter from Michigan to Acehnese children
Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh
Dear Friends,
Hi, my name is Maggie, I am sorry for what happened to your country. I have heard something about that. I hope your family and friends are OK. In church, I pray for you and your family. In class we are raising money for your country ... I will continue to pray for you and your country at church.
Your friend,
Maggie
Signed only with her first name, this letter was handwritten by Maggie, a third grader of the Cherlovoix K-4 School in Michigan, the United States.
On the letter dated Jan. 26, Maggie also said that she and her friends had created small bracelets with "tsunami" written on it. They would sell the bracelets and later send the money to Aceh.
Maggie said that along with the letter, she had sent a bracelet for an Acehnese friend.
The letter was delivered on Monday by the head of the agency for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Aceh and Nias, Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, who dropped it into the SDN Keude Bieng elementary school at Lhoknga Aceh Besar district, some 15 kilometers from the provincial capital Banda Aceh.
One of only a few school buildings not damaged by last year's tsunami, the elementary school has accommodated some 100 students, most of the them transfers.
Two students, Nada Lutfiah, 9, and Mulia Safrina, 10, quickly replied to Maggie's letter.
In their respective letters, Nada tells of how she lost all of her family, while Mulia tells of how she lost her father.
Both of their houses were destroyed, and now they are living with their relatives.
"Thank you for Maggie for being so attentive to us," Mulia said, adding that Maggie's letter touched her very much.
The teachers say several letters from other countries, including France and the United Kingdom, have been delivered to the students.
All of the letters were translated by volunteers before the students replied together.
Kuntoro said that the letters from Nada and Mulia would be taken to the U.S. by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono when he visited the country soon.
Susilo also wrote a letter to the Acehnese orphans, read by the volunteer coordinator from the National Commission for the Protection of Children, Lisda Sundari in Banda Aceh on Monday.
Susilo's letter gave encouragement to the orphans.
"You have suffered so much grief at such a young age. But Bu Ani (Susilo's wife) and I believe, no matter how difficult the situation, some goodness will come of it in the future. Please pray a lot, and keep studying for a better future," Susilo wrote.
Back at SDN Keude Bieng, the teachers gave the letters from Nada and Mulia to Kuntoro. Before being sealed, Nada's letter was read out, causing many to cry.
It went: Dear good-hearted friends,
My name is Nada Lutfiah. I am very pleased with your letter and very touched by it. My family, my father, mother, brother and sister; all of them are no longer here. I now live with a relative. I always hope that you, out there, are well and prosperous.