Nahdlatul Ulama and 'dayah' in Aceh

The grass roots of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Indonesia's largest Muslim organization, is found in Islamic boarding schools, known as pesantren in Java or dayah in Aceh.

Thus, in the wake of the Dec. 26 tsunami, the NU chose the dayah in Aceh as the base of its humanitarian operation in the region.

The partnership with dayah has facilitated much of the NU's humanitarian work in Aceh. Moreover, a good number of dayah leaders are also executives of local NU branches.

In addition, the NU is aware of the strategic position of dayah in Aceh, chiefly following the application of Islamic law or syariah in the region.

Dayah, according to the NU, could contribute a lot to the upholding of syariah in Aceh due to their comprehensive understanding of syariah.

Even so, the NU central board has observed that the strategic position of dayah in Aceh has been largely overlooked by the government and foreign donors.

This is conspicuous in the government's master plan for Aceh's reconstruction, which effectively excludes dayah from the process. The situation has been worsened by foreign donors disinterest in supporting dayah.

Nevertheless, this has in no way discouraged the NU from working with dayah and empowering them to rebuild Aceh.

Luckily, the NU continues to enjoy support for its endeavors from a number of quarters, including from the Islamic Help of the United Kingdom.

With their endorsement, the NU has been able to implement four major programs in Aceh. The first program lies in the education sector, including rebuilding and providing facilities and infrastructure as well as scholarships.

The second is in the health sector, including providing health services for tsunami survivors; the third is to empower survivors economically; and the fourth is concerned with reconstruction programs for survivors outside dayah.

With the passage of time, the NU's relief operation in Aceh has shifted according to field requirements, from corpse evacuation by its volunteers to providing health services and now moving to education and reconstruction programs.

The program for children's education is now one of the NU's top priorities in Aceh in an effort to improve the prospects of the Acehnese people.

On these grounds, scholarships are being provided through a program that has the support of overseas donors, including Islamic Help.

With the aim of applying a transparent and accountable management system, the NU team is being assisted by a group of auditors that oversee its financial management and performance.

The transparency and accountability of aid fund management tops the agenda of NU executives, to ensure that funds are channeled to the rightful beneficiaries and donors' trust is maintained.

Besides the aid for tsunami survivors in Aceh, the NU has mobilized aid and support for displaced people in Nias, North Sumatra. However, the NU's financial limitations have prevented it from helping Nias' displaced people on the scale that it would like to.

In fact, many other natural disaster victims outside Aceh and Nias have requested the NU's assistance, such as those in Java and several other regions.

Under such circumstances, the NU is always open to receive all kinds of aid for further distribution to Indonesian people in disaster-stricken areas.