Survivors set up forum to help others
Leony Aurora , Jakarta
"You don't know what it's like -- you've never been there", is the one-liner likely to be spoken by victims or running through their heads.
On the basis of their first-hand experience of trauma, Marriott blast victims intend to help future victims of violence or bombings by establishing a foundation to be known as Forum Lima Delapan (F58) -- to represent Aug. 5, 2003, the day when JW Marriott hotel was bombed.
"It's not that we expect another bombing. But if there were one, we would use our experience to assist the victims," F58 director Wahyu Adiartono told a media conference on Saturday.
The foundation's main mission is to provide health care, pay for the children's education of people who die in incidents and empower financially the surviving family.
F58 was officially established on July 19 by 12 of the victims and two of their relatives. In its first event, the foundation held a closed-door gathering last Thursday at the Marriott to mark the tragedy, which took 12 lives and injured 147 others.
In the near future it plans to establish a database on bomb victims, including those from the Bali bombing in 2002, and train volunteers in disaster management.
"When that bomb rocked the Marriott, there was no special institution to help us," said Wahyu.
The team will be trained in first aid, to deliver victims to the hospital and to provide an initial financial guarantee to ensure the immediate admission of patients.
In the midst of the calamity, some help arrived late. Febby Firmansyah, a victim whose arms and back are recovering slowly from burns, cited his physiotherapy as an example.
"Doctors in the burns unit told us to exercise our fingers, but there was no specialized therapist," said Febby. "We practiced when the doctors were there, but when they turned away we stopped, because it hurt."
Due to a lack of therapy, Febby, whose wife is now pregnant with twins, cannot hold his babies' fingers with his left hand.
"We can ensure that this sort of thing doesn't happen again."
F58 will postpone its health and education services, as another social foundation, Yayasan Nurani Dunia (YND), has given health care for Marriott victims in the burns unit and has pledged scholarships for children who lost their parents, until they graduate from senior high school.
"We shall step in to provide them university scholarships in the future," said Wahyu.
Sri Lestari, wife of Edi Sucipto, a security officer who was killed in the blast, was glad of this assurance. Her son, Heri, is now in his second year of elementary school in Depok.
"YND has started paying for his tuition fees and books this semester," said Sri. "I want my son to attend university. What kind of job can a senior high school graduate land?"
As for financial empowerment, the foundation will have to wait to see whether it has sufficient funding. "Currently, we are relying solely on private donors," said Wahyu.
Sri has empowered herself by using the donations she received to buy a 100 square meter piece of land in Depok and build three small houses. "I started renting them out three months ago," she said. "We live on the rent, a total of Rp 540,000 (US$58.73) per month."